ITV wants to axe some regional news services

My mother got a letter from our MP regarding saving border. It came with a little postcard for a campaign to ofcom.

I doubt if there's anyone who doesn't want to retain a local news service for the South of Scotland. But that need not be synonymous with "saving Border TV". To be honest, the fight is already lost. Border, as it is now, makes little or no "local" programming apart from news. The days of local quizzes, talent shows, children's programmes, documentaries, chat shows etc have long gone and will never return. The South of Scotland needs a dedicated local news opt, at least. But could that not be done out of a wider Scottish news programme, rather than one dominated by the latest events in Workington, Cleator Moor and Carlisle?
There's a wider reason. At the moment Borders "Scottish" opt-out facility is also used to provide, mainly, Scottish sports programmes...football and rugby, primarily. Border's current licence does not insist that such programming is carried. There is a "gentleman's agreement" with OFCOM, but no obligation. Border's outgoing chairman, Paddy Merrall, has already made it clear that, for financial reasons, the Scottish opt-outs beyond local news are equally under threat.
In other words, the worst case scenario is news programming for the entire Border TV region coming primarily from Gateshead, with an opt-out for the entire Border area and no access for viewers from Peebles south to any wider Scottish-interest programmes available across the rest of Scotland. But, even if Lookaround is retained, the Scottish opt, both for local news and wider Scottish programming could still go.

I once watched Mr and Mrs being filmed at Border..
There were 26 people in the studio including crew,audience,Derek Batey, the Mr and Mrs and me.
I counted them because I couldn't believe it.
When Mr and Mrs made their big entrance it was through a door from the outside corridor.
And it was brilliant television.
Here's what Del's been up to.
www.mr-and-mrs.tv/derek-batey.htm

Could a rethink of the plans be on the cards?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/03/itv.television1

So the whole of the North East of England is suddenly considered a 'sub-region'

Not so much a "rethink" - just a few token concessions, and more pre-recording.

Hardly a rethink - just rewording isn't it? A few minutes opting out isn't a replacement for a half-hour bulletin.

The new suggested arrangements for the Border/Tyne Tees area aren't much of an improvement. The South of Scotland will get six minutes of a thirty minute programme for its own news. The rest of the programme will be dominated, justifiably on population terms, by news from the current Tyne Tees region. But will South of Scotland and, indeed, Cumbrian viewers stay tuned in after the opt, which will be quite early in the 30 minute programme. Or will they switch over, fairly confident that their area won't rate a mention for the rest of the show? Then, of course, viewing figures will be used as an excuse to pull sub-opts all together as a further step to the end of any regional programming on ITV.

But surely the Tyne Tees news will be covered in their opt? It may be obvious that ITV want shut of regional news, but they aren't stupid enough to make the shows completely irrelevant to half of their audience and thus lose a good lead-in to their early evening shows.

I'm guessing these opt-outs wouldn't be recorded back in the "sub-region", but in the main super region - so Border's would be up in Newcastle or where-ever etc.


Six-minutes is just not enough - although of course no region fills the entire 30-minute slot with "news", I'd say to be viable each region needs at least 15 minutes for it's main evening news.

Ideally it would be better for each programme to keep it's own regional identity - but just share reports and especially features more with each other, so say at 6.15pm or 6.20pm two or three regions join forces for a special features segment - something that doesn't have to be so regional specific.

What are the odds on a South of Scotland story, or even a Cumbrian one, leading the main bulletin from Gateshead? To be honest, if they want to go down that route, it would be better to have a six minute south of Scotland opt from an STV news programme. After all, what happens in Edinburgh, less than an hour's drive way, is of far more relevance to viewers in Peebles or Galashiels, than what happens in Middlesbrough or Morpeth. The latest proposals are a smokescreen for the complete dismantling of what's left of ITV's regional structure. What was once its selling point has now become an embarassment, like an incontinent elderly relative.

In the case of my region, Calendar, I would argue these proposals are actually better than what we have now

There is currently 2 seperate programmes but most of the light stories are carried on both versions, and due to the location of the transmitters causing lots of overlap particularly in South Yorkshire, many main news stories feature on both too

A lot of stories, particularly on ITV, are human interest (a women fights an illness etc) which is just as relevant or irrelevant whether they are in Leeds or Lincoln, so 6 minutes of proper news round up is enough