ITV announces new regional programme

Which is why in my opinion, Ofcom should have carved up England into say 3 parts so some sort of regional programming could still continue at reduced cost and to higher quality. I'm personally just as interested in seeing Manchester from the air as I am Leeds

It's odd how Wales and Scotland are still to get hours of regional programmes yet England get next to none on any channel. It's not as if network programmes are 'England regional' as they aren't

It would take far more than three regions to cover England even if they did merge a few. Presumably this new programme will be truly regional too, not these ridiculous things like Central and London airing the same programme - meaning viewers up in Shropshire get stories about Heathrow.

I'm from Cheshire, not the stinking cesspool down south as you so beautifully put it

I suppose in a way people do want regional identity but sometimes need to remember to look at it from a business perspective and what will get them the most viewers, and therefore the mots advertising revenue. PSB obligations or not, ITV is a business and like anyone else in business (as I'm sure one or two on here may own one) you do what is best for it and to create maximum profit within guidelines.

I think if they were to cut down on regions, 3 wouldn't be enough. I think just take England, literally slice it vertically down the middle then divide it horizontally 3 times and there are 6 regions, and with Wales theres 7. I think that would be a better basis if they were to minimise the regions, and ITV also have similar plans to that.

I presume this means the end of the late night political shows that some regions still produce?

Not mentioned but if there's only 30 minutes per week I can't see there's scope for them.

A shame.

> create maximum profit within guidelines.

Yes. Within guidelines.

Ultimately this is the issue -- the ITC and especially Ofcom have been far too weak.

The IBA would have laid their cards on the table straight away -- you provide the service you signed the contract to provide or you f*ck off and we get someone else in to do it.

ITV have taken advantage of the situation -- a situation that should never have been allowed to arise in the first place.

If UTV can remain profitable after all these years (with far greater levels of regional commitment than most of the mainland), then there is no reason whatsoever why Tyne Tees, Granada and the rest couldn't have as well.

Maggie broke the system -- creating gross inequality between the contractors thanks to the 1991 auction. By the time this was fixed, the malaise had already set in.

The problem isn't demand, it's political will.

Interestingly enough ( or not as the case may be ), didn't the BBC have a current affairs programme called " Here and Now " with Sue Lawley, which was meant to be Nationwide-like and have " interesting " stories from the different regions...?

EDIT : Just read the mediaguardian article and saw that the original Here and Now is mentioned there.

It's getting on for 15 years ago now though, and really it's not that uncommon at all for programme names to be reused some time later - I'm sure there's bound to have been another "Inside Out" too.

They could split England into the North, Midlands and South (or into 4 SE & SW) and produce high quality programmes at less cost.

I would personally prefer 2 hours of programmes about the North of England than 30 minutes about Yorkshire

ST: has grip on to
Monday 8pm and 10.40pm - 00.40
Wednesday For Gailce 11.40 pm - 00.40pm
Thursday 7.30pm, and 10.40pm - 00.10
sundays 10.30am- 11.30am, and 6pm

DAILY: 5.30pm for 5.30 show

> I would personally prefer 2 hours of programmes about the North of England than 30 minutes about Yorkshire

The problem with this, as has been shown in the past when YTV and TTTV experimented with stuff like this is that you'll end up with one hour and 50 minutes on Leeds and Manchester, and about 5 minutes each for Newcastle and Carlisle.

I personally wouldn't watch a "regional" programme about Cheshire. That part of the country means no more to me than Hampshire does.

Grundy's Northern Pride was a pretty good effort at a pan-North programme.

How about 2 political series with excatly the same name.....

Granada's The Spin started about a year before BBC2's The Spin and were actually on at the same time at one point. Granada eventually relented and gave up the programme name.

Plus

There was Down To Earth - a country and "Green" issues local programme presented by Bob Smithies in Granadaldn and then the name was reused for a "family"drama by the BBC!