On Look North I prefer Wendy Gibson, really don't know why she isn't included on the BBC website of Look North's presenters, when she's been there years.
I've always thought very highly of Wendy Gibson as well. She seems personable and yet has a very professional and authoritative air. I don' t think she'd look out of place on a national bulletin. I'd much rather see her on the main programme than the charisma-less Carol Malia.
Is funny - I never really used to like Wendy Gibson. Always felt she was a bit up herself. Got to admit though, over the past few years as she has been seen less and less, I have really started to like her. She seems to have developed a personality
I don't think that you have to be Albert Einstein to see what Tyne Tees are trying to do with the new presenter teams.
They are trying to bring NET more upto date with a younger edge balanced with a touch of experience. As I see it, Pam is the main anchor for the South with Ian moving in to give more appeal to a younger crowd. In the North Jonathan is the lead with Phillipa bringing a younger more informal approach.
... and it won't work. It never does -- people who watch regional news programmes are generally "of a certain age" let's say. Younger people just don't watch -- they don't care. As a result any attempts I know of to bring in "young blood" to regional programmes has failed. ITV newsrooms are littered with inexperienced presenters, mostly in the areas that do very badly against the BBC. Look at the successful ITV local news programmes of the last few years -- NE Tonight, Calendar, Lookaround, UTV Live -- they all have one thing in common -- experienced presenters which the typical local news watchers can relate to. The ones with the young presenters are failing miserably.
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I think to be fair, Philippa is doing a decent job but is suffering from the conservatism of the north east which dislikes any change and would much prefer to have Mike Neville on the tv because it's all they have known since about 1960.
Yes, my point exactly, however it's not just the North East. Most of the regions, especially the more remote ones (from the really big cities) are the same.
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Additionally, Phillipa comes from York so she does have a connection with the region, albeit the southern half. I do wonder however whether her ambitions will ultimately lead to a national role after a period of time, particularly given her previous experience at the news channel.
Well there you go. This is a bad decision for TT News, and you have to wonder where the decision was made. Graeme Thompson wouldn't do something like this on his own, going on his previous track-record.
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Over about the past fifteen years, Mike Neville excepted, I cannot recall Tyne Tees bringing in a new presenter straight into a major presenting role.
Like I say -- one. Jake Lynch, March 1993 (that's just about in the last 15 years). Wasn't liked by the programme's viewers and quietly left in 1994. TT should know what happens to career-presenters on Tyne Tees. They never last long. Even going back 20 years, Jane Wyatt didn't last longer than six months in Newcastle.
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That has left the likes of Andrew Friend and co to work their way up their ladder from reporting into presenting - not always successfully.
As you say though this has always been TT's key strength -- despite all the upheavals this has remained a cornerstone of the way TT has been run, and it contributes to the station's unique feel which to some extent still exists today.
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Finally, I have to say that I think that it's great that Pam has regained her overall crown as Queen of Tyne Tees by leading the senior presenters. I know that since Neville's sudden departure she has come back into regular use, but in truth I think she was treated pretty shabbily when Mike Neville returned to Tyne Tees.
For her to go from main presenter on Tyne Tees Today to end up doing short bulletin presentation was criminal and I hope that TT will now show her more respect for her years of loyalty to them.
I don't think that you have to be Albert Einstein to see what Tyne Tees are trying to do with the new presenter teams.
They are trying to bring NET more upto date with a younger edge balanced with a touch of experience. As I see it, Pam is the main anchor for the South with Ian moving in to give more appeal to a younger crowd. In the North Jonathan is the lead with Phillipa bringing a younger more informal approach.
I completly agree, it seems that they want a younger appeal because of the big cities(newcastle and sunderland) but dont want to lose the older viewers so have put a more serious presenter with the new girl, this however has resulted in a complete lack of chemistry between the two and a programme that is pretty dull - as i said before the teams should have been different but you have to give the new teams time to settle in.
As I said before I think Ian Payne has done really well this week so far and looks comfortable.
I also agree with the point that the new girl will probably be off after a while - shes already in the biggest position at TTTV and shes only just joined
I am not sure its about change, but I think people always take to people more if they've worked for the station for a while first and "worked up" to main presenter.
Ian Payne certainly has done that spending over ten years doing the sports reports. Most of them who are big names on the station have done that, just like Pam - who started off doing the weather forcasts.
I am not sure its about change, but I think people always take to people more if they've worked for the station for a while first and "worked up" to main presenter.
Ian Payne certainly has done that spending over ten years doing the sports reports. Most of them who are big names on the station have done that, just like Pam - who started off doing the weather forcasts.
Well to be fair all businesses recruit new staff members from external sources at all levels. Why should TV presentation be any different, I do not agree that internal promotion should be the only consideration.
Also when Tyne Tees Today was replaced by NET and Mike Neville took the positions of Pam Royle & Andrew Friend, I don't recall any outrage at some interloper coming into Tyne Tees. I can only assume that there is a campaign against Phillipa in the loosest sense because she is new to the region.
Because television is a business, but its not like a shop where you don't see the same staff (generally) every day.
Mike Neville was different because he was seen in the same region, people knew of him from other things within the North East.
I agree that it isn't great, but the fact is people do like familiar faces on television, so to just plonk some "unknown" she could have lived on the moon for fifteen years as far as viewers go, not many will have seen her before on Central.
I mean Mike Neville did work up as well, starting on Tyne Tees, and then going to the BBC. But it was all seen in the same region.
Its a bit like Carol Malia, her arrival at Look North fitted because she'd worked up the ranks at Tyne Tees, but also wasn't on the BBC originally to take over from Mike, she worked as a reporter for a few months first as they didn't know he was leaving.
I think basically people like to see rewards and promotion being earned. This new lass might have earned it by the work at Central, but I think Kim Inglis has earned it more. (And the fact we've seen Kim work up the ranks)
Thats why its different from other businesses. Its a visual thing.
Because television is a business, but its not like a shop where you don't see the same staff (generally) every day.
Mike Neville was different because he was seen in the same region, people knew of him from other things within the North East.
I agree that it isn't great, but the fact is people do like familiar faces on television, so to just plonk some "unknown" she could have lived on the moon for fifteen years as far as viewers go, not many will have seen her before on Central.
I mean Mike Neville did work up as well, starting on Tyne Tees, and then going to the BBC. But it was all seen in the same region.
Its a bit like Carol Malia, her arrival at Look North fitted because she'd worked up the ranks at Tyne Tees, but also wasn't on the BBC originally to take over from Mike, she worked as a reporter for a few months first as they didn't know he was leaving.
I think basically people like to see rewards and promotion being earned. This new lass might have earned it by the work at Central, but I think Kim Inglis has earned it more. (And the fact we've seen Kim work up the ranks)
Thats why its different from other businesses. Its a visual thing.
So do you think that there was all this uproar when Duncan Wood went straight into the main presenter role on Calendar at YTV - should he have worked up the ranks too? What about Lucy Meacock at Granada - she went straight in as a main presenter having worked previously at Tyne Tees amongst others.
I don't really think that your argument stands up to be honest, the bottom line just seems to be people in the north east are not change agile. That is to our detriment more than anything. Perhaps we should have a cryogenically frozen Mike Neville presenting for the next 50 years?
Also i just can't understand why there seems to be no criticism of Jonathan Morrell - his presenting style is just horrible.
Because television is a business, but its not like a shop where you don't see the same staff (generally) every day.
Mike Neville was different because he was seen in the same region, people knew of him from other things within the North East.
I agree that it isn't great, but the fact is people do like familiar faces on television, so to just plonk some "unknown" she could have lived on the moon for fifteen years as far as viewers go, not many will have seen her before on Central.
I mean Mike Neville did work up as well, starting on Tyne Tees, and then going to the BBC. But it was all seen in the same region.
Its a bit like Carol Malia, her arrival at Look North fitted because she'd worked up the ranks at Tyne Tees, but also wasn't on the BBC originally to take over from Mike, she worked as a reporter for a few months first as they didn't know he was leaving.
I think basically people like to see rewards and promotion being earned. This new lass might have earned it by the work at Central, but I think Kim Inglis has earned it more. (And the fact we've seen Kim work up the ranks)
Thats why its different from other businesses. Its a visual thing.
So do you think that there was all this uproar when Duncan Wood went straight into the main presenter role on Calendar at YTV - should he have worked up the ranks too? What about Lucy Meacock at Granada - she went straight in as a main presenter having worked previously at Tyne Tees amongst others.
I suppose it depends on whether people think that there are many current presenters that would be capable of doing the job
In the case of Calendar, there wasn't really anyone already at YTV who could do the job and we'd already had many months of cover type presenters filling the gap since Mike Morris retired
Johnathan of course goes back to TTTV continuity, so I can see why they picked him, as he's been known for a long time in the region.
Duncan Wood and YTV - Well Duncan Wood didn't jump from region to region. He left Tyne Tees and went to GMTV before going to Calendar, so its likely that a lot of people would in the YTV region know him as a breakfast television reporter.
Johnathan of course goes back to TTTV continuity, so I can see why they picked him, as he's been known for a long time in the region.
Duncan Wood and YTV - Well Duncan Wood didn't jump from region to region. He left Tyne Tees and went to GMTV before going to Calendar, so its likely that a lot of people would in the YTV region know him as a breakfast television reporter.
Man you just aren't getting my point! What does it matter if a presenter is new to the region? If they are decent they are decent - simple as. Yep JM has been with Tyne Tees for a long time - so what ? He is still a krap presenter. Perhaps you would have preferred to have Sarah Heaney join (ex Scotland Today presenter) after all she has appeared on gmtv and a network crime programme so presumably she meets your selection criteria as viewers in the north east will have seen her too??
I think basically what was being said was there are better female presenters already at TTTV. To put someone in there from somewhere else she has to be better than the current staff. She isn't.