:-(
A former member
I may be a new contributor but I've been watching this site for a long time. Worked at Lenton Lane for years, and have recently left (with a pay off). So I know a bit about what goes on.
Yes it's bloody stupid having presenters in Birmingham whilst the reporters etc are in Nottingham, but it's all done for political reasons. The staff in Gas Street have been virtually wiped out by Mr Allen's recent round of cuts, and there would hardly be any reason to justify the continuing existence of that building with just the West news, so ITV have had to artificially inflate its importance by making it the irrational centre of transmission for the East as well.
Otherwise, with nothing else happening, Central News West could have come from a shed anywhere.
It's obviously also part of a long term future plan for the disappearance of ITV local news, because in a few years you can be pretty certain ALL of the midlands news will come from Birmingham. When the Central South region comes up for refurbishment/renewal in a few years what's the betting it will close down, or be "assimilated" into the Birmingham operation.
Technically having East presenters in the West means having to double up on staff such as producers who make content decisions.
On a wider scale, it's interesting to note that when ITV were closing down the whole Lenton Lane site, a large number of Granada/ITV big noises who visited the site for the first time commented to the efffect of "This is a great place, why are they closing it down and keeping the grotty Yorkshire/Granada studios ?"
It's all political. There is no rational sense in anything ITV have done, other than to reduce their costs, reduce their ability to make programmes, and reduce their committment to regional news.
I'm out now, I can say this. But it's sad to look back and see how they've wrecked everything
Yes it's bloody stupid having presenters in Birmingham whilst the reporters etc are in Nottingham, but it's all done for political reasons. The staff in Gas Street have been virtually wiped out by Mr Allen's recent round of cuts, and there would hardly be any reason to justify the continuing existence of that building with just the West news, so ITV have had to artificially inflate its importance by making it the irrational centre of transmission for the East as well.
Otherwise, with nothing else happening, Central News West could have come from a shed anywhere.
It's obviously also part of a long term future plan for the disappearance of ITV local news, because in a few years you can be pretty certain ALL of the midlands news will come from Birmingham. When the Central South region comes up for refurbishment/renewal in a few years what's the betting it will close down, or be "assimilated" into the Birmingham operation.
Technically having East presenters in the West means having to double up on staff such as producers who make content decisions.
On a wider scale, it's interesting to note that when ITV were closing down the whole Lenton Lane site, a large number of Granada/ITV big noises who visited the site for the first time commented to the efffect of "This is a great place, why are they closing it down and keeping the grotty Yorkshire/Granada studios ?"
It's all political. There is no rational sense in anything ITV have done, other than to reduce their costs, reduce their ability to make programmes, and reduce their committment to regional news.
I'm out now, I can say this. But it's sad to look back and see how they've wrecked everything
)
