CW
I agree, Scotland is supposed to have two distinct ITV stations (3 if you count Border), but SMG have virtually turned Scottish and Grampian into a single Scottish ITV station with a split news service. Rather ironically, there is actually more difference between two 'ITV1' regions, than there is between Scottish and Grampian.
The problem however, is that if the franchise were re-advertised, ITV plc would doubtless apply for it, would win it and turn it into ITV1 North Scotland - SMG might be treating it as an extension to STV which as you say has largely destroyed it, but if it were to be re-advertised and ITV plc got their hands on it, it would be destroyed even further than it is now. At least with the present situation Grampian is still owned and operated in Scotland by a Scottish company.
Of course this is just another example of how allowing a single company to have so much control over ITV has not benefited the viewer - here is a clear case of a station's owner having no real commitment to it and thus providing an inferior regional service (which, throughout everything, is still what the ITV network is supposed to be about), but re-advertising the franchise, far from correcting the situation, would make it even worse.
cwathen
Founding member
Quote:
(although there is a case for re-advertising the Grampian franchise after SMG effectively destroyed it).
I agree, Scotland is supposed to have two distinct ITV stations (3 if you count Border), but SMG have virtually turned Scottish and Grampian into a single Scottish ITV station with a split news service. Rather ironically, there is actually more difference between two 'ITV1' regions, than there is between Scottish and Grampian.
The problem however, is that if the franchise were re-advertised, ITV plc would doubtless apply for it, would win it and turn it into ITV1 North Scotland - SMG might be treating it as an extension to STV which as you say has largely destroyed it, but if it were to be re-advertised and ITV plc got their hands on it, it would be destroyed even further than it is now. At least with the present situation Grampian is still owned and operated in Scotland by a Scottish company.
Of course this is just another example of how allowing a single company to have so much control over ITV has not benefited the viewer - here is a clear case of a station's owner having no real commitment to it and thus providing an inferior regional service (which, throughout everything, is still what the ITV network is supposed to be about), but re-advertising the franchise, far from correcting the situation, would make it even worse.