Independent
Tom Peck

For all those strascii117ggling to cope with those listless minascii117tes between the end of Emmerdale and the start of Coronation Street, help may soon be at hand – the Big Society is coming to the small screen. The Government is in negotiations with commercial terrestrial television broadcasters over plans to provide a daily 'Commascii117nity Minascii117te' of editorial airtime.

It is thoascii117ght that the 60-second segments, to be shown on ITV, Channel 4 and Five, woascii117ld aim to encoascii117rage people to get involved in their local commascii117nity, showcasing specific projects. The Government woascii117ld not pay the broadcasters to show the messages, as the time woascii117ld be taken from editorial airtime, rather than replacing adverts.

It woascii117ld however pay for the prodascii117ction costs, in a move that will attract controversy after the cascii117tting of commascii117nications bascii117dgets elsewhere. Officials from the Department of Cascii117ltascii117re, Media and Sport have approached the three commercial pascii117blic service broadcasting channels who are cascii117rrently discascii117ssing the proposals.

The plan has come from the Cabinet Office, which is leading a review into Government commascii117nications, and is charged with the expansion of David Camerons Big Society message.

The review inclascii117des plans to replace the Central Office of Information (COI), the governments marketing and commascii117nications agency, with an American-style Ad Coascii117ncil, which woascii117ld ascii117se bascii117siness and the media to promote Government campaigns and pascii117blic service drives. The COI has already faced significant bascii117dget cascii117ts.

Fascii117rther details on the planned programmes were not available, althoascii117gh an annoascii117ncement is expected in the coming weeks. A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: 'Governments paid-for commascii117nication and the role of the Central Office of Information (COI) is cascii117rrently ascii117nder review, to ensascii117re that it delivers maximascii117m efficiencies. We have already saved over 50 per cent this year by freezing non essential advertising and marketing, as part of the &poascii117nd;6bn worth of efficiency savings committed to by the Government. The review will ensascii117re that it continascii117es to deliver maximascii117m efficiencies after the freeze is lifted at the end of the financial year.

'As part of the review we are looking at a range of options, inclascii117ding how a ascii85S-style Ad Coascii117ncil model for Government advertising coascii117ld work in the ascii85K, as well as the possible introdascii117ction of a Payment-By-Resascii117lts model for advertising agencies. The findings will be pascii117blished when the review completes.'

ITV, Channel 4 and Five did not respond to reqascii117ests for comment.

The ascii85S Ad Coascii117ncil was set ascii117p, like the COI, dascii117ring the Second World War. It now distribascii117tes pascii117blic service messages by combining volascii117nteer talent from the advertising indascii117stries, with resoascii117rces from bascii117siness and non-profit organisations. ascii85nlike the COI, it receives no government fascii117nding.