No Regional Programmes on ITV1 Over Xmas

As you may know, There is usually 30 mins/hour of regional programming allocated around 5.30pm time in the weekdays between Christmas and New Year.

This year it has all been axed.

For the YTV region, these are programmes which were shown LAST YEAR...

Carols from Lincoln

Calendar News Review of the Year - 30 mins x 2 (thur 28th/fri 29th)

Calendar Sports Review of the Year - 30 mins (wed 27th)

YTV Christmas Quiz

The Wish

Calendar and Tonight Christmas Party

THIS YEARS Only Non-News Regional Programmes:

The Wish (Sunday 23rd December at 4.40pm)

Calendar News Review of the Year (Sunday 30th Dec at 12.30pm, Shoved in the 'Calendar Pick of the Week' slot and only 30 minutes long)

Calendar Sports Review of the Year (Sunday 30th Dec at 5.40pm, Shoved in the 'Goals on Sunday' slot and only 30 minutes long)

And thats it!

Its even worse for Tyne Tees viewers, they've got a Storm Force and a Dales Diary repeat

There's been hardly any non-news regional programming for weeks now. Have a look at the schedules for this week. Two normally different channels, Central and Tyne Tees, and only about an hour over the course of the week (plus regional news) differences.

It's all going down the pan. Is this the Granada/Carlton master plan of only 8 hours of regional programming/week, taking shape?

If so, for most stations this will mean the complete axing of all non-news regional TV. YTV for example has 2 1/2 hours of Lunchtime Live (or whatever it's called), 2 1/2 hours of Calendar and about 3 hours of short bulletins/weekly Sunday review programme.

That's 8 hours, leaving nothing left for anything else. They may as well completely shut down smaller stations like Westcountry, Tyne Tees and Border if this is going to happen.

So what about

The Last Horseman
Soccer Sunday
The Flower Show

YTV will have over 2 hours of live regional TV on Sunday with the live Soccer Sunday match.

As I understand it there will be a regional feast on ITV1 Central on December 30 - a whole hour look back on news split across the three news regions, the local news and the special documentary 20 Years of Central News in the evening......

Yes, but I expect they are having to conform to the 12.30/5.30 slots that are usually occupied by Central News week etc.


In relation to The Last Horseman, this is actually a repeat, plus isn't this one of those programmes which are based in the North East!

Darn it! Just when I'd got Sky and was enjoying my new regional ITV freedom!

Oh well, Nick Owen's only three weeks off.....

Yes, but take out the live football (which is not on every week and not on regions who do not have first division teams) and what do you have? The Flower Show and Soccer Sunday. The Last Horseman is a repeat of a Tyne Tees programme, and as such does not count as a regional programme for YTV.

And even if you include The Last Horseman, 1 and a half hours of non-news regional programming in a week? How sad is that?

The stations six months ago had regional programming on most weekdays. Most of that has now gone.

It is possible that it's just the regions winding down for Christmas. We'll wait and see...

Does anyone know if the 8 hours proposal has been accepted by the ITC?

(Edited by jason at 8:04 pm on Dec. 11, 2001)


(Edited by jason at 9:07 pm on Dec. 11, 2001)

What is it with ITV? One minute they're really clever at this and that, and the next minute they go really dumb - I just can't keep up!

The Central programmes at 1440 for the sub-regional Newsweek reviews for 60 mins, 1740 for the 20 Years of Central News and 1810 for a 15 min Central News, the final one of 2001 as there are no bulletins scheduled for New Year's Eve.