The end of CITV...?

It's advertising the CITV Channel

Does it actually say so? I was under the impression that it was just advertising CITV as a whole.

I miss the days when September used to bring a change in style to presentation, watching every link that first week to see what it was like, all down to Steve Ryde most probably. Though the links were often short to get more advertising in september - december.

Is the Channel actually called the CITV channel or just CITV?

There is no point of broadcasting children's programming on ITV1 nowadays, i mean it only gets an hour a day now, whereas BBC runs their service for just under two hours, in my view children's programming should be dropped on ITV1 altogether, there is no point, CITV has got it's own channel and it will do just fine if that happened.

Not sure I agree totally. As soon as terrestrial switch off occurs, and everyone has access to the channel, then yes I agree.

Autumn is going to be the time that CITV has its hours increased it always does, especially as it's the only terrestrial commercial channel that offers childrens programmes at that part of the afternoon in the run up to Christmas, so advertisers will pay for that slot.

I think the biggest loss out of all of this is the Saturday Morning programme.

I think ITV should move CITV to the 5-6 slot when the Sharon Osborne Show finishes. It would mean they wouldn't lose their viewers to Deal or no Deal and they can steal the CBBC viewers at 5.35.

I think even after digital switch off it's important to have a slot where they can showcase their children's output, especially the new stuff. If the ITV1 slot goes then there will be even less original output from CITV!

Agree also the Saturday morning loss is the biggest shame!

Surely the sense would be to create a strong Saturday morning programme, and show new programmes within that to generate an appetite for them, a bit like MPAA.

I totally agree with Carla and Tony, on how the ending of programmes on ITV1 means that they won't be as creative, even with the channel, they will most probably fill it with repeats and imports. It would be such a shame if they did.

Just looking at this Septembers new schedule (which strangely enough doesn't start until October fully, most probably when they go back to finishing at 5), and it's awful. The only decent two programmes are Bel's Boys and new Aliens (who are now living by the sea for some reason). I found a tape the other day with CiTV Xtra from 1999 (i think they did it in 2000 too), but the idea was that Stephen & Dannielle previewed everything that was on in the autumn over 15 minutes over 3 sundays, back when most programmes were created for CiTV, and everything was new. Before Spongebob, and even before Aliens (though it did start in the October or something like that).

It just looks so wrong with what it is now. They need to give some money to the kids, and then create something for them, themselves. Closing the kids production side of the company was a bad mistake.

I used to watch CITV over CBBC and now I always find myself watching ITV more, such as through the day.

For me, personally. For ITV to naturally continue with it audience growth, not just for ITV1, but also for it CITV channel, they should showcase their home-made programmes on ITV1 - preferably in a two hour slot at the end of the daytime schedule - i.e. 4pm to 6pm. For me this is not giving in to BBC2 and C4 but it is offering an alternative, plus it gives ITV1 a continuos run of daytime programmes rather than having it split, like at the moment between 3pm and 4pm.

As for Saturday Morning - most definitely bring back Children's programmes - the cookery shows could easily be shown on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons - a more prominent slot for them! An ideal saturday morning children's programme, nowadays where programmes have to fund themselves as under Shaps management, would be to partner it with one of the big children's producers such as Warner Brothers, Disney etc (akin to The Disney Club or That's All Folks!).

My fantasy weekend schedule would run as...

Saturday:
0930 Children's Magazine Show
including 0945-1000 Cartoon Time, 1020-1045 Foreign Animation, 1110-1135 Foreign Animation, 1155-1220 Foreign Comedies (no commercial breaks during Cartoon Time, the Foreign Animations and the Foreign Comedies)
1230 ITV News Update; ITV National Weather
1245 Film/Formula One
1445 Saturday Cooks
1645 ITV Sports Centre - Live!
1715 Regional News; Regional Weather
1745 ITV News Update; ITV National Weather

Sunday:
0925 CITV - Short Britsh Animations
0940 CITV - The Sooty Show/Zzzap/Bernards Watch/Etc...
1005 CITV - Classic British Animation Series' e.g. The Hurricanes, Rupert, The Dreamstone, etc...
1030 CITV - Classic British Children's Drama Series' e.g. Follyfoot, Black Beauty, etc...
1100 CITV - Movies, Games and Videos
1130 CITV - The Chart Show
(no commercial breaks during the programmes, except for The Chart Show)
1230 ITV News Update; ITV Weather
1245 Film/Formula One
1445 The Golden Lot/The Car Boot Challenge/Formula One
1515 Everwood/Other New Foreign Drama Series'
1615 British Political Series'
1715 Regional News; Regional Weather
1745 ITV News Update; ITV Weather
(The Championship to be moved to late evening slot)

What OFCOM should do is give them an ultimatum - if they want to move all their children's output to the digital CITV channel, they have to do the same thing with ITV Play!


Realistically ITV are never going to expand kids programming to 6pm. I think 4-5pm is the best slot - admit defeat to Deal or No Deal, but if they get something decent on before it they can stop people turning to Countdown.

ITV really just have to look at their strengths - their ITV1 daytime line up is weak, but they are producing a successful line up for C4 in the form of Countdown and Come Dine with Me!

I agree they will never move it until 5-6pm - the latest they have ever shown CITV in the past I think was 5.15pm.

5:15 is the "record" as it were for the latest CITV strand programming to finish, as it neatly coincided with the weekend franchise switchover time for the London region.

However in theory, one could class shows such as Blockbusters and what not as part of "grown up" CITV, seeing as Blockbusters took its contestants from colleges aged 16-19 and the aimed audience for Children's ITV was up to 15yrs old... Yes I know it was just filler material up to the evening news at the time but there you go