East Devon MP transmits support for radio and TV services on tour of Stockland Hill transmitter in East Devon

Simon Jupp MP – a local radio presenter and journalist turned politician – has endorsed the importance of services provided by Stockland Hill transmitting station on a visit to the site, near Honiton.

On a tour of the 235-metre-high Stockland Hill transmitter, the East Devon MP endorsed the importance of the TV and radio services the mast provides to some 120,000 homes in Devon and Dorset.

Speaking at Stockland Hill, Mr Jupp, who is a former presenter on Radio Exe, Plymouth Sound and helped to launch Radio Plymouth, said; “Broadcast radio and TV services are incredibly important for many people in my constituency and it’s crucial that they are protected. Planning for the future of free to air radio and TV needs to be considered carefully.

“Walking round Stockland Hill, I was fascinated by how the technology that provides these services has developed over time – especially the energy efficiency of the network.”

Broadcast 2040+ is a new campaign, which aims to protect vital TV and radio services for everyone – including the elderly and vulnerable people that rely on them the most – until 2040 and beyond.

The campaign, which urges the Government to guarantee access to Freeview and radio services beyond 2040, now has 30 members.

New partners include the Digital Poverty Alliance, an organisation committed to supporting those who live without, or with very minimal, access to the internet and the Campaign to End Loneliness, a network of organisations working to support lonely people reconnect with their community and the National Federation of the Blind of the UK.

Organisations from across the broadcast sector have signed up, including the Local TV Network (LTVN) which represents 34 local TV services, World DAB, the global industry forum for digital radio, and Together TV - the community-focused free-to-air channel.

Next year, an international conference will decide whether to safeguard the radiofrequency spectrum used to deliver these services. The campaign calls on the UK Government to ensure that the international decision does not negatively impact the services relied on by the people of Devon and surrounds.

Freeview TV is especially important for older and vulnerable people, many of whom don’t understand or can’t afford services like Sky, Virgin or Netflix.