UTV sell TV business to ITV

Of course you are, but I feel you would be in a minority of people who want absolutely no content from NI whatsoever.

ITV's uniqueness was how each region existed to serve their viewers as best they could, some were better than others admittedly. They created programming for the network and showcased their main towns and cities to the whole of the UK. Now we have another centralised conglomerate based in London, with very little programming filmed out of London. It's not really much to shout about.

I understand what you are saying and I would agree with some of your points however that age of local TV is now over.

You have to remember the TV climate isn't the same as it was and if ITV didn't actually do what they are doing now then everything would have closed down! Absolutely everyone would have lost their jobs eventually!

Not everyone will like ITV.. not everyone will like UTV... but at the end of the day as long as we can still watch ITV programmes and have some sort of a local news service then I think we are doing well and I don't think it's fair to expect more than that unless you're willing to invest a couple of million which just isn't going to happen.

It's not great, but the alternative is worse. Closure.

Exactly! And ITV has continued to invest in new technology for local news. And I'm glad that ITV Cymru Wales has shiny, modern state of the art facilities in Cardiff Bay than rattling around that old concrete monstrosity at Culverhouse Cross. UTV will probably go the same way and it's no bad thing - the quality of output may even be improved.

I agree with you that the multichannel age would have had an effect on ITV, I'm not wholly sure that it would have resulted in closure, however. Let's be honest, no commercial broadcaster, with the exception of Sky, has the power to take on ITV. And even then, although it has the money behind it, Sky TV hardly makes a dent on today's ITV ratings.

The ratings of the 80s and 90s will probably never exist again, except for Christmas day, as people work longer hours and want the schedules to work around them, not the other way. But, I still don't see why the separate ITV companies could not have still worked today. There may be less as some may merge, but I don't understand why it couldn't work. Am I being that naive?

You're basing your opinion of ITV on its former Cardiff base? Many of the old ITV companies were housed in buildings like these as that was the style and technology used, and like most businesses, they can't bankrupt themselves by upgrading their tech and moving to a swish new building at the drop of a hat.

If a viewer given the choice of being able to watch the majority of ITV shows shown in England at the scheduled time or Ofcom obliged local filler which bumps a show in the 2000 slot, I'm sure those in NI and Scotland would rather watch the networked show.

I'm not against local shows and ITV Wales still provide them, but in sensible slots.

As for old buildings, it may work out more viable for ITV in the long run to have a new building than maintain an old one. Also upgrading kit is important to stay competitive.

No that's a line you've just spun up. I'm basing my view on ITV's approach to regional news on the way in which it has modernised operations in Wales. I think that's a sensible comparison given the circumstances.

You are basically talking no more revenue than they have now but much much higher costs across the network, with those smaller profits split 15 ways.

As whataday said, some people are still harking back to around 2002 with doom and gloom predictions. I don't think there has been any suggestion in recent years of ITV axing any remaining regional commitments, neither news in England nor other regional programmes in Wales.

Since the bad days of the cuts to regional news, ITV have re-introduced more sub-opt bulletins, re-introduced a full edition of Lookaround for Border viewers, introduced shows for Border's Scottish viewers and so on.

Just because ITV isn't producing filler such as a local countryside programme or other niche output doesn't mean ITV aren't committed to regional programming.

With respect, you followed on by saying that the Cardiff base had shiny new facilities compared to its old concrete monstrosity, so it's fair to take from that that you're implying that was a consequence of the ITV takeover.

My point is that you can't fairly compare the news operations of HTV to today as nobody knows what it would have been like had it continued to the present day.

That's not really my argument for maintaining the ITV regional companies, although local programming is important. STV, for example, shows some good programmes such as Scottish Passport with guest hosts flying to destainations abroad and sampling the culture etc, and Moviejuice, reviewing the new films on at the cinema each week. Nothing parochial about them, just programmes from a Scottish perspective.

The main point I was trying to make was that, essentially, when the regions became ITV 1, it was just another London based TV station, with regional news thrown in. It lost its uniqueness in that it was a network of separately owned companies working together to create good programmes for the network whilst serving its own audience. Some regions never really contributed much for the network, UTV being one, but the likes of Central did.

As a result, places like Birmingham, Norwich, Newcastle and even Glasgow has little if anything filmed for TV, while all the decisions; broadcast facilities, and filming happens in London.

It's not about harking back to 2002, it's about the serious lacking of any production and decision making outside of London.

The ITV schedules are dominated by Coronation Street and Emmerdale, though...