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Will ITV bounce back like usual?

(August 2006)

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tvarksouthwest
Just when we have something to celebrate, a chance that things could get worse. Stephen Carter, ex-head of Ofcom, is in line for Chas Allen's job.

This isn't in the interest of viewers. Ofcom is already wrapped around ITV plc's little finger, so you can just imagine the channel being run by someone who'll know exactly which buttons to press to offload PSB obligations and cater for the shareholders' every whim.
PT
Put The Telly On
Hmm, doesn't sound good. I for one, although others seem to disagree, am glad that Charles Allen is leaving. He's let the business side interfere far too much with the operations of the broadcasting side of the channel. This is something that needs to be sorted.
SO
SOL
nok32uk posted:
Hmm, doesn't sound good. I for one, although others seem to disagree, am glad that Charles Allen is leaving. He's let the business side interfere far too much with the operations of the broadcasting side of the channel. This is something that needs to be sorted.


I agree. Since ITV became ITV 1 it lost it's identity and what it stood for. As well as that the programmes they are showing are absoulte crap! I can't believe anyone would watch "Love Island".

I think they've spent too much time trying to take over the digital market by introducing all their multiple channels, that they have forgotten about making decent programmes to show on their main channel.

Sorry if I'm going on, but I'm tired Laughing
TR
TROGGLES
Charles Allen had the same effect as Gerry Robinson when Granada took over Forte. When you get an accountant running a Catering business its bound to go pear shaped. The same story happened to ITV
1/ The big merger comes along,
2/ We need to show we are saving money by cutting costs
3/Easiest way to do that close the studios
4/But what can we show on the telly?
5/Lets make lots of cheapo reality stuff.
6/Staff are told they should remember that the programmes are just the expensive bits between the Ads
7/People turn off or over - so revenue goes down
8/ Critisise the BBCfor having too much influence (even though we would not want rid of the licence fee as the alternative would take from our advertising budget)
9/ Apply to Ofcom to reduce the money paid for franchises.
10/ Fire the CEO
11/ Just had a good idea to get the audience back - lets have regional telly. - Yorkshire are introducing proper regional news programmes in 2007
It does not take a brain surgeon to work out ITV stregnth lay in its regional diversification which produced most of the programming now being shown on ITV 2,3 & 4 which is making money!
RM
Richard M
I agree also, ITV really has lost its once unique identity. It is now as bland and as boring in both programmes and presentation as Sky One etc. At least with the great regional brands you knew what sort of service to expect. ITV seems to be getting worse and worse with programmes being pulled off air before they run their course. Shocked

It is obvious that ITV seem to be so keen on destroying their regional roots. They don't seem to know that people once loved their local brands. Why can't they just bring back the regional names in the space next to the ITV1 logo on the current idents. Even if the name is not mentioned in continuity announcements, it would still probably make more people watch. ITV as a name means nothing. ITV 1 Granada, Westcountry, HTV, Central and Meridan etc mean a lot more to a lot of viewers. They need to do something before it is too late. They also need to commision some decent programming that is made with care. Something they seem to have forgotton how to do. It has been proved on the BBC with recent shows like Doctor Who and Life on Mars that if the programme is well made and imagantive then people will tune in. It is as simple as that.
AM
amosc100
Regional names will not come back - cost too much!!!!!! But if ITV are to survive they WILL have to change what they do.

Let's put it this way for ITV1 to achieve winning success in the future it will need a strong leader not only with ITVplc board but with the channel itself. Simon Shaps is, to be brutally honest, nowhere near strong enough for the challenge. It needs one person to run the WHOLE channel and not different people to run different parts of the day/week who then report back to Shaps. The Channel needs to correct its wrong, bring back children's production unit, bring back hard hitting current affair shows (e.g. First Tuesday, This Week, World In Action) whilst keeping some of the popular tosh (i.e. Tonight, I'm A Celebrity). It needs to have everything for everyone (and that does include children viewers as well). The schedules need to be stripped bare and start again, reduce the number of episodes for the prime-time soaps, introduce a new daytime (and I mean daytime and not 5pm or 530pm) soap, bring back daytime gameshows, as well as primetime gameshows - in other words going back to what ITV meant - diverse, imaginative and popular. ITV needs to take risks and not pamper to advertisers or its shareholders.

My generic weekday schedule would be...

0930 British Gameshows
1000 Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer
1100 New Daytime British Soap Opera
1130 Various British Series'
1215 Regional News; Regional Weather
1230 Lunchtime News; National Weather
1300 The Bradley Walsh Show/Today with Des and Mel/The 1 O'Clock show with Richard Hammond/Loose Women
1400 British Gameshows
1430 Various British Series'
1500 Various British Series'
1530 Shortland Street
1600 CITV on ITV1
1800 Regional News; Regional Weather
1830 Evening News; National Weather
1900 Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri - Emmerdale
1900 Tue - Gameshows/Champions League
1930 Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri - Coronation Street
1930 Tue - Fly-on-the-wall Series' e.g. Airline, Jimmy's/Champions League
2000 Mon - World In Action
2000 Tue, Thur - Regional Programmes (Tue Champions League)
2000 Wed - The Bill
2000 Fri - This Week
2030 Mon, Fri - Gameshows
2030 Tue, Thur - Factual/Magazine Series' (Tue Champions League)
2030 Wed - The Bill
2100 Mon, Wed, Fri - 60 minute British Drama's
2100 Tue - Tonight with Trevor McDonald/Champions League
2100 Thur - 90 minute British Drama's
2200 Mon, Fri - British Comedies
2200 Tue - Late Fly-on-the-wall Series'
2200 Wed - Regional Programmes
2200 Thur - 90 minute British Drama's
2230 Newsview; Weather
2315 Regional News; Regional Weather
2330 Mon - The South Bank Show/Real Life/Real Crime/Crime Monthly/Biographies/British One-off Documentaries
2330 Tue - First Tuesday/Other British Documentary Series/Other British Current Affairs/Other British Factual Series
2330 Wed - The Last Word/Wednesday Night Live/Sport In Question
2330 Thur - 2330 Regional Political Series'/0000 Various Regional Programmes
2330 Fri - The James Whale Show/Gods Gift/Other British Late Night Entertainment Series
0000 ITV Sport
0100 Quizmania (The Mint will now be exclusive ot ITV2)
0355 Mon - World In Action (rpt, signed)
0355 Tue - Various British Factual Series (rpt, signed)
0355 Wed - Fly-on-the-wall Series (rpt, signed)
0355 Thur - Various British Factual Series (rpt, signed)
0355 Fri - This Week (rpt, signed)
0420 Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri - Emmerdale (rpt, signed)
0420 Tue - The Bill (rpt, signed)
0445 Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri - Coronation Street (rpt, signed)
0445 Tue - The Bill (rpt, signed)
0515 Morning News; National Weather
0545 Regional News; Regional Weather

Sunday
0930 CITV on ITV1
1230 News Update; National Weather
1245 Film/Formula One
1445 Car Boot Challenge/The Golden Lot/Formula One
1515 Sunday Feast
1615 Political Series'
1715 Regional News; Regional Weather
1745 News Update; National Weather
1800 Everwood/Other Foreign Drama Series'
1900 British Comedies
1930 Wish You Were Here?/Pulling Power/Other British Magazine Series'
2000 Wild At Heart/Distant Shores/Doc Martin/Where The Heart Is/The Royal
2100 120 minute British Drama's
2300 Weekend News; National Weather
2330 Football League Extra/Tour De France Highlights/Other ITV Sport
0030 Various British Series'
0100 Quizmania
0355 Various British Series' (rpt, signed)
0420 The South Bank Show/Tonight/Crime Monthly (rpt, signed)
0515 Morning News; National Weather
0545 Regional News; Regional Weather

Saturday's
0930 CITV on ITV1
1230 News Update; National Weather
1245 Film
1445 Saturday Cooks Live
1615 Various British Factual Series (e.g. 60 Minute Makeover/The Jerry Springer Show, etc...)
1715 Regional News; Regional Weather
1745 News Update; National Weather
1800 Various British Series'
1900 Various British Series'
2000 Poker Face/The Vault/Gameshow Marathon/Russian Roulette/Other British Gameshow Series
2100 Reality Series' (e.g. Holiday Showdown, Bad Lads Army)
2200 Parkinson/The Frank Skinner Show/Other British Chat Show Series
2300 Weekend News; National Weather
2330 Late-night British Comedies
0000 Foreign Drama Series'
0100 Quizmania
0355 Various British Series (rpt, signed)
0420 Various British Series (rpt, signed)
0515 Morning News; National Weather
0545 Regional News; Regional Weather

a mix of the old, new, bold, imaginiative, sport, drama, regional, etc - just how ITV should be.
TR
TROGGLES
Regional programmes are coming back - Leeds are having to produce a full version of Calendar East due to the so called popularity of Mr Levy & Mr Hudson in Hull.
Programmes are made in the regions Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff etc. It is chaeper to make certain programming out of London. The point is beore you had 13 TV companies with 4 - 5 big players pushing to get their programmes on the network. That made for much better competition than the so callled de-regulated production we have now.
BR
Brekkie
amosc100 posted:
Regional names will not come back - cost too much!!!!!! But if ITV are to survive they WILL have to change what they do.



Nice attempt but it wouldn't work! The schedules of ten years ago are not neccessarily the schedules people want today!


I've said before that I would split the national and regional ITV. "ITV" would still provide the national service, but other companies could bid to run the regional elements, including the regional news and regular regional slots.

I'd put regional programming in hour-long slots on Sunday from 6pm and Thursday from 11pm, with the option of a further hour on Mondays at 11pm.


As for other changes - they need to try and be different, rather than copying what is successful.

For example, alot of ITV problems could be solved by commissioning a weekday "Saturday morning" style childrens show to run after CITV - giving the station something different to air against Deal or No Deal, and also upping their children's quota.


Soaps - personally I'd strip Emmerdale and Corrie in the 7pm hour Monday to Friday, freeing up the primetime schedule for a greater variety of programming. However, if cash it tight maybe freeing up the schedule isn't what ITV needs!


Drama - ITV do get praised for their drama premieres - but they are generally only one-offs. ITV need to concentrate on creating series which can return year in year out and bring in the ratings week after week in extended runs of around 10-12 episodes.


Comedy - it is what is missing from the ITV schedule and I believe they have commissioned something for the autumn. A weekly comedy hour could work well for ITV - but they've got to accept that they'll probably go through a series of flops in order to find a hit!

Pairing up new comedies though with series such as Harry Hill's TV Burp at 8pm on weeknight though in theory would be a great idea.


Entertainment - the big studio based entertainment shows seem to have disappeared in recent years, with only a handful now on ITV throughout the year.

Autumn is sorted, while Dancing on Ice will keep the advertisers happy throughout the winter. It's the summer where the problem is - a good place to start might be getting Ant and Dec to do a summer run of Takeaway!

As for quiz shows - definately bring back Poker Face, preferbly in a weekly slot. Millionaire needs to return to being about the general public - the endless celebrity specials have ruined it really!


Reality - less copycat formats, more original! Bad Lads Army is probably ITV's best reality show - yet is scheduled directly against Big Brother.

I only need to say one word about Love Island - "axed", while though personally I've tired of I'm a Celeb, it still does the goods and I think ITV may be better off airing it twice a year rather than airing an inferior "I'm a Celeb" substitute in the summer!

I'd also bring Survivor back - it really is a great format and if it's scheduled properly (i.e. not trying to immitate BB's schedule) it could still do the business for ITV. After all, C4 bought back Shipwrecked, the BBC are bringing back Castaway and ITV would kill for the ratings Survivor bought in five years ago now!


News - weekdays isn't really a problem, but the weekend service isn't what it used to be, with bulletins seeming to get shorter and air outside primetime.

I'd introduced a fixed 30-minute weekend bulletin at 12.30pm and 5.30pm (inc regional news), with a later 15-minute bulletin around 11pm. Increasingly news is not stopping for the weekend - and with the news channel no more, for probably very little additional cost, ITV could make full weekend bulletins work for them! It's not as if the weekend daytime schedule is over filled!
TW
Time Warp
ITV has gone to the dogs. With Love Island eating up prime time, you can tell that there really is no hope. The only thing worth watching on it is the odd decent drama that pops up once every blue moon. It's a joke.
MD
Mr D'Arcy
ITV thrived when it had a number of very different regional companies providing programmes. All the main decent dramas, sitcoms and soap came from the major suppliers (Thames, Granada, Yorkshire, Central and LWT) and the rest filled in the gaps. As soon as the regions began to slip away we saw a slow and now terminal decline into what we have today. ITVplc, a company with no idea about how to entertain the British public. Oh... they like Corrie & Emmerdale, let's show that day in day out. Oh... reality shows are cheap, let's bang them out, they will never notice. Oh... actors and presenters cost far too much, lets replace them with faceless twats with the personality of a twig!

Either Charles Allen was very good at the "Trust me it will work" routine or the people that work at ITV plc are brainless cretins.

There is no variety on ITV any more. It's wall to wall Chav TV propped up with a handful of "old favs" and far too many detective dramas. I can't see anything substantial happening after Charles Allen leaves unless they decide to go back to basics and put money back into programme making. The regions are gone so farm it out to the multitude of Indies, because let's face it ITV Productions have lost the plot.
PT
Put The Telly On
TVF posted:
ITV thrived when it had a number of very different regional companies providing programmes. All the main decent dramas, sitcoms and soap came from the major suppliers (Thames, Granada, Yorkshire, Central and LWT) and the rest filled in the gaps. As soon as the regions began to slip away we saw a slow and now terminal decline into what we have today. ITVplc, a company with no idea about how to entertain the British public. Oh... they like Corrie & Emmerdale, let's show that day in day out. Oh... reality shows are cheap, let's bang them out, they will never notice. Oh... actors and presenters cost far too much, lets replace them with faceless t***s with the personality of a twig!

Either Charles Allen was very good at the "Trust me it will work" routine or the people that work at ITV plc are brainless cretins.

There is no variety on ITV any more. It's wall to wall Chav TV propped up with a handful of "old favs" and far too many detective dramas. I can't see anything substantial happening after Charles Allen leaves unless they decide to go back to basics and put money back into programme making. The regions are gone so farm it out to the multitude of Indies, because let's face it ITV Productions have lost the plot.


Spot on! You've summed it all up there. Cheers
CY
cylon6
The fact is people won't know they like something new and different until they're given something different. Emmerdale has 7 million watching but there are 58 million people in this country and they aren't watching. Perhaps putting different shows on each night would get these people in and actually deliver a bigger audience that don't want soaps all the time.

In the 70's Monday to Friday at 7 on ITV was something different each night, I'd love to see that variety again.

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