TV host signs off with powerful message as channel shuts down after 10 years
TV channel London Live is closing after over 10 years.
Bosses made the announcement with a statement addressed to their ‘loyal followers’ today.
Posted on X, the message began on a sombre note, admitting that ‘sadly’, the channel will be going off air.
‘The TV channel will no longer be on air from 12am on 20th January and the final news programme will be on 16th January at 6pm,’ the statement confirmed.
‘We want to thank you for following and supporting us over the last 10 years.
‘We have loved helping to share the stories that matter in London, making sure the voices that count are heard.
‘In our biased opinion, London is the best city in the world, made up of brilliant people. Thank you for being a part of our journey.’
Viewers were quick to reply, sharing how ‘sorry’ they were upon learning of the closure.
User PhilJonesy3 also thanked the station for creating ‘some cracking telly’.
This evening, presenter James Dickman signed off for the final time, having worked at London Live for seven years and been its lead news presenter for the past three years.
In his last broadcast, he said: ‘This is it for me. Tonight is my last show on this news programme at this channel.
‘Over seven years, it’s been a privilege to inform you and, at times, give you a little bit of joy, I hope, every weekday evening.’
He added: ‘It’s not news to anyone that local reporting is on life support.
‘The need for it in a modern world, for better or for worse, seems more and more by the day to be surplus to requirements. I believe it is for the worse.
‘The importance of stories that affect our communities and the individuals within them cannot be underestimated.
‘The seemingly inconsequential at first glance to the often downright bizarre things that would be overlooked by so many others. They’re often, though, the key, the first key, in the door that opens to shine a light on something much larger that affects us all.’
He continued to say that ‘small stories’ help to offer perspective of ‘what it is to be human’ and ‘what it is to believe in something bigger than yourself’, which is ‘something needed now more than ever, in such difficult times.’
James concluded: ‘I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you have the courage to never lose hope. Good evening, goodbye, and I’ll see you again, I’m sure.’
London Live first hit screens in 2014 to serve the London area under new legislation for local TV, broadcasting on Sky and Freeview.
It aired segments on local news, current affairs, sports, and entertainment
