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OFCOM slash ITV's regional quota

ITV say "Jump!", OFCOM ask "How high?" (November 2007)

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TV Times
Inspector Sands posted:
From Norwich posted:

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

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.


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


Or whether its presented by a past local newsreader or announcer from 20 years ago.
:-(
A former member
Back in the day didn't the local 15 companies just used to show each other programme?
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tvarksouthwest
They picked up any one else's local programmes if they liked them. I was most surprised when Thames showed an episode of Walking Westward in 1981.
:-(
A former member
what about Local Idea that become networked? did that still = local programme
:-(
A former member
Did the ITV system even have a codified minimum requirement for regional TV in the past?

I do recall that TTTV's regional output varied enormously from year to year. Sometimes the output was fairly muted; at other times it seemed that no other station in England was pushing out as much random stuff as the NE station.

I remember in 1989 there was about a three-week period where they had an hour and a half of local TV each DAY after 10.30pm, most of it live and studio-based. This in addition to the normal 6.30 stuff. I think they were totalling around 17 hours a week at that point, including the news. Was this a desperate attempt to meet their requirements? I'm not sure....
:-(
A former member
what about all the OZ or In Scottish tv Murder she wrote. did that count as regional TV?

STV used 6pm slot for better use when H&W was giving the bucket
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tvarksouthwest
623058 posted:
what about Local Idea that become networked? did that still = local programme

Well there was stuff that technically was local but ended up getting networked, like Mr and Mrs - there were three different versions of this - Border, HTV and Anglia (the latter first out of the trap).

Paint Along With Nancy - that was semi-networked too. The last broadcast on HTV Wales was 1986.
:-(
A former member
Don't forget "Now you see it" by Scottish
TV
tvarksouthwest
623058 posted:
Don't forget "Now you see it" by Scottish

Shown on TSW in 1986. A timings error in Plymouth on one occasion resulted in a glimpse of the STV clock for South West viewers...
:-(
A former member
Grampian's "House Party", TTTV's "Play It Again", Anglia's "Sale Of The Century" and Border's "Look Who's Talking" are three other examples of local programmes turned national.

Plenty of other local programmes ended up being bought up in unusual arrangements. TTTV bought coverage of a Welsh boat show from HTV in 1990. To make things even more confusing, they only opted into the latter half. Why, I don't know.
TV
TV Times
Wasn't Houseparty Southern?
:-(
A former member
Am I thinking of a different programme?

I think you may be right.

The one I was thinking of was the one with the two sour-faced Scots women who gave advice on how to save money.

"Pennywise"? I don't recall now!

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