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Look North/Calendar

(August 2001)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
AN
Andrew Founding member
Firstly where has the orginal topic gone, is Christa Ackroyd to blame?

Secondly, heres some misc points that I was going to post just as the temp forum closed down!

'Whats on Tv' still says for next week, Calendar 'Regional News with Christa
Ackroyd and Mike Morris'. Neither of them have been on for 6 weeks!

There was a mistake after Crossroads on YTV, Instead of the promo for
Calendar, we got colour bars with 'Y.T.V. News Centre Leeds' written on,
which after a while changed to a static ITV1 caption.

Cross-promoting the ITV Sport Channel, the YTV lot faded up a ITV Sport
Channel logo over the exsisting hearts ident tonight, and then faded it down
again. The logo was added in the bottom right hand corner.

Meanwhile, Look North was presented by Penny Bustin and Peter Levy, Calendar
was Christine Talbot and Geoff Druet. The News Round Up was like the old
days, as it was presented by Nichola Crompton.

Starting on Sunday is a new programme 'Calendar Pick of the Week' at 11.20am

Calendar have introduced some new graphics and stings for Football
highlights within Calendar

Paul Hudson was on a half day on Friday and Tuesday this week, meaning Katherine would have been disapointed there.
SN
Steve Naylor
I'll add my other post here!

It may just be me (it's been a long day!) but I can't find the Look North/Calendar topic so I've started a new one...!

The reason was because the soft area in the Look North studio must have been built (I think) because the camera zoomed at the start of the programme rather than moving from the top down. The zoom started much further out than normal and I suspect the old set has gone and the new one is in so they can do this...

I may of course be wrong!

And, Cathy Killick was presenting with Peter Levy tonight on Look North.
AN
Andrew Founding member
Are YTV letting the Beeb walk all over them

As you may know on Monday, YTV's Christa Ackroyd starts on Look North and the Beeb are plugging it after every Look North, Meanwhile, YTV are currently going for the record of how many different people present Calendar in a month, and aren't doing anything.


I don't understand why YTV arn't competing with BBC North

1) BBC North are showing a trailer advertising their new presenter, Why arn't YTV advertising Calendar in prime-time? Never mind, 'A Brush with Ashley' trailers, YTV have more regional promo slots than BBC North, so could be promoting Calendar at every available point, BBC North are stuck with 1.44pm and 6.57pm Only.

2) BBC North's new Sub-Opt starts soon are there making a big thing of this too. But Yorkshire have done separate Calendar News's for years, but nobody knows.
During the main Calendar, the presenter says
'Now lets cross to the newsdesk for more local news', and then the 3 separate News Round Ups start, The majority of people get the Emley Moor service which is branded 'Calendar News', so the average person doesn't know that there are three separate News programmes taking place.

To make a point of the opts, they should say something like 'Now lets cross to the newsdesk for more news in your part of the Calendar region'
And maybe even reintroduce the videowall, 'Now with news closer to you, in Leeds is Frazer Maude, in Hull is Clare White and in Sheffield is Jason McCartney'

thoughts?

Other Points

Did anyone see 'Calendar Lunchtime News' today, Geoff Druett was getting in a right state, not knowing what story to read, pausing for ages, I thought he was going to run over, but the bulletin still finished in time for ITN.
Still no sign of Mike Morris, and wherever he is, he's taken Frazer Maude with him.
I wonder if Karen Petch will ever return
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Yes, I completely agree with you. It's weird how things come around really, I remember a few years back that Calendar used to trounce Look North. I think the nail in Calendars coffin is the scheduling. I don't think they have been helped at all by the move of the National News to after their bulletin. I'm pretty sure more people will want to watch the national news before the regional.

So what would I do :

1. Stick with a regular presenting team, and develop the relationship so viewers feel comfortable. The Look North team all bond really well, but there have been too many changes at Calendar.

2. Keep the existing graphics and music, but put the desk back into the real newsroom. Have more studio guests, live interviews.

3. Use the videowall for the opt-outs with all 3 presenters on screen. Use the video wall for interviews (kind of channel 4 news style)

4. Have a comfy area for that final human interest story and maybe the sports news.

5. Include the weather as part of the programme. Look North succeeds partly because of the banter between weather presenter and newscaster. The weather could also be presented via the video wall.

6. Lobby ITV to put the national news at 5:40pm, and reinstate the News at Ten to the full 30 minutes.
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
At Last !!  Some glamour in the Look North Weather Department !  

http://www.the.squat.btinternet.co.uk/looknorth/images/lisa_gallagher.jpg

http://www.the.squat.btinternet.co.uk/looknorth/images/lisa_gallagher2.jpg

I think Lisa is kicking Hud the Dud errr.... sorry Stud under the desk here !
http://www.the.squat.btinternet.co.uk/looknorth/images/lisa_gallagher3.jpg
AN
Andrew Founding member
Commenting on what you said

1. Also, the YTV announcer should ALWAYS tell us who is presenting Calendar.
I doubt anyone knows what half the people are called, because they sometimes arn't introduced

Christine Talbot is a good presenter and well established, Mike Morris is also well established. The likes of Gaynor, Nichola, Raj, John etc are also good presenters

2.  Also reintroduce the newsroom view during the short bulletins

And rebrand Sat and Sun teatimes as 'Calendar', maybe getting someone who is long established to present it, after all 15 mins+5 earlier, is more than the 5 mins on the BBC at weekends

3. I'm sure YTV must still own that videowall, has it been seen on any other programmes?

4.  The sofa was dropped September 2000, also the 'Goals on Sunday' desk set was dropped.
There must be enough room for a sofa set in the YTV News Studio (shared with Live Lunch and all those other shows that have sofa based links)

5.  I'm sure John Mitchell and Debbie Lindley would be good at banter, they are always good when they appear on Calendar to talk about the weather

6. Good idea, but ITV are more likely to axe Who Wants....?
NG
noggin Founding member
Just a thought on Calendar moving the weather into their programme...

I don't live in the Calendar patch - so haven't seen the style of weather presentation. Is Yorkshire TVs weather sponsored? If so then it would be illegal (or against ITC rules if these aren't laws!) to integrate the weather and keep it sponsored.

It maybe that the money from sponsoring the weather is just too useful to give up for the sake of a better programme... After all ITV is only really here to sell us things, and make the ITV companies make more money!
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Yes Yorkshire Weather is sponsored by Yorkshire Electricity (surprisingly). So I guess that is why it is outside of the Calendar programme. I just think that including the weather makes for a better programme.
SN
Steve Naylor
Does anyone actually know the BBC/YTV split for news in terms of viewing figures? I know the BBC beat YTV but by how much?
AN
Andrew Founding member
Steve Naylor posted:
Does anyone actually know the BBC/YTV split for news in terms of viewing figures? I know the BBC beat YTV but by how much?


Some people might watch both, I know I do.

5.58 Calendar
5.59 Clock and Headlines to the 6
6.01 Calendar
6.27 Look North
6.57 Back over to ITV1 for Emmerdale
AS
Asa Admin
Thanks to Steve who's found the original thread!

Currently on p4 (although someone will probably bring it back to the top!) or here:

http://www.tvforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=1&topic=17

Cheers, Asa
AN
Andrew Founding member
Could you close this thread now, and all discussions can be continued on the main thread?

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