 On 23 May 2012 the media regulator Ofcom extended the invitation for local operators in cities across the United Kingdom to operate a new local television service in their areas.Two rival bids were lodged - one from regional publisher Archant and the other from NR One which was headed up by former ITV Anglia presenter Kevin Piper.On 19 September 2012 Archant was revealed as the winner of the licence, originally proposing a television service which would run from 6am until midnight each day.