Culture of Jersey - Television and Radio

Television and Radio

Jersey, together with the other Channel Islands, is served by Channel Television, an ITV regional opt-out. The main studios are based in St. Helier. The question of balance of coverage between the two bailiwicks is a matter of long-running debate, especially as most of the content is broadcast from Jersey. Channel Television produces a daily news programme, Channel Report.

The BBC also produce a twice daily news programme in Jersey for the Channel Islands. Spotlight Channel Islands is a 12 minute sub-opt of their main Spotlight South West programme and broadcasts at 18:30 and 22:30 Monday to Friday.

The Spotlight Channel Islands broadcast is manned by a team of Video Journalists split between the two islands with the main studio facilities in Jersey. There are also now facilities for live broadcasts from Guernsey.

Th introduction of an ITV franchise posed a problem to the Independent Television Authority as, constitutionally, the Television Act 1954 did not apply to the islands, so the ITA's ability to operate there had to be permitted by means of extending the Act to the islands by means of an Order in Council. Due to a technicality that prevented the Channel Islands from receiving colour television, Channel could only broadcast in black and white until 1976.

Due to the proximity to France, French television is fairly easily received as well, and Channel TV and BBC Spotlight Channel Islands can be picked up on the neighbouring coast of the Norman mainland.

One of the best known portrayals of Jersey on the small screen was the BBC's crime drama - Bergerac, featuring John Nettles as Jim Bergerac as a policeman in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" (a fictional department, based on the real Bureau des Étrangers, for dealing with non-Jersey residents). This was filmed mainly in Jersey, but storylines increasingly moved further afield to England and France.

Jersey has two local radio stations, BBC Radio Jersey and Channel 103

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