ITV announces new regional programme

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/08/itv.television

The regional current affairs brand will be 'Here and Now' replacing all other regional current affairs brands, similar to Inside Out on BBC1

This takes place from next year and will become the only non-news regional programme on ITV1 in England.


Have Ofcom ever explained why we are now going to be in a situation, regardless of any traditional or historical situations, that regional non-news programmes will now consist of one 30 mins show on BBC1 and one 30 mins show on ITV1?

Plus with both of these programmes being 'current affairs' there is no place at all anywhere in any schedule for all the other types of regional programmes we've had in the past. Make the most of all those helicopter trips across the region type programmes while you can

Times have moved on. Of course on the internet some people want regional programmes so ITV can cling on to how it used to be, but people clearly don't want to watch regional programmes otherwise there would be more of them and viewing figures would be higher for BBC1 and ITV1 across the nation when regional programmes are airing in different regions.

Don't be daft - as if OFCOM feel accountable to the viewer.

Just 30-mins per week seems hardly worth it, doesn't it? It really does feel like it's one breath away from a complete axing of non-news regional programming altogether.

I wonder if Thames Valley will still be split between Central's and Meridian's non-news stuff?

AIUI, the whole of Thames Valley would be in the "South" uber-region that ITV's hoped-for regional news cutbacks would bring. So, I wonder if they'll move the Oxford region into Meridian's version of Here & Now , to get Oxford viewers used to being grouped with the South rather than the midlands?

well don't dump them up against Eastenders,

thank goodness STV have still has other shows form food, gameshows. poitlces, Fishing?

The ratings are actually not that bad, they are comparable to the likes of Tonight or Panorama.

Personally I think they should increase the number of regions that take each programme rather than axing all but one 30 mins show, this would save the cost of producing 10 programmes

People's interests don't end at the edge of a region defined by transmitters

Well it'll be interesting to see where the next ITV excuse comes from.

Now that they have cut out all the "fat" (i.e. PSB commitment) from their schedule, the next step will have to be confronting the fact that their programmes are rubbish compared to a decade or two ago.

Good luck with that Grade. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke.

I never cease to be amused by the tired old cliche about regional programming being a thing of the past. This comment says far more about the lazy thinker that comes out with it than anything else -- if it were the case, how come regional output is so popular elsewhere in the world?

If anything, the problem with regional programming is that it tends to be far more high-brow than the majority of the guff that is farted out by the commercial broadcasters now -- and unfortunately the charvers have no interest in quality product, being too obsessed with Big Brother and X-Factor. Perhaps if a regional version of Play School were to be introduced this would keep this section of the public happy...

But thats the rest of the world, not the UK.

If ITV did put out gameshows etc where is the financial gain when they could just put out one? People seem to forget that ITV is a business and do what they can to gain maximum profit possible, and if that means meeting mimum quotas but losing respect of a few people on an internet forum then sobeit.

The fact of the matter is the average viewer who lives in Manchster doesn't care whether Coronation Street is broadcast in London or not, just as long as they get to watch it. I wouldn't be surprised if the average viewer knew how little regional programming there was on ITV (and the BBC actually, they get away with criticism over regions).

That should be England, thank you people in scotland do care,

> But thats the rest of the world, not the UK.

Hmmm. Can I ask what area of England you come from?

I can say from experience that those of us who are a distance away from that stinking cesspool down south do care about our local identity rather more than those who are under its sphere of influence. One only has to look at the success of Channel M in Manchester to see that.

There is a huge difference between something being economically profitable and being important to the people. Unfortunately we are ignored because of the London commuter belt.

That's what PSB is supposed to cater for. Once again, if ITV have no interest in providing this service, they have no place occupying a privileged position and should be removed forthwith.

£10 says it'll be at 7.30pm on Thursday or 11.40pm Thursday, I'm thinking the latter was thats where most of the programmes have been getting binned off to in the last few years.