I think extending the full, live service to 1am would be a reasonable compromise. Then they could run repeats of 10.30 and the ITV News Network between 1 and 5.30.
A live hour of news at 6am would be an improvement too.
Is it now the case that the overnight presenter no longer does the GMTV London Today bulletins? So theoretically they could be live on the NC between 6 and 7.
Fair points all - but if ITVN really wants to be a credible news channel, surely 24-hour live news is the first step. Yes, not a lot happens - in the US or UK - but in Australia and Asia it's tomorrow.
I mean, everyone slated Channel Five when it chose to show 100% instead of an ITN or Kirsty Young feed during the Diana event.
NB Anyone interested in the Diana Death Breaking News story, go to www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/ and click on "Continuity Announcements". Notice how clear and simple the on-screen grafix were then. TV News has come a long way in 8 years
I agree that not providing a 24-hour live service does lessen the credibility of the channel.
But I can understand the dilemma facing the channel's management - do they spend money on dual-anchoring in the daytime when they stand a chance of getting some viewers or do they have someone reading the same script over and over again through the night with almost nobody watching?
Perhaps in time they will use the overnight shift as a training ground for new presenting talent from the regional newsrooms.
ITV have enough money to spend on Premiership Football (up till this year obviously) and a new TV channel but not enough to give us a decent news service?
But they are a commercial enterprise, not a charity.
When the News Channel costs £5 million a year to run (over and above the main ITV1 news contract) and brings in ad revenue of just £2 million, then inevitably compromises have to be made.
I think they do quite well considering the budgetary constraints. If you were to compare today's News Channel with this time last year the change has been dramatic.
Even since the February relaunch the evolutionary change has been considerable. If they keep going like this then the channel will be a serious competitor to the other two news channels.
The ITV NC is never mentioned as part of ITV's portfolio of channels is it? Like the Autumn 2004 Presentation. Its ITV's fault if they didnt want it, they shouldnt have bought the thing of ITN.
It is mentioned prominently elsewhere, like in the presentation to investors on the ITV plc corporate site.
ITV NC doesn't really have a 'new season' to launch like the other channels, so I don't suppose there was anything worth saying about it at the launch event.
That's only if the other 2 news channels stand still. Sky will be having their own relaunch soon and ITVN's Feb relauch wasn't anywhere near the scale and substance of the BBC N24 relaunch.
ITVN needs to evolve. A new look can't take away the fact it's essentially the same channel as a year ago.
That's only if the other 2 news channels stand still. Sky will be having their own relaunch soon and ITVN's Feb relauch wasn't anywhere near the scale and substance of the BBC N24 relaunch.
ITVN needs to evolve. A new look can't take away the fact it's essentially the same channel as a year ago.
It isnt though?! Its has more news, so many more Lives, more presenters, better programmes, double headers (even though reduced now), a much much better studio and graphics. How can you say it is the same?!
A new look can't take away the fact it's essentially the same channel as a year ago.
A year ago you didn't have:
- daily flagship shows with Alastair Stewart and Angela Rippon
- lots of input from the regions every day, including UK Today
- a serious breakfast show
- dual-presenter format for most of the day 7am to 9pm
- newswall presentations and serious graphics
- etc etc
Alistair Stewart and Angela Rippon - woo hoo - big deal. If a channel is relying on presenters to boost its "seriousness" they're in big trub. Angela Rippon will always be remembered for Morcambe and Wise and Matchpoint, whereas Alistair Stewart is the guy who presented Police Camera Action then got done for drink driving.
UKToday isn't a new idea - there was regional reportage on the old version of ITVN.
Newswall - well they stood up next to the big screen on the old ITVN - same diff IMO.