Welcome to the weekly Wrap from How-Do - media news for the North West

The Wrap's guest editor this week is Lee Hardman.

This year's Royal Television Society North West Awards saw Grange Hill take home the prize for Best Children’s Drama.  A bitter-sweet award, as this year witnessed the transmission of the final episode of Grange Hill, the BBC’s longest running children’s drama.

Grange Hill producer, David Hanson, has now shifted his attention to a brand-new project for the BBC’s teen-division, BBC Switch.  Given the working title ‘Text Me’, this is a multi-platform teenage drama to be piloted on BBC TWO, bbc.co.uk and BBC Mobile in Spring 2009.

‘Text Me’ is the first of a series of projects to come out of a creative partnership between BBC Switch and Conker Media; the basis of which is to explore new ways of telling stories in a digital age.  The partnership encourages both the London (Switch) and Liverpool (Conker) based teams to work together, share ideas and to consider new ways of working (without using the train).

The average age of both teams is possibly 21 (although I’m guessing, as I’m now at the age where I can’t tell anymore), and their ability to think beyond normal convention is an approach that the Make Your Mark campaign (which came to prominence in Liverpool as part of Enterprise Week) is keen to foster.

Looking ahead, it’s probably fair to say that the average age will be way above 21 of those discussing the future of public service broadcasting in a ‘multi-channel, digital age’, at my old alma mater the University of Salford next week. 

However the discussion could be quite timely, coming in the week when, sources close to How-Do, claim that the Guardian Media Group are planning to launch a locally-focussed, multi-media online service which could compete with the BBC’s planned offering and ITV Local (both online, locally-focussed multi-media services). 

Lee Hardman is head of Conker Media & director of Digital Media, Lime Pictures

Elsewhere on How-Do this week: 

• Inventor who turned down Dragons Den offer appoints Citypress
• Access wins pitch to launch Smokefree Northwest on TV
• Liverpool businesses think inside the box
• The Big Issue in the North reveals new Big Giveaway plans
• The LEP tops Johnston Press titles in first ABCe audit
• Shameless, The Street and John Stevenson scoop top RTS awards
• McCanns digital team to launch Aldi travel site
• Arrest warant issued as Michael Welch does a runner
• Stardotstar nominated for four BIMAs
• Itchy City comes to Manchester via branded mobile service
• Tangerine PR defies market and pushes staff number up to 25
• Impact Media takes Manchester Cathedral for Y-3
• Tony Murray's marriage this w/e - and everyone's invited
• Corrie denies rumours of cashing in on Sachsgate saga
• MUFC help Key 103 kick off Christmas toy appeal
• Mando unveils new site for United Utilities
• Manchester Airport launches viral to promote its retail offer
• Penk and Kay wind up Cowell on The Revolution
• ITV reveals 2009 season with Manchester drama and The Prisoner
• Press Complaints Commission holds first board meeting outside London
• Ukrainian honour for former Manchester Guardian journalists
• ghd returns to TV with TBWA
• Liquid rebrands events production company Punchline
• MEN Media brings digital sales in-house and out of Ad Link
• BJL to target cot deaths in new NHS camapaign
• £140k nuclear PR task ships out to US agency
• Photolink builds its PR offer with appointment of former LUFC PR chief
• ICE relaunches New Brighton's histroic Floral Pavilion
• Artemis PR behind relaunch of Cammell Laird shipyard
• CBJWT's roll continues with £1m Whitbread win
• Alphason Designs appoints The Raft
• Rhodes to head up marketing at Cheshire Oaks
• Monumental Games buys Swordfish Studios
• Blueleaf creates national Outward Bound Trust campaign
• Koan goes into administration and will emerge as Ethical Comms
• TBWA launches new campaign for BP's Wild Bean Cafes
• CTI bidding for success with 'Arabic eBay'
• Cosgrove Hall staff numbers down to six but move into Granada imminent
• BBC, UCLan and Vision & Media join forces
• New editor at Waterfront magazine as circulation set to increase
• Bird Consultancy wins the PR account for the Football Conference
• The Co-op sweeps the board at this year's Top 100 Brands
• ITV Local launches Welsh language website
• Juice FM launches style awards with celebrity event
• The Neighbourhood wins Grand Prix at Fresh digital awards

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