THE Glenrothes by-election taking place today has given a local organisation, providing access to training in the media, the chance to experiment with its own, web-based TV channel.
MiMAC-Rushes is a not-for-profit ‘community interest company’ and it has been sending out four TV crews these last few days to cover the by-election in some depth as a forerunner to perhaps something more permanent.
‘Channel Fife’ has been posting its interviews with candidates, local people and visiting politicians on YouTube.
The hope is that MiMAC-Rushes can, in the future, secure some of the TV ‘spectrum’ that will become available with the imminent ‘digital switchover’(when the analogue signal is switched off), in order to run a local, digital TV channel.
Says Graeme Campbell, director, MiMAC-Rushes: “Local television for Scotland has been a long time coming and the on going campaign to persuade [broadcasting regulators] Ofcom to free up transmitter space as digital switchover continues.
“But in the meantime, the internet offers the best opportunity for communities to grab air space and get our views on screen.”
He added: “We want this to be truly a community channel for the community. We have over 200 MiMAC-Rushes members armed with their own video cameras. This week, we’ve been working 24/7, with dedicated editing teams in Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.”
