BSkyB and Ofcom in local TV row The broadcasting regulator is threatening to take action if they do not give enough prominence to new US-style local television services dreamed up by Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary. The potential conflict emerged this week as Ofcom invited bids from companies to run the local television operations in 21 cities around Britain, including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Belfast. The regulator asked satellite and digital broadcasters to declare where they planned to list the new public service channels but, even after the responses were received, warned it could overrule them, if broadcasters' suggestions fell "short of the letter and spirit of current legislation." In its submission, BSkyB offered a yellow button on its front page giving users access to the local television service, but said it would not feature the channel until slot 17, and would move it down to slot 24 in the summer, when it plans a rejig of the so-called "electronic programme guide" [EPG]. BSkyB places huge import on its front page for political and commercial reasons. By restricting it to six slots, it puts equal weight on its flagship Sky 1 as on the five public service channels, BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channels 4 and 5. A channel's position in the listing greatly affects viewing figures and the amount it can charge for advertising. For example, when MTV moved from 35th to 26th slot, it more than doubled its audience with no change of content. BSkyB said: "We've created a strong set of proposals that will offer local TV providers the opportunity to reach millions of Sky homes. We're now engaged in a constructive dialogue with Ofcom about how these proposals can help support their plans for local TV.