SIR BOB Geldof says he would not have become involved in Kent's new television service if it were just a council mouthpiece.

The boss of TenAlps, the company that won a £1.4 million Kent County Council contract to run Kent TV, insists it will not be "propaganda on the rates."

Sir Bob, the aid for Africa campaigner and celebrated Faversham resident, told Kent Online in an exclusive interview that he would not want the company he founded in 1999 to be linked to propaganda.

He said: "I wouldn’t do it. It just wouldn’t happen. Hello, it’s me!"

It was a "cheap pop" by critics to claim that. The new service, only available to viewers with broadband, would not be afraid to air criticism of the council.

"We’ll have endless talks and chat shows where people can discuss all those things and where opponents can say what’s happening in their town or area is a load of crap."

If anyone wanted to say that councillors were "a useless shower," then they could post it on the web.

He insisted KentTV would be "utterly independent." He called on sceptics to watch the service and give it two years before attacking it for being too close to the council.

"No, it can’t be a propaganda tool and it won’t be. It’s not their station, it doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to Kent and it’s Kent’s money that’s paying for it."

He added: "The people who are giving us the money are the people of Kent. The conduit is the council. Local people will judge, not Kent County Council."

He revealed that he would be appearing on KentTV, but it would not be as a singer nor as an anchor for any "Bob Geldof Show."

The former Boomtown Rat said the new service would widen democracy and encourage more people to take an interest in their county.

He expected other councils to follow KCC’s lead. "I think that what’s happening with KentTV will happen elsewhere and I know for a fact that a lot of other councils are looking at this with quite a lot of interest."

He did not see it as a threat to local newspapers, and although KentTV would take adverts - he hopes it will start paying for itself in a couple of years - he expected the overall advertising market to expand.

His aim was to create professional and compelling programmes that people wanted to watch. But he admitted he was concerned about content. "That’s the thing that bothers me," he said.

As a viewer, he wanted it to reflect a Kentish feel. "If I turn it on and think "That’s cool," then I’ll be satisfied."

His company boosted sales to £69 million last year, prospering by serving niche groups such as teachers, and pioneering web-based television. Sir Bob said it would have cost milions of pounds to put KentTV on satellite and "very few people would get it".

"But if you’re on the train to Maidstone and transferring to Ashford, and you want to know what’s happening, you’ll be able to access this stuff on your Blackberry."

Would anyone watch it? He conceded it would not compete with Coronation Street but he was hopeful. "If people don’t watch, we lose the contract - there’s a compelling business logic to this."

He welcomed local production companies - seven have signed up to KentTV - because they "know where it’s at."

What would he watch? Traffic information and weather reports, he said. "In the 23 years I’ve lived in Kent, I’ve never once driven from London without ******* roadworks. If the weather’s *****, I’ll go on TV to find out what the forecast is and should we go down to Whitstable or Deal? That will be the informational aspect to it, but there will be available programmes you will just click and watch."

He added: "I hope it will be a serious contribution to life in the county and it will become part and parcel of the place.

"I hope people see it as the vehicle for discussing any development in what probably is the most important county outside Greater London in the country. The problems of Kent are pretty much a microcosm of problems in the country.

"I love Kent. I ended up in Kent by accident but it was a very happy accident and me and the family have been really happy for 23 years and I hope that continues."