The Grocer is moving into TV with the first series conceived and produced for the independent grocery market. Starting in September, we will screen a weekly news programme for owners and managers of c-stores and local retail outlets. Location filming began this week. The half hour programme will be screened twice between 7am and 8am on Wednesday mornings from September 6 on Channel 642, available to viewers with the Sky digital package. Programme content will feature up to the minute sector news, personalities, trading tips, price information, competitions and product promotions ­ all designed to help independents boost profits. GrocerTV will also have its own web site ­ www.grocertv.co.uk ­ where retailers can view segments of the programme and follow up deals and competitions featured on the live broadcast. "For many of our readers the home is the shop, and in many local stores there is a TV right by the checkout," said Jerry Gosney, chief operating officer at William Reed, publisher of The Grocer. "Retailing is a highly visual business, and we think TV has advantages over the web as a platform to get across key trade messages and look and learn' store guidance." Overall content responsibility for the first 12 programmes, working with Brighton based production and broadcasting company BiteTV, is in the hands of Sonia Young, editor of The Grocer's sister paper, Convenience Store. Clive Beddall, editor of The Grocer, said: "This is an exciting and logical development to build on the considerableexpansion the magazine has enjoyed during the past four years. We plan to use the expertise of journalists from both The Grocer and C-Store to help put the programme together." "This is a good time to capture this audience," says Gosney. "Typically, CTNs and c-stores have got through the early rush of getting news deliveries sorted out by then, and it can be a bit quiet in store until trade picks up later in the morning." The new channel has already won support from leading fmcg suppliers including Pedigree, Heinz, Walkers, McVitie's and Britvic. {{NEWS }}