THE publishers of the County Times have been picked for a pioneering TV project.
NWN Media and TV firm UTV's Wales Live partnership has been announced as the preferred bidder for the Government's Independently Funded News Consortium (IFNC) pilot project in Wales.
It means the two companies are set to work together to revolutionise the way news is presented on channel three in Wales.
The announcement was made on Thursday at Cardiff Bay.
David Faulkner, managing director of NWN Media said: “We are delighted with the announcement and look forward to working with our partner UTV and the local ITV Wales news team to bring Wales Live to life across all platforms.
“Wales Live will reflect fully the needs of a devolved nation in conjunction with local and community media across both North and South Wales."
Michael Wilson, managing director of UTV Television said: “What a fantastic achievement for the Wales Live team, we put our hearts and souls into winning this bid.
“With our partners NWN Media, we look forward to delivering a fresh and authoritative news service to the whole of Wales across TV, online and radio with the current ITV Wales news team.
“The process is still on-going and we remain fully committed to moving forward on contracts with ITV and DCMS."
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) news release described the Wales Live plans as “a model which would deliver a harder-edged TV news programme reflecting the needs of a devolved nation in conjunction with local and community media across both North and South Wales.”
Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain said: “Today's announcement will ensure the future of quality independent Welsh news.
“I congratulate Wales Live whose bid reflected the move to the new digital future of news technology in Wales and the way Welsh audiences will consume news in the future.
“It is fundamentally important for Wales to have its own independent Welsh news provider serving our nation and properly eflecting devolution in Wales.”
* NWN Media is a multimedia publisher focusing on newspaper, magazine and internet publishing based in Mold. It is a family-owned business that has been bringing news to the regions of North Wales and the Borders for over 150 years.
NWN Media’s newspaper portfolio includes the three editions of the Leader and weekly papers across North Wales, Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.
Go to www.waleslive.tv to find out more about Wales Live.