One good thing about the mustard look was that the HTV hearts ident zoomed into the titles.
So did the previous look, the second Wales Tonight -- the watery blue HTV ident rippled into the titles. Usually the junction was announcer-less as it was joined onto the HTV ident music.
Wales Today used to do the same in the mid 1990s, where the greeny dragon and BBC logo 'dropped' down over the BBC1 globe. This was the look before the *best-ever* pompous-yet-lovely-red-dragon titles at the bottom of the sea -- which lasted lots of years.
The most interesting thing about an HTV revamp in the regional news area is the title it'll have. I used to think 'Wales' would return, with all the kerfuffle with the ITV1 Wales/"on this channel" omni-branding propaganda. But I'm thinking HTV News might yet stay on.
And yes Calendar is lovely -- I watched at least half of the programme today, it was very refreshing. Both Welsh regional programmes aren't allowed to be as informal, for silly reasons, so they don't get the nice OBs that Calendar have, and the nice things Central/Midlands Today get up to as well..
Disagree about the Calendar theme - I think it's a great little theme and in the current climate of just dumping anything remotely traditional and longstanding I'm glad they've kept the theme and beefed it up. Titles and short bulletin CSO studios need a bit of work - and the old OB thing
I disagree that it's been beefed up - or that it's long standing. As far as I can tell, the only vaguely familiar bit is the little sting at the end, which itself was only appended onto the old theme in the early 90's. It suffers from the same problem as the old them - too indistinct.
Anyway, I haven't heard them all, but my favourites are North East Tonight, HTV West News (albeit nothing else about the programme), Channel report, Meridian Tonight and Lookaround.
My least favourite are Westcountry Live (along with the whole programme since it's last revamp - I really don't know what they were thinking), Calendar and HTV Wales News.
HTV News is terrible, those awful trumpets annoy me amazingly, can't wait to see them go.
I believe, after London Tonight, HTV News has the longest running current look, and is just *v* poor compared to previous efforts, especially the last Wales Tonight era.
I love the current HTV News titles (for the Wales region) - the trumpets are a great introduction to the program but after 2.5 years of them almost now it would be nice for a revamp. I also like the presenters Jonathan and Lucy a lot too. I agree the Wales Tonight with the blue colour titles were the best followed by the gold blinds from the 1980s but the current look is better than 1990 WS titles and the 1999-2001 orange ones.
HTV News West - well the music isnt *that* bad but the rest of the show is poor and whenever I watch it I dont like most of the presenters - worst than Andrew Jones and Ruth Wignal the people I dislike the most onITV1 Wales.
Westcountry News and Central News - the other regions I get to see occasionally are seem good although I mostly watch HTV Wales News.
Well I do like the current Calendar theme, as has been said, its the most 'beefed up' than its been in years, talking about how the traditional parts have been left in, the theme can be split into four parts, with part 1 and 3 being the same, parts 2 and 4 are the bits which use the old Calendar theme, if that makes sense. The titles themselves are a bit poor.
Talking about what it was meant to look like, we said at the time it looks like BBC national news, with a wood look floor and bright white desk, if the regions ever have to adopt this kind of look, like South Today have, it'd be interesting to see how Look North would do it
Looking at other regions, Anglia News would be better without the boops and pips, I like the theme to Border News though the length of the short bulletin titles last longer than a lot of regions full titles!
Central News East in my opinion always had the worst of the three Central News titles in the late 90s/2000, though I don't mind the current one. Central News South had one of the best of any region in circa 1998 and it was good the way the whole theme lasted about a minute with the intro, titles, headlines and more titles all merging together. The current theme is also ok. Central News West's intro at the moment is a bit short and not particularly here or there with the headlines dominating the start and hardly any actual titles, looking back to 1998 same goes here as I said for Central News South, though I still think South had the best of the three.
Channel Report's theme is remarkably good for such a small channel, the newest version of Grampian North Tonight I've got on my computer is from 2000 and is a bit dull and traditional, I don't know if they've changed it since. Granada Reports is ok though I also liked the theme used on Granada Tonight before the relaunch, though their best in my opinion was the 1992 look. I don't like either version of HTV News.
I like London Tonight's theme and the 1993 version, Meridian Tonight is ok, particularly the booming voice at the start, the middle bit of theme is a bit 90s I think. Tyne Tees have probably got the best theme they've had since North East Tonight started and finally when you've heard the theme to Westcountry Lunchtime Live, the Westcountry Live theme always sounds dull. The previous theme they had was ok but did sound very sterotypically regional news style
I adore the Westcountry Live titles and music... it just adds to the holiday for me when I am down there. Central News East has cool music too. Same with Meridian News.
I also love the Border News music but the titles are trash (different pictures running across the screen, how original. same with Channel News. and Granada News) And those leather chairs they have on Border News look so odd.
Worst has to be Anglia News or Central News South. Scotland Today music is cool but there isn't enough of it as there are virtually no titles. same with UTV.
I like the new Grampian News titles and music much better than the last lot. The only Granada News titles I've ever liked has been the ones with the compass roming over the map of the region.
HTV Wales intro is better than how it used to look but I prefer HTV West (sorry ITV1 West of England).
Always loved the Calendar music and the new studio is delicious. Tyne Tees... hmm.
I don't like what my own Central News West region has now although I do love our VR studio.
think that's all. Oh, and London... pass.
The BBC ones are cool and South Today's studio is the best. Newsline has great music.
Calendar, always, and probably will carry on doing so, thrash Look North in the ratings. When you consider the enormous amount of resources poured into the programme, you can see why (six area offices, four camera crews in Leeds alone, multiple local news agents together with a permanent news centre on Kirkstall Road, no stuffy newsroom here you know!)
The theme is catchy and titles are both colourful and informative. The presenter line up is excellent (no Christa Ackroyd, for a start) and Duncan has come on leaps and bounds - an excellent choice, comfortable with the viewers and knowledgeable.
Prehaps those of you who disagree would like to take a look at the BBC offering. It rambles for about six minutes of news, no local split (OK so Hull now has it's own programme, but surely it doesn't need 30 minutes?) and then twenty two minutes of pap. Harry Gration is a consumate professional but as for the female, she is a pain and an instant turn off. I never liked her on Calendar (bring on Marilyn Webb).
The BBC likes to think it is THE news organisation, it's not. The ITV companies at local level do it much better.
Excuse me, but it's the other way round; Look North is
slaughtering
Calendar in the ratings...... and with TWO full half-hour shows instead of one (eliminating the need for bitty sub-opts), it's got stacks more localised news, along with all the other things the BBC does for this area such as the BBC Buses (North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire) getting into every nook and cranny of the region, the 'Where I live' websites, the 'Voices' projects and more besides, the BBC is miles ahead of YTV! And do we include in area offices the BBC local radio stations for the area and their satellite offices around the area? Regarding the 'stuffy' newsroom, good God, I wouldn't expect them to plough loads of cash into making a large newsroom if their home in Hull is only an interim home until Queen's Gardens opens later this year! For what it is, the Hull show is a fantastic programme doing a brilliant job!!
And as far as ratings go across all regions, I believe that it is only in one region that ITV is beating the BBC; that of North East Tonight/Look North Newcastle. BBC Look East I know for a FACT is beating Anglia News!! I find your assertion that ITV does it better at a local level rather odd and at times, poorly researched and deluded.
Oh don't be preposterous, Katherine. We all know you'd love Calendar if Paul Hudson was on it. I think Christa Ackroyd is vile and an instant turn-off for me. The whole of Look North is poor and pales in comparison to the professionalism and sheer watchability of Calendar.
