UTV is owned by GMG

No - of course I don't want a fight (although it would seem TV Forum is the place to go if I do want one!!)

Just interested in who actually is GMG as per my original question!!

GMG PLC is the Guardian Media Group.

Granada PLC is Granada, although Granada Media is a part of Granada PLC the parent company does nothing but media these days hence the word media isn't used.

GMG should really only be used to refer to the Guardian Media Group (owners of newspapers and radio stations)

Anyway, back on the UTV/Granada thing - The biggest giveaway that UTV is NOT owned by Granada is that its still called UTV and Not ITV1. When UTV, Channel, Grampian and Scottish finally get into the hands of Carlton/Granada, I think, Scottish/Grampian should Be Carlton owned, with UTV and Channel (which may as well be called Meridian) should be Granada owned as Granada have TV3 in Ireland so running UTV should be a piece of meat, and as Channel is just like Granada owned Meridian, Channel should go to Granada.

Would most agree that A Carlton Scotland and a Granada UTV and Channel would be the best thing all-round?

Why have you come back after you were banned before?

This Is Granada:
"Would most agree that A Carlton Scotland and a Granada UTV and Channel would be the best thing all-round?"

I can't decide between the worst of two evils, given past experience on how Carlton and Granada takeovers have impacted ITV regional companies.

Neither station, if they eventually take over UTV (when?), would be allowed to rename the station in case it alienates the easily-offended Northern Irish audience who value their independence from the ITV network more than they might let on.

I suppose both would bolster local programme production and add their distinctive marks on local production and local presentation; I doubt that IVC would be scrapped unless they get rid of Julian Simmons, and hopefully the no-continuity-in-daytime bugbear would be lifted, and perhaps UTV could even get a clean feed for all continuity to be sourced from Havelock House!

I can't see any takeover bids in the immediate future though, not until the proposed Carlton/Granada merger gets underway. I'd say UTV will be the last remaining independent ITV station, and CanWest, theother shareholders and hopefully UTV viewers would put up a hard fight to UTV to remain this way.

Indeed the shareholding structure of UTV (with McGuicken and the staff also holding large tranches of shares) makes anything but an agreed takeover (at least, one that JB McGuicken supports) unlikely.

I don't think a rename of UTV would be able to go ahead. What would you rename it to?

ITV1 Northern Ireland - you alienate the Southern viewers. (And its too long, as BBC have found out),
ITV1 Ireland - alienate the unionist community
ITV1 Ulster - ditto for the nationalist community.

UTV is a nice simple name to use without having to stir up all kinds of political trouble...

Ronan:
"What would you rename it to?

ITV1 Northern Ireland - you alienate the Southern viewers. (And its too long, as BBC have found out),
ITV1 Ireland - alienate the unionist community
ITV1 Ulster - ditto for the nationalist community.

UTV is a nice simple name to use without having to stir up all kinds of political trouble..."

ITV1 Six Counties?! ITV1 North of Ireland?

I'd stick with UTV myself too

Well if Granada were so desperate to rename it, The only way I could see, is that it would be called ITV1 all the time, except for regional programs, do what GMG regions do, and have the ITV1 logo, with that Dark Blue border around it saying UTV. I can’t think of another way of doing it. But then again, Granada might just think, 'hay what the heck. We own it now, that’s the main thing'. Anyway, Granada are not likely to get hold of it yet, so UTV is safe and sound for now.

What about the easily offended Welsh who valued the HTV brand name which was the 2nd strongest brand in Wales at the time it was scrapped(Indeed, Carlton explained away the inconsistancy of not renaming HTV by saying that it was important to keep a Welsh brand in Wales), but that didn't stop it being renamed to ITV1 Wales. UTV would be dropped in a heartbeat.

And by the time they snap it up, I doubt even nation-al variations will exist - it'll probably just be a straight renaming to ITV1 with no suffix.

Col said:



Why would the name "ITV1 Ulster" possibly alienate the nationalist community?

Ulster is, after all, one of the four provinces of Ireland, and is the area (mostly) covered by Ulster Television's franchise. Really don't see the problem there.

Why would ITV1 Ulster stir up any more trouble than Ulter Television - both contain the word "Ulster"...

You just want to get rid of me don't you? I wasn't banned, my IP was, because of those spammers following me onto the forums!! Get your facts straight Hudson girl!