Not from the UK here, but I still like how ITV was back in the previous decades. Compiled of regional channels, each having its own logo and unique identity (e.g Thames Television, Grampian, Anglia, etc.) thus making it variative.
my favorite quote of 2004 (when all this started) was Charles Allen saying "The merger means better and stonger local output, More regional news time and a better brand for the regions."
@@glassowlieDigital TV is simply just TV presented digitally not via analoge. You can still get seperate regions like news programming. Never say never!
I still miss the old federal system where ITV was truly local in between networked prime time programming. From the in-vision continuity announcers, the evening regional news or magazine programmes, charity slots, birthday announcements, public information programmes and programmes that just showcased their regions and local cultures and customs.
The old style ITV worked very well for over 40 years and always made money as well as decent programmes. Now all they seem to make are reality shows and soaps. Any sort of intelligent or alternative programming has been ditched in favour of braindead rubbish aimed at morons.
Aww Fred Dineage! Glad he's still around! I liked him on How " and havent seen him since. Now thats a show that ought to return, as well as regional identity.
Fred has worked for just about most of the ITV regions; in the 70s & 80s he was a deputy presenter on World of Sport', which on Saturday was compiled by LWT & on a Bank holiday ; Thames TV at Euston road! ) Gambit ( quiz game) Anglia, Sport for HTW west, Yorkshire & schools programmes Tyne Tees, 'How' Southern, TVS & latterly STV.. He's a great presenter, with plenty of wit!
So ITV says to the government 'Without giving us 40 million quid we are cutting back drastically local news'! Sounds like blackmail to me! One of the main reasons why ITV was created was to provide local news and cater to regional UK identity. If ITV is unable to do this because they are broke then they should hand back one of their digital channels to the government to be provided for proper regional tv providers,maybe to be run by local newspaper companies.
Advertising revenue is down because people aren't watching the shit programmes that ITV airs, so the ads get missed as well! Remember when Coronation St. used to be on once a week, and got around 20million viewers per episode?
I wholeheartedly agree. If they cannot commit to regional programming, then STRIP THEIR LICENCE. ITV Wales are still clinging on and provide a small amount of regional programming each week, albeit on a very tight budget; they even try to keep a little regional identity on idents! If they want to boost Ads revenue, then surely REGIONAL programming will encourage REGIONAL advertisers? These mergers were planned for years ago (maybe even as far back as 2003) but assiduously denied - HA
The people at the top of OFCOM who allowed this travesty - which has been at least partially reversed now, even under the coalition- should be both ashamed of themselves, and never allowed to work in a job with responsibility again! Corruption? Backhanders?? You might think this - I couldn't possibly comment!
Or people in Crewe hearing about what's happening in Lancaster... Oh wait, that happens. Face it Oxford, you're on the River Thames, you're close to London, you're Dahn Sahf.
Yet ITV has had its best ever year for advertising revenue…the local ITV companies were a real strength for regional identity and news and it was an act of vandalism that they were destroyed.
Haha, here here. Seriously though, people are moaning because news in different parts of Devon were merged. Calendar covers all the way from Whitby to North Norfolk fgs.
@@petermasefield8403 M "In Tavistock today, a man was found to be driving ten times over the limit after drinking his entire stock of homebrew cider. Meanwhile, Farmer Jack Smith of Honiton has pleaded guilty to Exeter magistrates of hoarding old guns "for the greater good", while in Crediton, a bigamy case involving a man, his sister and a sheep...." The news is different all over.
@@petermasefield8403 It wasn't about different parts of Devon. The "Region" covered 240 miles from the Isles of Scilly to Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. That's 40 miles further from Northallerton to London. You Northerners know F All about the South West or Just how big it is. A damn sight bigger than your so called wonderful t' Yorksher you can't stop boasting about. People only boast where there is actually nothing. Like the space in yer 'ed.
ITV have buggered up Meridain Tonight, the news isnt so local ( Is Buckinghamshire local to Hampshire) so much for local news prefer BBC now Bring Back TVS or Southern
ITC and IBA merged to form OFCOM, so we need break OFCOM, get rid of ITC and bring back IBA (also replace Carlton by another company other than Thames)
The ITC was another toothless regulator set up in the aftermath of the Broadcasting Act. Far better to bring back the IBA. They had real clout and had no qualms in telling a franchisee that they needed to get their act together or be booted out. Far better to have a "beauty contest" than to rely mainly on money paid for the contract. I think the enti reason that ItV is in this current state is because it the larger franchisees have been allowed to swallow up the smaller ones, and that's alwa
well Ofcom are now saying that with the new digital signal in certain areas there could be a chance for smaller companies to be set up, and make local tv, which if this is the case then this is great, stuff ITV they dont care about us so we can stuff them, , also if anyone one wants to voice their opinion and you have access to Facebook Join the BRING BACK REGIONAL ITV, there loads of us all talking about what we can do, join in and take part!!
@radiodarkhorse Well said, maybe they'll insist on ITV1 West from Bristol and ITV1 South West from Plymouth. Also maybe they'll insist on more relays getting full Freeview, e.g. Poole, Weymouth, Bath which I read somewhere a few years ago would get all 6 MUXs but ended up getting just 3.
I agree. If ITV Cant commit to there commitments which are Local news, Local Programming then they hsould have there license stripped and it should be given to another company. ITV westcountry ive grown up with. I remember TSW and Gus Honeybun as well! Is a JOKE! The local news was/is the only thing ITV Does really well and the only thing i actually like to watch in ITV. On the whole there programmes now are poorly made. Celeb obessed and 3 months of X-Factor which says it all for me
Passive consumerism doesn't help; we are all complaining about this, yet many of us will CONTINUE to watch ITV and patronise its mindless drivel, such as the lovely X-Factor. Unless the public vote with their feet (or in this case, finger), then ITV will do pretty much what it wants - as any other giant corporate monopoly.
@Glenn1967ful When I was a kid I remember ITV had factual programmes including Weekend World, World In Action, TV Eye. Also Sunday lunchtime they had regional farming programmes. HTV and TSW had regional farming programmes made in the region. What happened to all these said programmes?
+James Tilsley ITV PLC DIED a few weeks ago when they had Nigel Farage. It's Anglia, Border, Central, Thames/LWT, Yorkshire, Granada, HTV West/Wales, TVS, TSW, Channel, UTV, STV & Tyne Tees and TVAM.