Reports suggest that a new gay TV channel is to join Sky, but details of the launch bring confusion.

An article on the Media Guardian website today reports that Gay UK TV will launch on February 7th on Sky channel 687 - the current home of Open Access.

The bite of the story is that the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade will be advertising for new recruits on the station.

Gay UK TV starts at 8:30pm on February 7th with Out of the Closet and ads for the two emergency services will run around it.

A spokesman for the Fire Brigade said: "This is one of the things we are doing as part of our overall recruitment drive to actively encourage more women, people from ethnic minorities and gay men and lesbians to become firefighters.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police also pointed out that it was not sponsoring Out of the Closet, but is advertising on the channel.

"Our positive action team allocates funds for recruitment, particularly for under-represented groups and this is one of their many activities," she said.

Gay lifestyle magazines AXM and Gay UK, which are owned by the company behind Gay UK TV, Hallmark Communications, will sponsor the show.

Gay UK TV will be on air from 8.30pm every Friday and its programmes will be repeated on Sundays at 10pm.

The lack of a listing for Gay UK TV on the Independent Television Commissions' list of broadcasting licencees, suggests it may just be gay programming on the existing Open Access service, however, adverts have not yet been seen on the channel.

More details will follow as we get them.