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±«Óãtv Radio 5 Live's Controller Adrian Van Klaveren has announced seven new commissions from independent radio producers from across the north of England as a result of the ±«Óãtv North Creative Kicker Fund.

The fund – which has been confirmed for another year – underlines ±«Óãtv North's commitment to invest in locally made content on all platforms and it represents its first slate of radio commissions.

The new commissions which will be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Radio 5 Live include:

• A radio drama marking the 25th anniversary of Maradona's Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, produced by Made in Manchester
• A topical sports comedy programme parodying the traditional post-match TV coverage, written by James Quinn and produced by Savvy Productions
• Total Blackout, a documentary looking at the lack of black football managers in the British game by Input Media North
• A documentary looking at the work of Streetreach, a Comic Relief funded project supporting young people involved in prostitution in Doncaster, produced by Yorkshire based Pearl Works Productions
• The Kids On Hope Street takes a snapshot of family life in the UK hearing from children around the country who live on five different streets called Hope Street - commissioned as part of 5 Live's Family Season from York based Soundscape Productions
• A  commission from Woolyback Productions with music journalist and commentator John Robb
• A documentary made by  Manchester based producer Jo Meek following the stories of some of the UK's Lottery winners
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The Fund, announced by Peter Salmon, Director, ±«Óãtv North, in March this year provided £40,000 of additional funding for 5 Live commissions from independent radio production companies based in the north of England covering North West, Yorkshire, the North East, Cumbria, and Lincolnshire, ahead of the station's move to MediaCityUK, Salford Quays in 2011.

Salmon confirmed that an additional £40,000 will be available for locally-based  radio indies for programmes to be made and broadcast in the financial year 2011/12.

Radio 5 Live Controller Adrian Van Klaveren, said: "I am delighted to see so many different companies across the north contributing to the success of this project. My aim was to help kick start some projects across the region because I want the independent sector in the north to see the great opportunities that MediaCity and the ±«Óãtv's bigger presence here can bring."

Commenting on the commissioning process, ±«Óãtv Radio 5 Live Commissioning Editor, Jonathan Wall, said: "This has been a wonderfully creative process; I'm delighted to see such a strong range of ideas from a variety of companies. I really believe we have found some people and ideas that will create some stand-out content for 5 Live."

Peter Salmon, Director, ±«Óãtv North, added: "The quality of the ideas that came through demonstrates that ±«Óãtv North's commitment to find new ways to work with indies is paying strong creative dividends. I'm proud that the first radio commissions have been drawn from across genres which underlines the strength of Radio 5 Live's output and I look forward to continuing to foster and encourage a sustainable radio sector in the north."

AB