(1)With respect to the broadcasting of news programmes on and after 1st January 1998, section 31 of the 1990 Act (provision of news on Channels 3 and 5) is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (2)—
(a)at the beginning there is inserted “ For the purpose of securing the nationwide broadcast, by holders of regional Channel 3 licences (taken together), of news programmes which are able to compete effectively with other news programmes broadcast nationwide in the United Kingdom, ”,
(b)for “a nominated news provider” there is substituted “ the appointed news provider ”, and
(c)in paragraph (b), for “the same nominated” there is substituted “ the appointed ”.
(3)For subsection (3) there is substituted—
“(3)In subsection (2) “appointed news provider” means, subject to subsection (4), the body corporate for the time being appointed for the purposes of subsection (2), from among the bodies corporate nominated by the Commission under section 32, in accordance with conditions included by virtue of section 31A in regional Channel 3 licences.
(4)A body corporate ceases by virtue of this subsection to be the appointed news provider if its nomination is terminated by the Commission under any provision of section 32.”