The Sunderland Echo has teamed up with other media organisations in a bid to transform regional TV news.
A consortium of news companies, including Sunderland Echo owner Johnston Press, has confirmed it will be part of joint bid to deliver a TV news pilot programme.
The consortium, led by the ITN, could become a long-term replacement to ITV regional n
ews.
The Echo has joined forces with a host of local newspapers and radio stations in the tender for the Independently Funded News Consortia project in the Border and Tyne Tees areas.
Along with the University of Sunderland, they will work with ITV staff who provide the current service in the region to form the backbone of the bid.
The consortium will also be supported by broadcaster, writer and novelist Lord Melvyn Bragg who will act as a special adviser.
John Fry, Chief Executive of Johnston Press, said: "This consortium offers a tremendous opportunity to create a whole new approach to local news gathering.
"Johnston Press boasts an army of journalists on the ground, embedded at a grass-roots level and very much part of their communities.
"We look forward to playing a central role in this new era for local news to best serve readers, surfers and viewers in the area."
The consortium will also work closely with its university partner and reach out to community media organisations and other commercial media players to provide support and an outlet for providers of news content in each local area.
Graeme Thompson, Dean of Arts, Design and Media at the University of Sunderland, said: "Our multimillion-pound investment in media facilities and our focus on students means we can play a key role in the initiative and allow the consortium to explore fresh thinking and approaches to news generation and delivery in our region."
