The Wales Thread

LOL ive just been looking at the HTV/ITV1 Wales Website and they have added info for Andrew Jones into the news presenters section.




They have also added a new announcers section with info for Dillwyn and Leighton Jones but *cough* where is Sue Powell Reid who has been announcing on HTV for at least 10 years longer than Leighton.

And no info for Justina, Sally or Emma Jesson or James Wright either.

Yes I've suspected a new look for HTV News around March time. There's nothing strictly wrong with the studio and backdrop for it at the moment, but the music needs to go, the colour scheme [thought it does fit in very well with ITV-1 and ITV News, so it probably won't], and those bloody trumpets!!

Again, been speculated before, isn't it time for a name change back to Wales @ 6? I, for one, would welcome this. They'd not get rid of Jonathan and Lucy. Where possible they do 5 days a week, and there's no other partnership that would be the same. Steve Jones and Juliet Piper are fine as relief or with one or the other, but the programme would miss them. I still say Huw and Nicola were good too! Catherine Evan-Williams seems to be back as chief reporter [in all but name, Andy Collinson is, but he's not often around]. She had her hair out for once on Friday to make a change from the Miss Trunchbull look, but now I realise why she does it - twas a straggly, angry mess!

So isn't Andrew Jones Welsh? Sara Edwards is sort of English as well, but her family are from where mine are, and anyway, she's good at her job! Never listened to Red Dragon -- or West Midlands radio, LOL. Remind me not to get into a plane with him.

Seems strange they introduce an announcers section -- isn't it later this year they're going?

TV Dragon ive set up a pole for HTV News - I wish I could vote for all of them, except Andrew Jones and Catherine Evan-Williams of course.

I refused to include Richard Noseworthy, he did the bulletins today and was awful. I voted for Lucy though! I notice that Jonathan and Lucy do HTV News 5 days a week 90% of the time, with only Juliet, Tara or Steve coming in to cover occasionally. I must say Julie, Tara and Steve dont seem to appear on any other bulletins so they must be reporting when they dont cover for Lucy/Jonathan.

I didnt know Catherine was a senior reporter? I thought Nick Partridge and like you said, Andy Collinson.

Does Jo Kiernan ever read the news anymore - I remember she used to before she started presenting Waterfront

I have been in for a look around the news room and in with Leighton watching him announce on an anorak type visit and the announcers are staying in Cardiff but the transmission section is going to London. They have to announce somehow over the ident which is being played from London

Oh God! As much as I'd have HTV back tonight, as a separate channel, if they're going to move the transmission to London, they may as well put the announcers to bed as well. Go out with some kind of dignity. It's sloppy enough as it is at the moment with the current ITV-1 Wales set up -- it's just going to be an awful pritt-stick job from when that happens, and the sound quality is probably going to be awful..

Just 4 months ago, we still had HTV and everything was fine, the other regions had limited control, sure, but Wales was ticking over nicely -- Carlton idents, coming up next slides, clear, loud and well-timed announcements.. *Sigh*

Just thought I'd put a couple of HTV endcaps on here -- is there a difference between HTV and HTV Cymru I wonder. The second one was after Cefn Gwlad this evening, and the HTV bit looks new and quite nice, it animates -- sort of a rippling effect like the mid nineties ident, but in the corporate 1999 blue.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/HTVCymru2a.JPG http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/HTVCymru3a.JPG

Derek is off 'decorating' this week on WT [that sounds like fun], so we had Tom Schaffernaker doing the weather. Doesn't he usually stand in for Paul Hudson on Look North? There's someone who could probably answer that, but I doubt she looks in here..

Ruth Wignall had a serious report for tonight's HTV News, but we didn't see her, same for Justina Simpson -- who still seems to be straddling breakfast/morning bulletins and main programme reports. Charlie did the weather in all three midland Carlton regions.

And rather frighteningly, Andrew Jones was very close to the screen this morning HTV have changed the way they present the bulletins, and no longer start with a wide shot of the studio and desk as a welcome and then a straight-on shot. It's now a much *bigger* straight-on shot, "Hello..." [rather abrupt]. And with no sidebar, he was too close to me, his head was off the top off the screen! Back - away - from - me - you - scary - man..

This logo is identical to the one which was nearly used on HTV's idents. Obviously it said Wales instead of Cymru.

However, at the last minute they decided on ITV1 Wales.

And in my opinion, it would have looked a lot nicer as well -- the dimensions, style, logo, width of the word 'Wales' and of course keeping the HTV name -- all make it a better alternative to the current logo. Perhaps even a 'WEST' version could've been kept too.

That one on the right in the earlier post is new though, after Cefn Gwlad [on again tonight] -- it seems HTV have created a new logo for themselves with a rippling effect behind the gold 'HTV'. We'll never get to see that though.

You never know! It's obvious that HTV hate being called ITV1!

I noticed Charlie turned up on HTV tonight - but do you know whats happened to Joanna Rice?

And LOL I thought you didnt do the GMTV bulletins on a Monday TD!


Oh and what was Ruth Wignell's report on

Hmm, well GMTV tempted me over for some reason this morning..

I really don't know where Jo Rice has gone to be honest, and I'm afraid I forget what Ruth's voiced report tonight was on. I'm sure it'll be repeated after the news though.