The Newsroom

The ITV News Channel is no longer broadcasting

(October 2005)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Matrix
[quote="abcrhysabc"]
Hymagumba posted:
abcrhysabc posted:

plus surely that would apply to every single thing ITV make but they've done pretty well for themselves for the last fifty years


Not necessarily, because ITV programmes are very different to BBC programmes. But when it comes down to news, I think they're wasting their time, because it's just news. It is bound to be exactly the same, because it is on the terrestrial news programmes


But surely you can see the difference between a networked bulletin and a rolling news channel. I think "news" can be done differently, just watch Channel 4 News, More 4 News and then something like Sky News, there is a clear difference between all of them and to a certain degree I would agree that ITV need to find a niche (many the entertainment side of things, if I were asked) to work well.
TW
Time Warp
To be honest Joel, there's not much they can do now. One rival has just relaunched with an extremely expensive set and a refreshed schedule and agenda, and the other has recently announced that their rolling news service is to become their priority.

All in all then, unlike the competitors, the broadcaster's heart is not set on the NC, and the studio is already beginning to look rusty due to the opposing changes, not to mention falling figures. All the channel can realistically do now is wait around and see what the coming days and weeks bring.
MA
Matrix
Time Warp posted:
To be honest Joel, there's not much they can do now. One rival has just relaunched with an extremely expensive set and a refreshed schedule and agenda, and the other has recently announced that their rolling news service is to become their priority.

All in all then, unlike the competitors, the broadcaster's heart is not set on the NC, and the studio is already beginning to look rusty due to the opposing changes, not to mention falling figures. All the channel can realistically do now is wait around and see what the coming days and weeks bring.


Sadly Dave that is a very acurate reflection of the situation. Some would say a pitty but it is wholy unrealistic to keep the channel going if today's figures in certain circles are true.

We shall wait and see then.
BR
Brekkie
A possible "get out clause" maybe the closure of the ITV News Channel, but the launch of an "ITV News Active" service, which could just offer a simple headline service updated as required, and perhaps some kind of multiscreen service - even if it's just a repeat of the latest ITV1 bulletin.

They'll probably also boost their website to show their "commitment" to news!


As for how the (possible) closure would affect the news on ITV - well, hopefully the ITV2/3 Showbiz News bulletins would be first to go.

The main ITV1 presenters probably won't change, but London should get a more dedicated team for it's bulletins.
MA
Matrix
Brekkie Boy posted:
A possible "get out clause" maybe the closure of the ITV News Channel, but the launch of an "ITV News Active" service, which could just offer a simple headline service updated as required, and perhaps some kind of multiscreen service - even if it's just a repeat of the latest ITV1 bulletin.

They'll probably also boost their website to show their "commitment" to news!


As for how the (possible) closure would affect the news on ITV - well, hopefully the ITV2/3 Showbiz News bulletins would be first to go.

The main ITV1 presenters probably won't change, but London should get a more dedicated team for it's bulletins.


Not heard that one, but sounds, well, reduced. Worst case sincario and it's closed, well then I'd hope that there'd be an increase on News carried on ITV 2/3/4, possibly taking the form of Entertainment reviews for 2, Serious discussion for 3 and just a late night bulletin for 4.

Or, and this is an idea I personally quite like, close the channel temporarily, then after some serious soul searching and reviewing (namely cost cutting) launch a new channel along the lines of an ITV World. A news and Information (eg. Doc's/Films/Specalist) which would run on a BBC World schedule for a domestic audience.
NA
nationwide
How about if itv ditiched the news channel they could still continue having programmes like 'Live with...' on the other itv channels...?
NG
noggin Founding member
nationwide posted:
How about if itv ditiched the news channel they could still continue having programmes like 'Live with...' on the other itv channels...?


These kinds of programmes only really fit in with a news and information channel though. ITV1/2/3/4/M&M are not those kinds of channels. If you put these kinds of programmes on them you would need to re-position your channel in terms of what the public expect to see on it, and what advertisers expect to sell on it.

The bottom line is that ITVNC doesn't get a large enough audience to be financially viable at the moment (Men and Motors raises far more ad revenue, which is why it was retained on Freeview) - and the output is unlikely to suddenly gain hugely more viewers by moving it to another digital only channel. In fact it is likely to lose that channel audience - which would not keep ITV or advertisers happy.
LO
Londoner
Well from hearing Clive Jones [ITV News Group chief exec] speak about 50 years of news on ITV at the NFT tonight [a surreal event - only 7 people in the audience...] it didn't sound like the closure of the News Channel is imminent [he spoke about the NC set, titles etc being refreshed in the new year along with the ITV1 news and the regions], but when someone asked him if the NC would still be around in a year's time he said he simply didn't know.

He said some interesting things about wanting to open new foreign bureaux in Beijing and the Indian subcontinent though.

[Oh, and I'm sure that the person sitting three rows behind me who asked the questions about the NC and Broken News must be a member of this forum!]
LO
lobster
the problem with the itv news channel is that it's always been seen as 3rd rate. i'm a news junkie, i watch more4 news, channel 4 news, newsnight, sky news and news 24. i prefer the news programmes on bbc radio 4, if i'm honest though.

i never watch the itv news channel, i can't warm to the format - i've always held the perception that the channel is low brow and it could be so much more.

and then we have the presenters... some of them are wooden, some of them seem bored, and some of them like owen thomas are just plain weird.

i can't see it being here for long and i don't think it will be greatly missed... is it even on freeview anymore?
AL
Allan100
[quote="is it even on freeview anymore?[/quote]

only in the daytime, so much for a 24hr news channel!
LO
Londoner
Unsurprisingly the ITV board has postponed its decision about the News Channel:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1659474,00.html
LO
Londoner
A little more from Broadcast:
Quote:
However, according to sources, ITN and the management of the channel have been lobbying hard to save the channel.

A decision is likely to be made by February when ITV will launch its new kids channel on Freeview in the space that the news channel currently occupies.

Sources are now suggesting that ITV could continue to run the service on just cable and satellite and wait for another Freeview slot to come up for grabs in the future.

It is expected that the board will discuss it again at a meeting in the new year.

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