ITV wants to axe some regional news services

Here's another fact for you Showbizguru.

The viewing figures for national news are in decline across Europe.

However, the pan-European "Euronews" has increased its overall share across Europe by 170% in the last five years.

Therefore, by your reasoning we should can the national news and all watch Euronews instead.

Would save a few pennies wouldn't it?

That's because it's generally on at times when there's nothing else worth watching - such as Sunday morning.
Besides,we're talking about ITV regional news where ageing presenters still think they're stand-up comedians and the women are too ugly to be snapped up by Sky.
And the reporters shout at the camera just to keep the viewers in the OAP homes awake.
Why should I be interested in an RTA between a combine harvester and a slurry lorry on the Axminster by-pass when I can watch Fox News go live to triple homicide in Miami - now that's the sort of news young people are interested in and it's only marginally more realistic than GTA on their XBOX.

ah, I see. Your only here to try and be 'funny' with clueless stereotypes and badly drafted analogies.

Which is why your are ignoring the facts. I was beginning to suspect you were just stupid - so it's a relief in a way.

Everybody else here understands that just because people don't watch what is on offer, does not mean they would not watch a better product. Everybody from our 10 year old forum friends who get excited over a missed thunderclap to the very old; Well, Nick Harvey anyway.

> That's because it's generally on at times when there's nothing else worth watching - such as Sunday morning.

Idiot. It's a channel. Just because it's shown on other channels is irrelevant.

It was just noted as an extreme example of why your opinion holds no weight.

Still, ITV agrees with you -- seems to be working out well for them

That's strange.
I thought you were talking about viewing audience yet you say the fact it is shown on other channels is irrelevant.
Of course,I get it now - viewing figures are not important.

So what you're saying is that to make local news a better product to get more people to watch it ITV should spend even more money on it.
Not taking decisions like that is probably why Michael Grade is a multi-millionaire and you are not.
Sorry to intrude on your cosy little forum with some facts from the real world but have you seen the ITV share price recently.

nobody is saying that. do try sticking to like-for-like arguments - you might grasp it then.

the situation is clearly to complex for your little brain, but economic issues with ITV Regional news are linked to CRR restrictions in place after ITV PLC was created. The ad minitage gets moved to primetime, - so making it harder for the viewing impacts of the local news to be converted to direct revenue.

FACT for you: If the total audince ITV (network, not PLC) Regional news was added together, it would exceed in 30 min the total viewing impacts of 15 out of the Top 50 UK multichannels

ITV regional news DOES cost far to much, but cost and quality and ratings are not as directly linked as many TV workers would argue is the case

Yes, news values are poor in some areas, but you still pay £35k for a crap head of news or a good one. Look at then BBC: With standard pay scales outside london the quaility of the regional news still varies dramatically.

ITV needed to get rid of the old regional structure, with expensive duplication of tasks and pointless clone shows in regional slots; But it threw out its big benifits at the same time.

I do think before you bandy about insults such as " small brain " you should at least learn to spell properly.
But as you say - standards are slipping all round !

lol. the perils of posting after the pub.

again you make a post without comment on the real issues or substance

Press announcement out today...

Jeremy Purvis MSP and Michael Moore MP have today responded to the revised proposals by ITV plc for local news coverage in the Border TV are as "a step in the right direction".

ITV have revised their proposals to Ofcom to continue to merge Border TV news and Tyne Tees news but to retain a Lookaround programme in the Border area, with a dedicated 15 minutes time 'opt' for the region, including a commitment for a dedicated 6 minutes 'opt' for the South of Scotland. The proposals allow for a dedicated video journalist to be based within the Scottish Borders which will be a first for news coverage.

After speaking with ITV's head of regions, Michael Jermey, Jeremy Purvis has welcomed the revised changes that have responded to the strong campaign to retain Lookaround but has said that the case has not been made to allow a reduction in 30 minutes to a 15 minutes dedicated news coverage for the region. Michael Moore has indicated that Ofcom needs to be robust in its protection of local news services.

"The revised proposals are much better than those originally submitted," says Jeremy Purvis "but there are still serious questions about the level of coverage we will receive from the new programme and in the other breakfast and lunchtime bulletins. I am pleased that ITV has listened to the strong views locally about the need to protect the Lookaround programme. ITV have told me they are committed to increasing the quality of coverage with, for the first time in the Borders, a dedicated video journalist and whilst this sounds good we have to scrutinise the details."

Michael Moore is continuing to challenge regulator Ofcom to protect the local services and said:

"I have stressed repeatedly to Ofcom that they have a duty to protect the interests of local ITV viewers in news and current affairs provision. Whilst the ITV proposals are a step in the right direction, the regulator must ensure that it publishes a robust requirement in September to ensure that there is no reduction in local coverage, in both time on air, as well as breadth of coverage across the new region."

I see you've managed to completely ignore my point about STV's local news and their ever increasing viewing figures. Instead you'd rather mud sling about presenters being "old and ugly", and drift off into a tangent about what teenagers would like to watch.

As long as we're clear that most of us think you talk a lot of codswallop.

There will always be regional variations but my point is very simple - the viewing figures for regional news across ITV do not justify the current expenditure on them.
They never have done.
It's why ITV is trying to reduce it - don't you think if they thought there was any future in regional news they'd be maintaining expenditure.
And when you say " most of us " - I don't see hundreds of Forum posters on here getting all worked up or are they like those non-existent millions of people craving coverage about Carbuncle Corner from Trumpton Cable News Network ?