OFCOM slash ITV's regional quota

It is not just poor timings - What other programmes on ITV get treated in the following ways?

1) No programme trailers - Either on-screen or in press release.

2) No mention on End Credit Promotions, either verbally or within the on-screen menu.

3) No programme specific introductions - Out of the three regional (non-news) slots this week on ITV West, only one was specific to the programme, the others all mentioned a later networked programme. The rest of the regions would have been the same.

4) No on-screen regional name within the ident to tell the viewer that the programme that is about to begin may be particularly relevant to them.

5) No regional company end credit - How does a viewer know if they have been watching a programme for their region? They cannot tell - It is simply listed as "A production for ITV1" This is to so that viewers in say Westcountry are not aware that the programme that they have just watched was actually made by Meridian.

These things are not accidental - They are part of a specific and direct action by ITV plc to reduce viewers of regional programming.

Now unless you know what time the regional variations are actually on, it is particularly difficult for a viewer to find regional programming.

Sadly either OFCOM know so little about the industry to identify that these tricks are being pulled or they really could not care less.

I agree! If you stick your regional non-news offering against EastEnders or on a graveyard slot obviously they won't do well.

You can kill off any element of programming you don't want to make if you schedule it in a particular way.

Where are all these viewers demanding regional programmes?

AIUI whenever a survey is conducted into what people want from TV regional programmes come second to bottom... just in front of religious programming

There seemed to be enough of a backlash when ITV announced its plans to cut regional news, and certainly the recent trend in this direction has been to make service more local, not less.

If regional programmes are coming second to bottom it's understandable in some ways. For one, the regional ITV companies now are little more than newsrooms and anything else they make is to keep Ofcom happy. Things may vary between regions of course, but in the South West it seems to be that because all the familiar "local" faces have all been made redundant or defected to the BBC. So Westcountry then has to ship in "outsiders" to present or narrate its local quotas, such as Roy Marsden or Ian McCaskill. When you do that the feeling of "locality" is lost somehow and people don't feel a connection with these shows as they might those presented by Ian Stirling, Ruth Langsford or Ken MacLeod.

Occasionally there will be the odd gem like Slow Blokes In France, but increasingly what's left of local programming isn't worth the effort.

Are they?

Regional news possibly scores highly but as for local programming I would imagine it comes well down the list of what people want from TV.

Possible reasons for which I outlined in my previous post.

To be honest I don't think that's the case - times have moved on more channels, more choice and I don't think the majority of viewers give a stuff.

For many sitting through a local programme was due to circumstance the fact there was little else to watch.

This is not the case at all, they do do well, but obviously they have to make about 12 different programmes which means they financially don't do well

Regional programmes have aired in the same Tuesday and Thursday 7.30 slot as long as I can remember so it's not as if it's a recent move to a graveyard slot.

Or they may have genuinely enjoyed it. Some TV hits began life as local shows - Sale Of The Century, Calendar Countdown (the latter albeit on C4).

In the Westward region, our Sale Of The Century was Treasure Hunt (not a helicopter in sight) - and so popular was it there was a waiting list of years to be a contestant. "40 Years Of ITV" in 2001 recalled how sadly, some people had died while on the waiting list.

Nowadays the spirit of Treasure Hunt lives on at your local NHS hospital...

Well if you buy up all the other companies with an obligation to make programmes for their specific franchise then don't complain when you have to honour it. Granada and Carlton avidly comsumed the advertising revenue and "economy of scale" savings, but have failed to deliver one of the fundamental elements of the original franchise.

But that's news though, regional news is still fairly popular.... where are all the people demanding regional programmes ?

No-one is going to be more likely to watch a local programme just because there is a graphic telling you where you live at the beginning or end of it!

People watch programmes for their content, having the word 'Westcountry' or 'Anglia' in front or at the end of it doesn't make it any better