Itv News Channel - Where's The Breaking News?

The news tonight is that their had been a blast in the Saudi capital. Sky and News 24 reported it fairly quickly, News 24 went into a recorded programme at half past the hour as at that time their wern't much details.

ITVNC was in the middle of a Rugby World Cup highlights programme, they didn't even flash up a Breaking News caption as they have done in recorded programmes before, but what really does surprise me is that their has been NO mention of the bombing, last time I checked it was 1 hour 30 minutes afterwards, and it didn't look like a recorded bulletin.

So much for being Breaking News for Britain

Not good for ITV News, but this isn't the first time as they were showing live football when the Russian Theatre Siege happened and Sky and N24 reverted to coverage.

But doesn't ITV News keep the ticker running during the Rugby? We have that, or they should have brought up a caption saying what has happened, pain in the ar*e for those watching the rugby only. But ITV NC should keep to what it says on the tin.

Indeed -- but I didn't see one mention of the bombings on the ticker (might have appeared later but I doubt it, especially as the presenter hand't reported it). Even when the news came on with Carol Barnes, no mention of it, same when Owen Thomas came on an hour or so later. In fact, the News Channel might still have not reported it.

Even if it was just reading a wire report, which the presenter can read from ENPS or something, it's better than nothing. Pathetic.

If ITV want the News Channel to be taken seriously, they should stop using it as a dumping ground for all their extra sports coverage.

Missing out during a different programme is one thing, but a complete lack of mention suggests something much more peculiar - out of their control, perhaps?
I NEVER watch ITV NC. I never really acknowledge it in my brain if choosing a news channel - I usually flick between N24 and Sky News. I don't think making it so similar to normal ITV News is a good idea, I think they should at least seperate themselves slightly.

Owen mentioned it at 11. They've just had a summary, at 01.50, and it was the top story with recent pictures. Now they're back repeating the 11-12, with the summary sandwhiched in between.

Well although the ITV News Channel is good for a brief summary of the headlines (like News 24 multiscreen.) If you want up to date news then I think you can rule it out. Obviously ITV News can't afford to interupt a recorded programme, let alone have a LIVE interview, even at the Foreign office, forget actually in the region.

Breaking News for Britain (only when they can afford to - which usually means on an aston at the bottom of the screen.)

ITV News Channel could do SO much better, its got a huge range of presenting talent, but remains to cheap and nasty to do any good.

Owen did infact mention it at 11:00 but they didnt really seem to concentrate on it at all.

At midnight they have the Football Extra programme which is always technically interesting where something always seems to go wrong or it doesnt appear on screen at all LOL

ITVNC throughout the week is always up there with SKY News in breaking news first and both Sky and ITV NC share who breaks the various items first with BBC News 24 usually trailing behind.

At the weekend (especially post 7pm) ITVNC is very poor for reporting any 'new' news or breaking stories but then i suppose it does report on a lot of sports stories instead.

ITVNC - good in the week - poor at the weekends

I've watched the ITVNC plenty of times during big breaking news events, and it's been excellent. Especially during the war, the David Kelly disappearance, and the Alistair Cambell resignation. It's been leagues ahead of N24 at these times, getting the important guests first. So I don't think it can be dismissed, but it can be improved, and I reckon it will be once ITV has become one company.

Really, that is no excuse at all. As I said before, even just reading out a wire report from Reuters, PA, AP, AFP etc. which the presenter should have access to would have been better than nothing, even if they didn't have any access to the pictures from Al Arabiya etc.. If it was mentioned at 11 then that was the first time as their was no mention before that, and they probably didn't class the bombing as "breaking news" when they did report it.

Also, it is not true that News 24 trails behind with breaking news, this incident proves it, and recently ever since News 24 has moved to their temporary studio ironically the channel has improved quite a lot, they have broken stories recently faster than ITVNC and Sky. The new look should improve on this a lot.

Is it really that big a story? I can't say it means a single thing to me. It's all probably down to whoever is in charge at the time the story breaks.