Ripple Effects: Disseminating Local Climate Action via Local TV

The paper presents research into how the efforts of local communities to tackle climate change may be amplified through the medium of local television. In the United Kingdom, public service television had a clear impact in how television was developed around ideas of community cohesion as well as education, information and entertainment (Scannell, 1990). However, when local television was set up in the 2010s, the adopted system was a commercial one. This hampers how communities can engage with local television to make their voices heard. This is particularly problematic in a city where there is a level of disconnect between what local community groups want to achieve and what the local government is willing to support. This paper examines how community-led local television may be able to amplify local voices to inspire change beyond the immediate membership of community groups. It will present the work conducted by Love Wavertree CIC, a local community group based in Liverpool, UK, which is collaborating with Edge Hill University to deliver a series of climate assemblies which will lead to some television content which will then be disseminated via the group’s website and local screenings.