by business editor Trevor Sturgess

A boss has denied claims by a Kent TV governor that the internet channel funded by taxpayers has "cruelly betrayed" independent producers.

John McGhie, editor of Kent TV which is run by Sir Bob Geldof’s firm Ten Alps on behalf of Kent County Council, said that Martin Jackson had got his figures wrong.

Mr Jackson, from Hawkhurst, writes in his monthly column for Kent Business, the KM Group publication, that Ten Alps promised more than 40 per cent of production would be farmed out to Kent independents.

"In reality, less than 20 per cent of airtime has been supplied by independent producers, while the broadcast industry norm is a minimum quota of 25 per cent," he says.

"Most of the commissioning of Kent independents has been one-off, three-minute long programmes for a price that barely covers the editing costs."

He goes on: "Kent’s independent sector has been cruelly betrayed."

But Mr McGhie retorted: "Martin Jackson has got his figures wrong. Kent TV has indeed spent 40 per cent of its available editorial budget on independent companies in Kent.

"The fact that the actual number of films on our site from Indies [independents] is less than 40 per cent is because, apart from Kent TV and Indies making films, we also accept and show films from the public, from businesses and from other organisations who have made their own videos.

"The important fact here is how much we spend – not how many films result from that spending and Martin as a governor of Kent TV ought to know that.

"We promised we would spend 40 per cent of our editorial budget on independent production and we have kept that promise. It is unlikely any other media company in Kent spends as much as Kent TV does on supporting the county’s independent production sector."

Roger Gough, KCC’s cabinet member for corporate support services and performance management, added: "Kent TV supports the Backing Kent Business campaign and to date the service has hired 27 independent local production companies spending around £260,000 on commissioned content.

"Production companies used include Cre8tive Media, Lavender Blue Media, reelJEMS, Moonbaby Productions and Essential Media."

Kent Business is available now with the Kent Messenger, Medway Messenger (Friday edition), Kentish Express and Kentish Gazette.