ITV News

The worst aspect is the tabloid-style approach, but the current on-screen look has to take the place of "joint first". It is totally off-putting, perhaps one of the most ill thought out looks ever - and that's no overstatement. It was so refreshing at the start and I was glad to see the back of the 2006/2008/2009 mishmash, but the current look has grown to be just as stale as that was.

The first thing they should do if they ever decide to revamp the look of the bulletins is to bring back not the image of a clock tower, but the image of the Big Ben clockface. A whole brand could be built around that: the roman numerals could be incoporated into the relevant bulletins (just as the "X" was for NAT) in various ways - not just titles, but also astons, headline and news-in-brief transitions ("wipes"), etc. There's so much scope with the clockface and I can't think who chose to separate that from ITN/ITV News - it was their brand, their "device", just as the red globe is to BBC News.

I completely disagree on the look, but agree the approach is the issue.

IMO the biggest problem with ITV News is how they constantly have these reviews into what they believe viewers want - and end up screwing it up every time. Don't over think it - just give us the news. That's what we tune into the news for.

I agree the ‘approach’ to news is the more substantive issue than branding but I’m not sure it's as straight forward as your suggestion to ‘just give us the news’. Surely there’s no such thing as a single news agenda? It’s what distinguishes BBC News output from the likes of Channel 4 News, Aljazeera, and yes, ITV News.

And I don’t think ITV News is alone in trying to take some account of viewer preferences when determining running orders. Both BBC and ITV network bulletins focus on stories that are to some degree or other, aimed at delivering content which editors believe to be relevant to the audience at that specific time of day. It's why health and consumer stories are more likely to feature on the lunchtime bulletins on both BBC1 and ITV1 but are sometimes unlikely to make it past tea-time, while international news tends to be given greater prominence on both 10 o’clock bulletins (eg: News at Ten’s occasional ‘On Assignment’ strand).

Whether editors are right in these assumptions, is another matter ...

Posted in the GMTV/Daybreak thread but just incase you do't read it & I thought it was relevent here.

Phil Reay - Smith Is to leave ITV News to become Daybreak's as consumer affairs editor.

Good move for him, more high profile I think than just what he has always mainly been - a general reporter. Although since the election he seems to have been more the unofficial web/technology reporter. Still GMTV and I suppose soon to be Daybreak's people seem to be more well known.

Bit strange, the news at ten website is still live:
http://www.itv.com/News/Ten/default.html

I suppose you can get any website if you put the full URL in. Just not deleted it I suppose. It isn't as though there's a link on the new site to it.

I metaphorically puke at the sight of the set. It was so badly thought out by the set designer. Very tacky. Julie Etchingham looks out of place because of it.

Why? I (and I assume virtually everyone who reads this site) am much more interested in why you think it's badly thought out, tacky and makes the presenters look out of place than whether it makes you wish your stomach contents to cover the screen in front of you. In fact, I'd go as far as to say, I don't want to hear about your imaginary vomit at all. Ever.

Mod: could we ban this expression as being in bad taste please?

I think it's a brilliant saying, in my honest opinion.

But I respect your honesty.

Anymore news on the Helen Fospero front?

Interesting way to report on the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain - very similar to the Mission to the Moon series with John Suchet from last year.