SMG presentation

Just a few quick thoughts on SMG's presentation at the moment. I've whined about the fact that, when the 'now next later' appears on screen the announcer basically reads out the titles, rather than giving any information which may make you want to watch the programme. The announcer tonight appears to be making an effort and is doing much better, but the timing isn't correct - the 'now next later' appears from screen way before she has finished talking, leaving the tedious generic titles running on screen for far too long. I assume this is because they're not quite sure how long the titles will run, and they don't want them to crash into the ads or whatever, but surely they could find a way round this.

The idents tonight have been very odd choices - political reporter Bernard Ponsonby before The X Factor (a lot of their viewers will know who that one is), and a grinning Frank Skinner before Afterlife, a programme we were sombrely warned some viewers may find upsetting... I still prefer the celebrities to the tedious ITV1 network presentation though, SMG just need to use them properly. (Ant and Dec should be before the 6.10pm show, allowing the announcer to promote the Gameshow Marathon in an hour's time, not after the show like last week).

Incidentally, I don't know if it's deliberate but the ITV 50 logo appears to be being used less in promotions now. The fireworks background is still there, but the logo itself doesn't appear to be as clear. Don't know if I'm reading too much into this.

Kate Fraser is on tonight and she is in very good form .Going into Ant and Dec she was very happy .I wish kate would express her personality much more on air as she is brilliant when she lets go a little.

A rare weekend late shift for Kate tonight. The ECP disappearing before the announcer has finished speaking is SO irritating. What have they done to the text they are using on the ECP’s, it is now MASSIVE .
I am surprised nobody has mentioned that SMG have introduced their own version of the On Screen Next straplines that appear just before a programme ends, at the top of the screen. They are far superior to those used by ITV1, but still very annoying. Tonight on Ant and Dec, as the home telephone competition was in progress, and the woman was about to say fire, up popped the strapline. Look out for them at the end of the Paul O Grady show.
Regarding the ITV50 logo, it is a bit of a mix, some trailers have them, and some don’t.
Finally, a belated happy birthday to Grampian, 44 years old yesterday.

Grampiwho? Sorry, but I suspect that's the SMG attitude.

I had noticed the straplines had suddenly turned all blue - I wasn't sure if that was an alteration to the network version or whether SMG had produced their own.

SMG certainly now appear to be making an effort, as opposed to going through the motions. I thought it was nieve in the extreme to allow programmes to end with the generic credits and no announcement, as has previously happened, but it now looks like they are being more promotional-minded. And with a zillion channels to choose from, nowadays they have to be.

Good news for the Grampian and Scottish brand names, unless your user name is Antz.

Below is an extract from an interview in Scotland on Sunday, with the Chairman of SMG, Chris Masters.

Masters believes that more value can be extracted from all the brands, including the company's two television franchises - Scottish and Grampian - which are stronger in Scotland than the ITV brand, which is now more than ever associated with England. Masters' argument is that in a multi-channel universe it will be the strength of brands that differentiate companies and enable them to grow. "When television was simply BBC and ITV it didn't matter so much, but in the future, with hundreds of channels, it will be important to develop the brand strength of what you have got."
He accepts that the Scottish and Grampian television channels will almost certainly lose market share as the competition intensifies, but will build on brand strength. Some 80% of the population watches one of the two franchised stations for at least five hours a week, and though this is likely to decline it still represents a huge marketing advantage for the company.


The full article is here.

I'm all for keeping Scottish and Grampian brands as long they improve their presentation. If they have no plans to do that well that just shows you how lazy they are when it comes to pres.

I'm all for keeping Scottish and Grampian brands

You've changed your tune.

I mean that I just don't see the point in SMG owning the stations if they don't give us anything extra than ITV plc do. It's not like they're providing extra regional programming or anything. If they did give us extra regional things, then let SMG continue to own them but first of all they've got to sort out they awful idents.

to make money for their shareholders?

I realise that, but I meant what's the point in SMG owning Scottish and Grampian from a viewer's point of view apart from keeping the names (which could easily have ITV1 on the front of them)?

what is the point of itv plc holding licences from a viewer's point of view? the itv companies are there to make money for their shareholders, simple.

when itv plc take over smg, rename the stations to itv scotland and move stv into a unit on a glasgow industrial park, with grampian news becoming a 7 minute opt within scotland today ... THEN will you be happy?

Grampian News is practically Scotland Today at times. A lot of reports are on both stations anyway.

I doubt ITV would join them together, but I do think the only difference between them would be the news (which it is now practically).