Grade calls for simplified ITV regional structure

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2115020,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=4



Full story on Media Guardian

Also - Grade seeks extra ads for regions

It's time OFCOM reminded ITV why they existed.

Threats from ITV that they may be "forced to pull the plug on regional programming" should be met with threats from OFCOM to pull the plug on ITV if they do!


I personally believe that it's time to seperate the contracts for regional and national ITV.

Let ITV run the main network, but package together the regional slots (Regional news and then 2-3 hours of regional programming a week (in fixed slots), more in Wales and Scotland) as a seperate licence which ITV and their rivals can bid for - kind of like the American affiliates system, but on a much smaller scale.

That wasn't what Michael Grade was saying though

I think it's rather more the point that ITV's current ownership needs the structure to change, rather than ITV needing the structure to change itself. What neither Michael Grade nor indeed OFCOM seem to grasp is that ITV is not an unrestricted capitalist business. ITV is a franchise. With a franchise, you as a franchisee accept the way that the franchisor demands that you run your business and do as well as you can within the terms of that franchise agreement. A franchisee does not dictate what they will and will not do, the franchisor dictates what will and will not be done.

Statements such as these:







along with actions like re-drawing the franchise map at will (creating a new Thames Valley region with no franchise, and breaking the terms of the Central and Meridian franchises in the process) along with re-assigning transmitters (moving part of the old Central South to HTV West) is not a way in which a franchisee (which is what ITV plc is - or rather they are a parent company to several franchisee) can or should act unchecked under any normal franchise agreement.

ITV plc needs to realise that OFCOM is the franchisor and ITV plc speaks for OFCOM's franchisees - OFCOM is the boss, ITV plc is not it's own boss. ITV plc should not dictate what it will and will not do, it should suggest to it's franchisor what it would and would not like to do - OFCOM themselves would do well to remember this.

At present ITV plc seems to operate as a lawless company which can do whatever the hell it likes - and it is dangerous to allow a company in such a dominant position in UK broadcasting to do this unchecked.

In fairness to ITV plc and all it's former guises though, it must be remembered that they only operate the way they do because the regulator refuses to regulate and control them - if the IBA had teeth, the ITC had somewhat decaying teeth, and OFCOM is just wearing dentures. It's time another set of teeth grew through.

I quite agree -- at the end of the day ITV are quite entitled to act as an unrestrained capitalist business -- on Sky/Cable/Freeview. Now granted, the day is coming when ITV will indeed be "just another channel", but until the day this becomes a reality, ITV should be forced to comply with the terms of their licences.

If they refuse, switch off the analogue feed, allowing them to compete in the Freeview world -- and while we're at it, allow Sky/Virgin to take the 103 position as they see fit. See how they cope in a genuinely unrestricted environment.

And furthermore, since ITV is positioning itself as an unrestricted non-PSB as of DSO, there should be absolutely no requirement on the part of Sky and Virgin to maintain the channel position for the non-PSB channel, as noted above.

ITV will rue the day it ever decided to rid itself of its "millstone" -- as it is this restriction that affords the company privileges that other stations do not enjoy.

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Indeed he does. But can you imagine the scale of his losses if OFCOM did decide to completely deregulate ITV (as Grade wants) post-DSO, and Sky/Virgin and the Freeview guys responded by putting ITV where ABC1 is in the EPG?

ITV would be bankrupt in six months. Grade needs to bear that in mind.

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Love Island has been axed though - and Im a Nobody bloody well needs axing too!

BOO! HISS!

Edit: what if all the ITV regional workers decided to go on strike and demand that the regions are either retained or sold off? (Sounds a bit Paul Akinbola, I know, but it might work...)

And don't bother telling OFCON - they're too busy getting rid of dangerous programmes about nudist colonies, Diana, and those lewd, rude, obscene, violent, dangerous, influential Channel 4 idents.

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Too true, although I'm a Celeb worked well at first - so many other reality TV shows have drained out all the z-list celebs possible.

As for ITV being simplified, well it was bound to happen, its sad but I'm sure Grade knows what he's doing.

The Digital switchover being used as an excuse to drop certain services is pathetic - in fact in most cases the things they want to drop are probably more important than ever - and with 4 or more channels available rather than just the 1, it's not as if they haven't got the space for "PSB" content.


ITV's position as "channel 3" - along with it's gifted slot of half a mux on Freeview (without it, ITV would have just one channel at the moment) - is part of the privilege of running the franchise - and with that comes responsibilities, with regional programming being the number one IMO.


If ITV aren't willing too, I'm sure other media companies would be willing to bankrupt themselves in an effort to do so!

Was it pathetic when C4's Andy Duncan went begging to OFCOM for financial support a few weeks ago to support their public service activities in the face of plummeting revenues and criticism of declining quality ? C4 get both their analogue and digital spectrum gifted to them.

Channel 4 are asking for financial handouts, ITV are asking for a relaxation on some regulatory burdens no longer relevant in todays environment, it's not the 80's anymore.

Grow up lads! Do you want to see ITV survive, or just become another Murdoch poodle? Most smaller regions only exist to provide news - the days of big studios and mega staff have gone. If ITV is to survive it needs to adapt, otherwise you won't see it in ten years time.