ITV Regional News

So the ITV Regional News teams now have a nice pro looking set/graphics (apart from LDN which has seemed to messed their's up). Its still no nearer to a proper ITV News brand.

For example, ITV Wales News short bulletins are just known as "Wales News", in Central land is "Central News" and in London is "London Today".

What I think is that all regional ITV plc regions should name their short bulletins "ITV (region) News" and have their main 6.00 programme like London Tonight or "ITV (region) News."

Or do people think it should be just "ITV News London" etc. Or a proper name for the 6.00 programme and no proper name for short bulletins which are integrated into the national programmes, all under the same title?

It still seems to be a big mess.

What, like BBC's regional perfection? BBC LDN to BBC LONDON? Which programmes are from which section of the BBC? Why are the titles so mismatched? At least ITV News has basically the same set now, BBC regional teams are just a mess of mismatched bits of red MDF and light panels!

I think some regions that have established names like Yorkshire's 'Calendar', Tynetees 'Northeast Tonight' and Border's 'Lookaround' should keep these names because they are not only household names, but also part of the regional brand (whats left of it). But other regions, as you say are a bit mixed up. Some have actual magazine names, some have names relating to where they are, and some just have 'ITV ... News'.

Maybe all bulletins, apart from the 6pm programmes should just be called 'ITV .... News', and then have a suitable name for the flagship programme. Most seem to have '... Tonight' in their title.

Channel Report - change to Channel Tonight
Westcountry Live - change to Westcountry Tonight
Meridian Tonight
London Tonight
Anglia Tonight
The West Tonight - drop the 'The' becoming West Tonight
Wales Tonight
Central News (at Six) - Central Tonight for all 3 versions
Granada Reports - maybe revert back to late nineties and Granada Tonight
Lookaround
Calendar
North East Tonight
Scotland Today - maybe a new name Scotland Tonight
North Tonight
UTV Live - UTV Tonight

I don't know, just an idea. But it seems a bit of a mess when we have 'ITV Border News', and then just 'Wales News' without the ITV bit.

Taking an overview of the whole network from a TV pres anorak's point of view, it may seem like a mess having different formats for the names.

However, from the point of view of the average viewer who rarely sees a regional news programme other than their own, it makes no difference whatsoever.

I really don't see the problem.

This is from the same forum that bleets on about the loss of regional identy.

Some are stranger than others.

I've got used to ITV Wales News now - but did think ITV News Wales would sound better (and similarly for all regions).

There is no reason why general bulletins can't take this form of name, with the 6pm bulletins keeping their regular title.

Certainly in Wales though I'd like to see the Wales at Six brand resurrected!

Well I dont see what it matters either way - as Spencer for Hire said most people will only watch their own regions news anyway.

On ITV Wales only the main 6pm bulletin and late bulletin are called Wales Tonight - however at weekends unlike ITV London who call their teatime/evening bulletin London Tonight, we get Wales News.

On the titles of short bulletins in Wales (only the weekend and 10.55am bulletins really get the titles shown as the others are within GMTV or the ITV Lunchtime News) its called ITV Wales News but on the screen we just get Wales News, I assume in line with other regions e.g. Granada News, Central News, <insert region name> News.

Well whatever your opinion of ITV's regional news names, you've gotta admit it makes more sense than the BBC's. I mean - 3 regions with the same name? Non-descript names like Spotlight? I'd suggest it's the BBC regional news programmes that are in a mess.

But hey. It's more fashionable to criticise ITV.

It's also fashionable for some people to get their backs up over criticisms from mentally incapacitated forum members when they know perfectly well that anyone who has lasted on this place for any considerable amount of time doesn't take a word they [the idiot twelve year olds] say seriously.

It would be better to let the thread just die (yes, my post just screams hypocrisy) rather then to indicate that you're annoyed about the content, because, quite frankly, you're getting peed off over nobodies.

But hey, I await Andrew to get all blustered, come running down here and have a fit.

Though the names look a mess, I think it's the one part of Regional ITV where the names won't be die (well not now anyway) and I think this is where ITV know the value of Regional names can come into their favour. Plus if some programmes changed their name, there would be a Regional revolt, as some names have been there since the 1960's, for instance such as Calendar and Lookaround.

Plus in some regions they wouldn't be able to call it '(Region) Tonight' due to the fact that this would clash with some BBC programmes. It wouldn't sound right if you had BBC North West Tonight competing with ITV North West Tonight, so thats where Granada Reports sounds better, as it does what is says on the tin and identifies which region it's being made by etc etc

IMO things are the same the way they are.

It's very confusing how the [itv] logo is positioned in the title sequence as if it's meant to be read as part of the programme's name, but all other visual representations (e.g. side plasmas, DOG, etc) do not include the "ITV" as part of the name.

The BBC's approach of having "BBC News" beneath the programme name is better. It fulfils their desire to have the brand there, but no viewer in their right mind will think that, say, "Midlands Today BBC News" is the exact title. Therefore it's pretty obvious that the "BBC News" logo at the bottom is indeed not meant to be read as part of the programme name.

Also, the verbal references on the ITV regional news programmes are inconsistent. Certainly here in the Central (West) area, the studio presenters generally refer to the programme name as not including "ITV", but the verbal sign-off at the end of reports does ! I assume most/all ITVplc regions are the same as this???

The situation is especially confusing in Wales. Seeing as "ITV" did count as part of title in the Generic Look (mark 1) era, the fact that now it technically doesn't count, yet the title sequence makes it look as if it still does count, must be slightly bemusing for "average viewers".

Seeing as the other ex-"HTV" region has got a "Today/Tonight" varying title now, presumably ITV in Wales would have ideally like to do the same thing, but obviously couldn't because the BBC have long-since got there first.

I like the idea of my region being called ITV Central News and Central Tonight for the 6pm programme.

One thing I was on about, why do ITV want to just call Wales News, "Wales News", surely they would want to promote it is ITV's Wales News and not just any Wales News.

Trouble is with Central News, they have competitons on 6pm, and Central Tonight would suit it much better. But they keep the childish Central News at Six.