ITV News

Impressed with ITV's usage of its Theatre of News during this event. They pulled out all the stops!

What did they have the theatre of news for again?

Just wanted to say how impressed I was with ITV News's coverage of today's events. I watched the first 15 minutes of the BBC News Special at 10.15, but switched over to ITV1 at 10.30 and stayed with them for the rest of the programme. I liked the way they used all the big names - Nicholas Owen, Mark Austin, Nina Hossain and especially Alastair Stewart. I thought it was a very good decision to have him anchoring the whole operation. He has such a suitable style for this type of news. The thing I dislike about BBC News is the way you feel as if you are just 'dipping' into News 24 on BBC1 - it doesn't feel like a proper programme, unlike ITV's.

And in my opinion BBC's coverage tended to be biased, making out that it was all the labour government who had prevented this, with Dr Reid and the Home Office , the heros of preventing the attack. ITV and Sky both had a more even view of the situation.

Agreed Alastair Stewart is a great broadcaster. For some reason there's an air of familiarity with him, perhaps moreso than the others, and things just feel more calm and organised when he takes the lead role.

I am too glad to see Alastair Stewart anchoring the whole programme.

- And having presenters such as Mark Austin NOT doing this!
- I would prefer Alastair Stewart on the news at 10.30

Glad they used the presenters they did today

I disagree. I've said it before- I find Alastair over the top and alarmist, not at all suitable in a situation like this, why scare people?

I can see where you're coming from but I think the terrorists are the ones doing the scaring, not Alistair. A plan to blow up 10 planes is a scary thing - it's no good brushing over it and telling people that everything will be alright, because it obviously won't be.

Edit - a monumental cock-up on Granada's part there. They cut in right in the middle of a report and did their news round-up. They wrapped it up after the regional weather and opted back to London....only they weren't ready for them. We got about 30 seconds of the holding caption/music, then a freeze frame of Mark Austin standing at Heathrow (they pre-record the wide shots of presenters when they're on location) before the opt in music kicked in.

There was a timing error there on the late ITV News, coming out of the regional news we were treated to 30 secs of the ITV News ident followed by a frozen wide shot of Mark. Did this occur everywhere?

It did in the stv north region.

Oh, my apologies to Granada! It must have been a problem at ITN in London.

That's the same on stv central. We heard Debi Edward saying something about timing over the top of Rohit Katroo's voice. Then at the end of Scotland Today, Debi was signing off, but was interrupted by the ITV News graphic which also lasted for around 30 seconds.

Well to the terror coverage of stv news programmes and I hear that Scotland Today carried an interview with Jim Squire, who was a spokesman for the Lockerbie victims.
North Tonight interviewed Murray Walker, who was caught up in the event's at Aberdeen Airport.