The Government announced the shortlist for the three IFNC pilots in Wales, Scotland and the Tyne Tees/Border region last week. The successful bids will produce regional news for Channel Three later this year.
Hunt, speaking at the Oxford Media Convention yesterday, said the Conservatives do not support the pilot IFNC schemes. He said: "Anyone looking to sign one should understand that we'll do all we can to legally unpick them if David Cameron enters Number 10".
Hunt's alternative city-based TV companies would produce two hours of news a day between 6pm-7pm and 10pm-11pm for a new channel. Networked content will run during peak time, with 70% of advertising sold nationally and 30% sold locally.
Hunt said: "The plans we are proposing for city-based TV stations are designed to make sure the costs are incredibly low. The cost of news is falling and you can set up a new studio for £100,000. Birmingham, Alabama has eight local TV stations yet Birmingham in the UK has none."
In November, Ofcom recommended that cross-media ownership rules were liberalised, so the only restriction is on owning a radio station, 50% or more of the local market share of newspapers and the regional Channel Three licence.
Hunt said the Conservatives would go further than this by "relaxing laws at local level so [newspaper publishers] can own TV companies, because if newspapers can't follow audiences then we are condemning them to death".
Hunt said the Conservative model would be attractive to publishers, such as Trinity Mirror, which is currently bidding for the IFNCs. Hunt suggested Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, would find it attractive to be able to say "[In Merseyside] we've got TV, newspapers and maybe the radio as well. If you want to reach people in Liverpool, talk to me."
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