Should (and could) ITV regionalise again?

I wouldn't say that the current ITV isn't too bad but its lost its soul which is a shame but there we are.

If there were 6-8 national networks in FM there'd be no room for any locals.

It wouldn’t happen & I can’t see why ITV would want the increased costs and dilution of their brand. However it is worth pointing out that the model still works for STV, worked for UTV until relatively recently, so no reason it couldn’t have worked with effective regulation around ownership of the franchises. No doubt a lot of duplicated costs in the old model but I’m sure it could have evolved and continued if the will had been there. The regulation failed. We are where we are.

Can't see it happening anytime soon, but I would like to see more regional programmes. I probably wouldn't even watch them but it would be nice to know they were there. Not even in high profile slots, why not have them in slots ITV are slinging out repeats all the time anyway (after NaT or weekend afternoons)

This doesn't seem that solid. Heart and XFM really don't mix, neither do Radio 4 and Classic.

And NBH sounds way too american

The UK and England in particular is very centralized. As a result media has also become national rather than regional, not helped by the national BBC being highly funded and competitive.

The same pattern can be seen in TV, radio - where most channels are effectively part of a national network - and newspapers, where few regional titles survive well - regional dailies where they still exist are shadows of their former selves.

Yes. Local government is feeble too. Ever larger local authorities with ever less responsibility and money. I recall seeing a study that suggested even Luxembourg was more decentralised than England.

Pretty much agree with the general consensus on the thread, the days of ITV regional identity are long gone. Although its always been known as ITV, branding homogenization started in 1989 with the Get Ready campaign and the subsequent Broadcasting Act of 1990, which led to mergers leading to Carlton (who had little interest in regional identity in the first place and was slowly phased in by Central, although their final idents were a great package by Lambie-Nairn) and Granada (who just used the generic hearts idents and slapped the local franchise logo on it, except for poor Border, at least LWT had some slight uniqueness towards the end) as the final two. The collapse of ITV Digital may of accelerated the inevitable merger of Carlton and Granada.

It's nearly been 20 years without regional identity in England and Wales, that's basically a new generation who never experienced ITV in its original franchised configuration and the new generation is watching less linear TV than the ones before. I agree that there is a nostalgia for the way things were, although its not the same today, ITV haven't forgot their past and acknowledge it occasionally, they just "modernised" to adapt to the new climate. The franchising system (to a degree) stops a single company from having too much control in commercial British broadcasting, but with multichannel broadcasting its not needed anymore.

The "Channel 3" franchising system still exists as a legal technicality, with automatic renewal and no actual franchise rounds taking place but I think it will eventually be scrapped if ITV plc buys out STV.

A unified ITV means they have a single brand that can be marketed around the UK and around the world, it also means no more complex co-ordination involving franchised companies which sometimes have disagreements.

With ITV being more of a publisher broadcaster compared to the franchising days, it has opened up ITV more to other independent studios, even Thames (under different ownership) still exists and is still making programmes for ITV.

However, I do agree with more localised programming, ITV (and the BBC) would do a better job than the Local TV channels which have been a flop.

Channel 4 would be the national channel and the regional stations will provide the programmes and have sister regional stations to the national Channel 4.

Oh right it’s just when you referred to “channel 3” into the video I thought that that button would used here.

The change in legislation allowing ITV companies to be publisher broadcasters was the real reason behind the creation of a single highly centralised ITV in the form that it is today.

As far as ITV reverting to some sort of regional configuration I think the horse has long since bolted. Unfortunately what has been lost is much of the local culture that was given a platform.