Was Michael Grade right?

No apology necessary.

However, neither Border or Westcountry correspond to Government Regions. Like you, I prefer network television as a model and would love to see several networks of competing local stations, more on a BBC Local Radio level. This, of course, would require a wholescale restructuring of UK broadcasting, a change to the transmitter landscape and probably far few, but hopefully better quality channels. It's almost certainly not going to happen though.

But isn't that against current rules for news programmes?

Mr Kite, of course Border and Westcountry are parts of North West England/North East England/Scotland and the South West England Nations/Regions respectively. I would love to see at least one Local TV network (something like BBC Local Radio as you state, probably partly funded by the Licence Fee as per Jeremy Hunt's more limited slapdash approach) while also continuing to see a decent National/Regional service from the BBC and ITV. Your vision sounds great to me by the way, which is why it almost certainly won't happen...sadly.

amosc100 I'm afraid ITV plc have been recording parts/all of their Regional News for a while now.

Not sure there are as many rules as people imagine (or people to check and enforce them). Don't know of any 'news must be live' requirements under current Ofcom regulations - though happy to be proved wrong.

As has been mentioned, regions like Meridian, West Country, Tyne Tees/Border and Central have been recording parts of their bulletins for a few years now. As I understand it it depends which part of the region has the biggest story and therefore where the sat-truck is. For example if there's a 'live' from Exeter then the half of the programme for the 'west' (the old HTV West region) is recorded and the half of the programme for the 'westcountry' is live.

My understanding is that in the regions like Border where the whole half hour is being re-instated then this will apply to the whole thing