Newsreader James Dickman shared an emotional goodbye as he gave his final show on London Live.

London Live has aired on Sky and Freeview since 2014, and aired a selection of shows - including sitcoms and documentaries - alongside traditional news to those with London postcodes. This month however, it was bought by Local TV Ltd. from its original owner Evgeny Lebedev, and almost immediately closed down.

Speaking on January 13, James ended his show: “That’s it for this evening. But also, this is it for me tonight. This is my last show on this news programme at this channel. Over seven years it’s been a privilege to inform you, and at times give you a little bit of joy, I hope, every weekday evening.”
London Live announced its closure just hours before James' broadcast, thanking fans for their support over the years (
Image:
London Live)
James took the opportunity to remind viewers of 'the importance of stories that affect our communities,' and urged them not to 'lose hope' (
Image:
London Live)

He emotionally added: “It’s not news to anyone that local reporting is on life support. The need for it in a modern world - for better or for worse - seems more and more by the day to be surplus to requirements. I believe it is for the worse.

"The importance of stories that affect our communities and the individuals within them cannot be underestimated. The seemingly inconsequential at first glance, the often downright bizarre, are things that would be overlooked by so many others. They’re often, though, the first key in the door that opens to shine a light on something much larger that affects us all.”

The broadcaster concluded his moving goodbye: “These small stories can remind us perhaps more acutely than things only visible in a bigger picture of what it is to be human, and what it is to believe in something bigger than yourself. Something needed now more than ever in such difficult times.

"So, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you have the courage to never lose hope. Good evening, goodbye, I’ll see you again I’m sure.”

News of London Live’s closure first broke on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier the same day. In a statement, the television channel wrote: “We want to update our loyal followers that very sadly London Live will be closing down. The TV channel will no longer be on air from 12am on 20th January and the final news programme will be on 16th January at 6pm.

“We want to thank you for following and supporting us over the last 10 years. We have loved helping to share the stories that matter in London, making sure the voices that count are heard. In our biased opinion, London is the best city in the world, made up of brilliant people. Thank you for being a part of our journey. The London Live Team x”

The statement was reposted by Simon Thompson, who is a voting member of BAFTA and the Critics Choice Awards. Simon shared: “I was part of the London Live launch team. I produced the nightly entertainment show London Go, the show that launched the channel. It was an honor to make broadcasting history and we did it more than once in the first year. I feel for those impacted by this. A real shame.”

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