With all the furore over the future of ITV regional news I am submitting this idea. What if ITV created an hour long regional news bulletin split into three parts:
Part 1 between 6.00 and 6.20 would be pure news. Hard facts with no analysis. Then between 6.20 and 6.40 there would be analysis, special reports and in depth interviers a la Newsnight. Finally between 6.40 and 7.00 there would be the lighter entertainment features, sports, looking at "local characters", the weather and a final news recap
I believe such a programme would work because it would satisfy many viewers. What do other users think?
ITV is a commercial channel. It makes no sense to do regional news in this depth when the mainstream commercial audience isn't interested.
The only reason to do this was when there was only three or four channels, and people had bugger all else to watch.
Now there are alternatives, trying to force feed people with this sort of programming won't work because a) only a small proprtion of the audience cares about this sort of thing at all and b) you'll chase people to ultra-commercial satellite channels like Sky.
This is where OFCOM's PSB debate kicks in. It's not enough for only the BBC to provide regional news, yet clearly ITV (for better or for worse - but to be honest it's up to them) don't feel there's a commercial benefit in doing it. If ITV are going to not look for subsidies, and are going to drop regional news, more fool them - let's see if someone else goes for it.
Theoretically there are only a few organisations that could have the financial clout to take over local ITV News. News Corp is the obvious front runner but that would raise all sorts of fears. Virgin is another but who else and could they make it work, more importantly would viewers watch non-ITV produced local news?
How I imagine the the 6pm-7pm ITV1 news hour might eventually be...
Essentially a single national programme, with something like a 20-25 minute "opt-out" for the (reduced number of) regions from 6:05pm/6:10pm - 6:30pm. This "news summary" will essentially be a glorified trailer for the 6:30pm programme.
The regions would not have unique names such as "Central Tonight" etc, but would use the exact same title as the "national" parts of the news-hour, albeit maybe with geographic suffixes such as "Midlands" (rather like the BBC's Politics Show).
I imagine something like "ITV News Tonight" rather than "ITV Evening News" as the title, just so that it's got the "Tonight" element currently associated with most of the ITVplc regions.
I imagine - depending on what Ofcom permit in the future - ITVplc gradually reducing the number of regional bulletins, by the time anything like the above might be introduced. The likes of GMTV and weekend bulletins would be the first to disappear forever. We may even eventually get to a stage, in X years' time, that the "main weekday evening edition" of the ITVplc regions is the
only
regional news bulletin at all - not even a lunchtime or late-night bulletin!
Non-ITVplc regions (STV, UTV, Channel) might choose to not screen any of the short 6pm "national" bit, in favour of having a full 30-minutes of regional news, if they wish.
Therefore, the post-6:30pm national programme will have to be handled in a way that allows for non-ITVplc area viewers who didn't see the 6pm bit (e.g. it can't start with presenters saying "welcome back" etc, or them "recapping" something mentioned in the shot 6pm national bit.
The reason why I imagine the above is because ITVplc blatantly would love to ultimately get rid of all regional output whatsoever. Blurring the lines between national and regional news will make it all the easier to "quietly" drop the regions eventually, with most "average viewers" barely noticing, as they'll be so diluted by then.
ITV is a commercial channel. It makes no sense to do regional news in this depth when the mainstream commercial audience isn't interested.
does having half a multiplex on DTT gifted to them make commercial sense? or how about guaranteed carriage on button 3 on platforms?
Quote:
The only reason to do this was when there was only three or four channels, and people had b****r all else to watch.
Now there are alternatives, trying to force feed people with this sort of programming won't work because a) only a small proprtion of the audience cares about this sort of thing at all and b) you'll chase people to ultra-commercial satellite channels like Sky.
This is where OFCOM's PSB debate kicks in. It's not enough for only the BBC to provide regional news, yet clearly ITV (for better or for worse - but to be honest it's up to them) don't feel there's a commercial benefit in doing it. If ITV are going to not look for subsidies, and are going to drop regional news, more fool them - let's see if someone else goes for it.
i suggest you check the ratings for regional news. it is far from a weak point. the only reason itv plc turn their nose up is the facilities where they produce the regional news no longer supports any other output, such as continuity/network production.
it is perfectly feasible for itv plc to decide that the PSB restrictions associated with holding their channel 3 licences is unprofitable - in which case they could strike a deal with the DTT/DCAB and DSAT platforms independently. nobody is holding a gun to their head forcing them to keep the licences.
>i suggest you check the ratings for regional news. it is far from a weak point. the only reason itv plc turn their nose up is the facilities where they produce the regional news no longer supports any other output, such as continuity/network production.
Quite. Regional news ratings are very similar to national, and actually beat a lot of expensive prime-time programming. Combined ratings between the BBC and ITV for the local news programmes are in excess of 7.7 million.
The problem is cost. Ratings are not an issue. Therefore the local news is an important public service.
As for a local news hour not being what people want, I suggest you look at the areas where this has been implemented. TTTV, Westcountry and UTV all have, or have had in their recent history, one hour local news programmes. And which stations do particularly well in terms of ratings? Hmmm.....
>i suggest you check the ratings for regional news. it is far from a weak point. the only reason itv plc turn their nose up is the facilities where they produce the regional news no longer supports any other output, such as continuity/network production.
Quite. Regional news ratings are very similar to national, and actually beat a lot of expensive prime-time programming. Combined ratings between the BBC and ITV for the local news programmes are in excess of 7.7 million.
The problem is cost. Ratings are not an issue. Therefore the local news is an important public service.
As for a local news hour not being what people want, I suggest you look at the areas where this has been implemented. TTTV, Westcountry and UTV all have, or have had in their recent history, one hour local news programmes. And which stations do particularly well in terms of ratings? Hmmm.....
Yes - though the 1830 BARB ratings order is often as follows :
BBC Regional News
BBC National News
ITV National News
ITV Regional News
(i.e. BBC Regional News is the most watched news bulletin between 1800 and 1900 and ITV Regioanl News is the least - if you average the figures nationally)