Border Should Merge With Granada News

actually run from Leeds isn't it?

When I say ran from Carlisle, I mean that it is still part of Border Television in Carlisle.

This is something that really annoys me -- what business does someone living in the Granada area have "suggesting" what happens in the Border area?

This is a decision which should be down to people based within the Border area. I would suggest, given the experience of BBC NE&C/NW, that they may well decide, if Border were to close, that the Tyne Tees service may be of more interest to viewers in Cumbria, given that a majority of the North East is rural with similar issues to Cumbria. But again, I'd never suggest that that should happen; I happen to think that the Carlisle studios do serve a large enough catchment area (with a well, well above average viewing audience, don't forget) to justify their continued existence....

Is it not time that the BBC built some tv studios in Carlisle and did a split, as with Midlands Today, and with Look North, so that there was a Look North (Carlisle) and a Look North (Newcastle)?

If people in the Midlands can have dedicated regional programming, and the people in the North, have seperate regions with Look North (Leeds) and Look North (Kingston), why not the people in Cumbria and Northumbria? Do they not also pay their television license like everybody else?

You could also argue this point in the light of many programmes on Border (pre-GMG North days) coming from Granada - "The Late Debate", "Soccer Night" and "Sports Action" to name but a few; even now I'm still of the impression, given Border's past links with Granada, that it's really Manchester and not Carlisle which pulls the strings, and this is evident in the use of the Scotttish opt-out - a really wasted opportunity IMO.

The weather coverage for the Border region leaves a lot to be desired too; have a look at their weather map and you'll see what I mean.... the entire eastern Borders north of Hawick is obliterated by the Today/Tonight/Tomorrow captions!

The BBC and ITV (English) regions have been becoming more similar in recent years. For example, the BBC's stupidly oversized SE (Elstree) was disbanded, so LDN is approx the same area as ITV's London Today/Tonight, and SET is approx equivalent to Meridian (Maidstone).

I'm all-for this increase in standardisation of regions between the two networks. For example, Oxfordshire folk are southerners according to the Beeb (South Today + Oxford sub-opt), but are (south) midlanders according to ITV (Central News (Abingdon)). This sort of thing is silly.

Once ITV1 is totally singular (i.e. Carlton & Granada have merged, the currently-SMG regions are on-board, and use "ITV1 Scotland" on-screen, etc), I would propose this...

Disband the "Border" region. Affiliate Cumbria with the NE (to mirror BBC), but perhaps have one over the Beeb by keeping the Carlisle studios for a sub-opt (like South Today (Oxford)).

Set up ITV studios in, say, Dumfries. If a stand-alone news service for southern Scotland only is decided against, then alternatively they could spread Scotland Today to southern scotland, but with a sub-opt.

I live in Dumfries, and I think that it would be a great idea to introduce studios to the town, although I don't know if half an hour of news for southern Scotland would be possible.

If Border were to be disbanded, putting Cumbria in with TTTV would be the most logical move for the simple reason that Tyne Tees is already fully prepared for sub-regional opts. I think it would also make the Northern region sufficiently large (whereas both areas are small at present). I could see Border viewers taking a shine to the idea of getting Mike Neville back as well

As I have said before, though, the final decision has to be taken by someone representing the wishes of the region. To disband Border but create a new region and studios in southern Scotland, and keep Carlisle open as a Tyne Tees opt, would not actually save any money over what is done already. I can understand viewers in Scotland being frustrated by the current setup, but ultimately they must choose.

I've a feeling, though, that if this was put to a vote, then most Borderers would prefer the status quo. They tend to blow hot and cold, and really only complain when Border doesn't show Scottish sport!

Whatever the outcome for the Border region, the views of viewers in Southern Scotland must be taken into account.

It definately makes most sense to affiliate southern Scotland with, er, the rest of Scotland. Especially in this age of increased independence (devolution, Scottish Parliament, etc).

First, I'm not a regular poster, but this thread did catch my eye.

Personally, although there is only 80,000 of us, Border provide us here on the Isle of Man with a far better level of coverage news-wise than the BBC do, (currently people outside the IM1 and IM2 postcode districts recieve BBC NE&C through Sky) with BBC Manchester giving a token service if something big happens, such as the proposed legalisation of euthanasia. Border, as it is still called in local listings and on Radio Vannin, have dedicated people based in Douglas, I even passed the Border landrover in Chester St. car park this morning (unfortuantly, with the Border ITV logo, not the chopsticks). If something like what is being suggested happened, most people and MHK's would try and argue for us to have a dedicated service like the Channel Islands an ITV1 Manx or something, hell theres plenty of office space goin spare in Douglas

OK, I'll stop wittering now

It's also time the BBC split the Channel Islands away from the South West region. Why it's considered acceptable to twitter on to people in Jersey about events in Plymouth and Exeter I don't know.