ITV wants to axe some regional news services

Did I say it was? NO I did not! Please dont put words in my mouth. Right this thread is beginning to get spoilt so if anyone else wants to raise an issue or voice their opinion please PM me - Thank you.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to harp on about this, but that's exactly what you said. You said it "isnt a pleasant experience for anyone apart from big bosses ", which implies that managers take pleasure from sacking people.

Well it's a load of hooey as has already been discussed back in the autumn.

Even if they have bureaus all over the region , I think WestCountry will struggle to produce something half as good as they are currently producing. In the past few weeks WC have shown the full variety of their output with almost every presenter or reporter showing their face at least once before the news is reduced in 2009.

Unless i am mistaken I think we will see the news from the region return to a programme reminiscent of the 1970's but shorter!

Speaking as someone who has been involved in the consultation process, I can assure you that the regional managers' actions are not of their choosing. They are simply doing their best to roll out the decisions made at a national level.

Those who really have 'blood on their hands' - as you so dramatically put it - are those who decided that ITV regional news is not worth £120m a year, rather £80m. They are the ones responsible for the cull of 430 staff across the ITV regions. They are the people ultimately responsible for the inevitable degradation in quality and standards that will come to bear on ITV's regional services from the New Year.

It will be interesting to see if OFCOM do anything with the information from the Isle of Man. They aren't willing to budge an inch regarding South East Scotland where, when given the option, there was a unanimous "vote" in favour of receiving STV, if news operations had to be merged, rather than TYNE-TEES-border. OFCOM "gave" the consultees the option, then said, sorry, we can't give you what you want because ITV Border have the franchise for the area until 2013! It's like a car dealer with three cars on the forecourt who asks the customer which model would you like, than says, sorry chum you'll have to take that one over there.

Do we know if all the news offices are to stay in the Westcountry region? Here in Weymouth we have one (well its some shabby tiny building with an ITV Westcountry plaque on the front!). I think if the Weymouth office stays it should perhaps be shared with ITV Meridian (who I watch anyway), similar to how the Gloucester office is shared with ITV Central & currently Taunton is shared with ITV West & ITV Westcountry...

No the only offices remaining open only a few. The Swindon office has already closed.

With ITV butchering their local newsrooms in 2009, hopefully the BBC will not be doing the same.

I wonder if this will give BBC regional news more viewers?

It is good that my region UTV along with STV, London, Wales and the Channel Islands will not be affected. I enjoy my local news every weeknight, it is a shame ITV can't figure out a better solution.

Well I'm assuming that Meridian will keep their Bournemouth office?? Otherwise there will be no office serving Dorset at all!! If this is kept open surely it would make sense for Meridian to cover the whole of Dorset from that office?...

Where abouts is the Bournemouth Office?

I'm not sure where exactly the Bournemouth office is, but on looking on the net I have discovered that it is to stay open. I have seen it before on Meridian Tonight when they have gone live to their Bournemouth "studio", basically looks like a cupboard with an editing desk & a bank of monitors. I presume they must just rent a room in a building somewhere in the town??

On the contrary. They are having a staff clearout at Havoc House (only two newsroom staff's jobs were guaranteed, everyone else had to re-apply or accept voluntary redundancy), most news and current affairs output is getting axed (UTV Life, Insight and Late and Live) and the time given over to regional news also faces a reduction. That's before OFCOM's recommendations are even published.