The Sad News for ITV Westcountry 

Not just Westcountry that is the problem. Carlton as well. Actually it's a bigger problem. Michael Green was blocked by the IBA to buy a whole of Thames, and he challenged Thames for the awards. I think Thatcher was in favor of Green and Carlton. Carlton doesn't even produce any show, unlike its weekend counterpart in London. Carlton London is simply an affiliate and a shareholder of the network. Actually, TSW is just the better Westward using the same people. TVS's assets are currently owned by Disney/ABC, which was a shareholder of GMTV.

That sounds very terrible. Although both New Haven and Boston are part of New England, I certainly feel New England is not all about Boston.

2022:RIP STV 196?-2022 (now swallowed up by ITV)

They all thought he’d spread the golden Grade touch and fix ITV. But it didn’t work this time

​@@rtc9063he tried to get doctor who axed in the 80s all because he didn't like it

If you lived in West Country, do you always watch TSW?

@@tadc345fan I was a huge fan of both Westward TV and TSW. The BBC didn't get a look in. I hated Westcountry TV as it was remote and impersonal

What?! Everyone still wants a seperate franchise for the southwest of England. It started with legend Westward, followed by swallower legend TSW, and ended with Westcountry. ITV West Country is a new thing. It's no longer either Westcountry or HTV West.

Like every old tv studio.

Westward was the legend of the southwest. When they lost the franchise to TSW, which supposedly going to be fresh, TSW just swallowed all Westward property and just became a new, full-fledged incarnation of Westward. When TSW got damned by the Broadcasting Act, all hope was lost for the new Westcountry.

but utv and stv still going strong today in 2018

UTV is owned by ITV PLC, however they have wisely IMO taken the decision not to rebrand.

@@castle6742 Not really, did you hear about the axing of STV2 and the loss of 45 jobs?

@@nectarium8760 not for much

@@marianokrause-merkel1840still is

TheGreatOmegaDragon Even prior to the merger, here in Taunton, I always referred to HTV "West" as HTV East and BBC Points West as BBC Points East - news rarely ventured much west of Bath - all those places are east of Taunton, so it's HTV East and Points East!

I started watching STV in the mid-80s and the station was the best of all time from then up until the late 2000s. The station as a whole started to deteriorate around 2007, however It's more shite now and nothing to do with ITV. It seems to me that you are determined to blame ITV nevertheless rather than look at the genuine facts! A bailout or takeover from ITV would be the best option to keep this region on-air, as well as bring back previously culled programmes by STV management. STV2 should never have gone on air or even been thought about either, as a result of viewing figures rapidly declining in recent years.

@@StagecoachMANALX300 A takeover of STV by ITV won't be possible. ITV can't monopolize like the BBC.

@@redtekki Yes it would and it must happen! Poor managerial decisions, financial mismanagement, lack of clarity over servicing of debt, excessive job losses leaving staff at skeletal levels, political posturing and appeasing, silencing independent journalism, viewing figures at an all time low, dependent on inexperienced staff...the list of errors goes on! If STV are to ever return to the good old days then an ITV takeover is the only way.

@@StagecoachMANALX300 The competition agency thingy that regulates ownership of franchises won't allow that. I doubt ITV can monopolize like the BBC, and Channels 4 and 5.

@@StagecoachMANALX300 Also, STV is now the 2 last franchises independent from ITV plc. STV Central, which is the main STV, and STV North, which was Grampian.