ITV announces new regional programme

Probably because John Grundy is a Tyne Tees man -- and therefore gives a fair crack of the whip to the north North.

Same with Luke Casey and Eric Robson (both TTTV veterans going back to the 1970s) -- but if these programmes were to come out of Leeds or Manchester you wouldn't see the same level of fairness.

Name me one pan-regional programme produced by Granada or Yorkshire that gave significant coverage to the Lakes or Northumberland.

"The North" is an utterly meaningless construct. The idea that Sheffield has any particular relevance to folk in Whitehaven, or Stoke to Alnwick (or vice-versa) is silly. Those of us in the North East generally don't even consider Cheshire or Lincolnshire to be part of the North in any case!!

erm...point taken.

However, I was just highlighting that it *can* be done relatively well, if the will was there to do it.

That wasn't meant as a dig -- just that in practice the logistical demands of balancing such a programme fairly is usually too difficult, and it takes someone from one of the more sparsely-populated parts of the area to be able to manage it.

Besides, the Grundy programmes are of very high quality IMO, and are one of those old-fashioned PSB programmes that would stand up well enough as a networked programme, never mind regional. Sadly, quality television doesn't figure in ITV's mindset any more, and shows like this (and the networked South Bank Show) stand out like a sore thumb in ITV's schedule.

There are similarly good programmes dotted around the country, and I hope that some of these end up on BBC4, which is probably the best place for them now.

Isn't one of the important parts of regional programmes basically that it is 'not London'. A programme made in Manchester is better than nothing

The Dales Diary is one of the main examples, Yorkshire have been showing this for years yet most of the content lies outside of the YTV region and it is still enjoyed by thousands

Regional programmes are made by indies anyway thesedays, so as long as Newcastle based indies pitched strong ideas, the idea of one 'northern' region could work

I guess there is a lot of merit to your idea -- it would at least keep these programmes afloat.

It would be a real shame if Casey, Robson and Grundy were to lose their slots on ITV. I've often thought that programmes like this should be repeated, nationwide, on either ITV3 or indeed ITV1 after 11.30pm. Free productions in effect, and I'm sure they'd get a wide audience.

Perhaps one alternative idea would be to reduce both local and national news at 6.00 to 15 minutes each, making room for a daily pan-regional half-hour broadcast, in addition to the half-hour already allocated, going head-to-head with the BBC's local news. I think it could work.

Individual regions could opt out if a particularly big story broke, and run their broadcast from 6.15 to 7.00. On other days the national would be at 6, the regional at 6.15 and the macro-regional programme at 6.30, with the regional programme slotted in at some other time.

ITV could soften the blow of the reduced news service by adding a local news sting at say 9pm, in line with the BBC. Perhaps also the Friday slot could be given over to something else -- preferably not another soap slot -- but maybe the new home of a weekly, more incisive Tonight programme or similar.

Personally I'd prefer the opposite - half an hour of more focused regional programming than two hours of stuff which is pretty irrelevant on the whole.