How many viewers?

I have just found this forum. It's great but I would like a question answered.

Does anyone know how many viewers their regional news gets on BBC and ITV and how the two compare.

Thanks

Hmm, AFAIK it goes like this.

In Scotland:
Scotland Today and North Tonight get more viewers than Reporting Scotland

North East:
BBC Look North gets more than NE Tonight

Cumbria:
Lookaround gets more than BBC Look North

In Yorkshire/Humberside:
BBC Look North gets more than Calendar

In the NW:
BBC NWT gets more than Granada Tonight

In Wales:
Now I am not sure but I would guess at HTV

In the West Midlands
Again not sure but I think it may be Central News at Six

In the East Midlands:
It is certainly Central News at Six here

East:
BBC Look East

London:
Well, there is only one, London Tonight

South East, I think that BBC NRSE gets more than Meridian but i'm not sure

South:
I think Meridian, I know TVS always used to beat BBC South so I presume the tradition has carried on

South West:
Certainly BBC Spotlight

West:
I think BBC Points West

Northern Ireland:
I think it is UTV Live, but again I am not 100% sure.

I think that in recent times Midlands Today has taken the most popular news programme from Central News.

I can't be sure, be they seem to brag about being the regions most popular news programme and they have won a fair amount of award, so I think Midlands Today are the winners...at the moment.

Also I think Oxford's most popular is Central News South. I think it comes from the fact that when NRSE was broadcasting to Oxfordshire that they got no coverage so people turned to Central News. I don't think many people actually know about the Oxford opt outs from South Today. I think its just tradition.

I would guess that the ITV regional programmes got more viewers when they came on after the national news. The problem at the moment is that most of the news audience will watch the BBC Six O'Clock News, and stick with them for the regional news. Rather than watch the regional news on ITV then the national news. ITV & BBC have gone head 2 head with News at Ten, so why don't ITV move their national bulletin to 6, and let the regions go head to head as well.

I think ITV would lose badly (and they know it) if they put the early evening news on at 6. The 6 O'Clock News gets the highest viewer figures of all the news programmes - it draws a big audience from Neighbours and parents who have been watching CBBC with their children. Also people just switch on to it when they get home as instinct.

ITV at 6.30 must catch some of those who get in late at about that time and want the news...

I think ITV have real problems with the tea-time news programmes. I am sure that Calendar used to out perform Look North before the shift of the National News.

Granada Reports used to batter the hell out of Look Northwest.
Granada Tonight used to always beat North West Tonight until ITV moved the news to 6.30pm
Many people watched the 540/545 and then just left it on for the local news.
I think that local viewing figures have slipped on ITv by about 30% since the change.
In the US all of the broadcasters go head to head, and the winner varies year on year.
For example for the past year NBC has been at the top, ABC was at the top a couple of years back and CBS was at the top about 3 years ago, it all depends on what is on before and afterwards.
You may find that some people watch Channel 5 News and then their local news at 6pm.
Or that some people watch regional BBC News at 6.30 and then Channel 4 News at 7pm.
It all depends what the viewer wants, and the viewer will decide for themselves what they want to see and when.
I think that ITV have probably realised the move of the news was a stupid mistake, my family is a good example of this.
We never watched the BBC 6, always ITN Early Evening News.
I can remember when my dad put the 6 on and I was rather confused because I had never seen it properly before.
Since ITV have moved the news and BBC One relaunched he always watches the 6 and just as he did with the old 6, he never watches the ITV Evening News.

The biggest gap between programmes is in the west where Points West gets around 45% and HTV gets a measly 20% (the lowest of all the regional news programmes, ITV and BBC)

I'm sure Granada only get 20%.
Because I can remember when they relaunched GT to 30 mins they said they wanted to increase share by 5% to 25%.

That is the same situation with my Dad too. We always used to get in and watch the 5:40 because it was the first news programme on when you got home from work, and the BBC was showing Neighbours. Once you had seen that, there seemed to be little point turning over to the BBC 6 O'Clock News, you just stuck with Calendar.

Now that ITV have brought back News at Ten, (which is considered to be during prime-time), they have no requirement to show the news at 6:30pm. With the failing popularity of Neighbours, perhaps ITV should bring back the News at 5:40, as follows

5:10pm Crossroads
5:40pm ITV Early Evening News
6pm Calendar
6.30pm The People Versus

The News at Ten should be reinstated to the full 30 minutes, and be on at 10. I know that the ITC were concerned about the drop in ITV's regional programming, so this may happen. I also expect that it could happen when ITV introduce the new soap 'Night & Day', with it taking the 6:30pm slot, (not sure where else it will go).

I'll have a check next week -- but I'm positive HTV get the lowest ... Mind you, I saw Granana a while back, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're rather low too

I think the idea of moving the news also allowed for extra regional programming.
It meant that from 5.10 until 6 each region would be allowed regional programming, despite the fact that most of them put Wheel of Fortune on.
I think on GMG stations really took advantage of this, with extended bulletins etc.
Possibly the most annoying thing on ITV at the moment is 'After the ITV News at Ten' being said on trailers.
What??
So when is that then?
The ITV News at Ten changes from 10 up to 10.50, how the hell am I supposed to know when the ITV News at Ten is on!?

As a rule I think the one with the national news on first is the winner.
Not many people actually like to see regional news before national news, no idea why but that is just the way it works.