A CITY construction firm is swapping bricks and mortar for the camera and editing suite.

Gleeds is launching its own TV channel.

The Glasgow based company has created its own station filled with information for staff and clients worldwide.

In what is believed to be an industry first, 18 offices in the UK are to receive the new channel at the end of this month, with a global roll-out to a further 30 offices in the next three months.

A dedicated website will also host all the footage, accessible from anywhere in the world.

The channel, called "GTV" will feature a mixture of news, technical seminars, project updates and social events.

And to give it a broader appeal, the site is going to show lectures and programmes from the Royal Institute of British Architects which will be filmed by Gleeds' communications team.

GTV is modelled on a rolling news channel with local news feeds and breaking news relevant to the location of the office shown as rolling captions on the side and bottom of the screen.

The internet-based station will be shown on desktop PCs in the company's offices, but the general public will also be able to access the station on www.gleeds.tv.

Commenting on the new communications channel, Steven Whitton, who manages Gleeds' Scottish operation, said: "This is a first for our industry and having project-managed various projects across Scotland and beyond using our own collaborative communication system we are pleased to be entering the digital broadcasting age and expanding the concept with our own industry alternative.

"The content will appeal to both inside and outside of our business and we welcome others in the industry to contribute.

"The secret of GTV's success will be its mixture of entertainment as well as information and we have a dedicated content-gathering' team who have a remit to capture relevant material in the UK and abroad. It will assist with recruitment, retention and continuing professional development as well as being fun."

The firm, based in West George Street, has worked on some key developments in the city.

It was responsible for the £25million Radisson Hotel on Argyle Street and the refurbishment and creation of office space at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The Evening Times has recently launched a series of community websites, giving information, stories, pictures and videos from 48 areas across the city and the West off Scotland.

For more info, log on to www.eveningtimes.co.uk and follow the links.