Local TV edges closer to closedown

Jeremy Hunt has lost his spine: which, being interpreted, means that his longed-for network of local TV stations won't come in the form of two- or four-hour opt-outs from a national channel high up on your on-screen programme guide. The difficulties of creating such a national newcomer "top-down" have proved too much for the secretary of state, it seems. Now he's in business "bottom-up", encouraging local initiatives and watching them grow. But don't hold your breath. Local TV without national salience has a horribly difficult row to hoe. How many hours a day can it broadcast for? What programme standards will viewers expect? Even in America, the example Mr Hunt quotes most enthusiastically, local affiliates need a big brother. Some buoyant manifesto ideas survive in office, and some fade away. You can feel local TV fading now, even before there's a remote to click off.