Row over tourist TV channel

It is the only television channel dedicated to London and features aspects of life from pie and mash to musicals.

London TV is supposed to promote the city to locals and give tourists ideas on what to do but new figures reveal a daily audience of only 1,285.

That puts the digital channel third from bottom among Britain's
166 stations, narrowly beating littleknown contenders such as Wine TV, Get Lucky (24-hour gambling) and Sky Premiership Plus - which is only on during the football season.

The channel has a budget of £6 million - £2million for each of the three years it is due to be on air. Taxpayers contribute £210,000 a year through the Mayor's Visit London organisation. The rest is private money.

London TV began almost a year ago in a bid to copy similar stations in the United States.

Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for culture on the London Assembly, said: "Serious questions must be asked of the Mayor as to why more than half a million pounds of Londoners' money has been spent on a TV channel watched by almost no one.

"It has deprived many other valuable cultural projects of funding."

The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board found only 9,000 viewers during the week ending 29 May, the equivalent of 1,285 people a day. That lags far behind other specialists such as BBC4, with 556,000 viewers a day or the Wrestling Channel, with 77,000.

Today, Visit London communications director Ken Kelling said London TV is "doing quite well for a digital and satellite channel... but it is early days".

He added: "There is £9 of private money going in for every £1 of public money. It is a fantastic way to get information to people outside London."

He believes the audience figure may be deceptive as the channel is available at hotels and even inside taxis, which are not monitored.

But officially, the presenters are being watched by just 53 people at any given time. Natasha Bryce, a former Vogue model, presents the channel's eating and shopping guides. Georgie Palmer presents the What's On show and Tessa Dunlop hosts Tell Me Where.

One TV expert said: "They would be better just stopping tourists in the street."