ITV’s News Blackout And The Death Of Local Journalism
YESTERDAY the TV watchdogs announced they are to allow ITV to slash it’s news coverage in the regions (as Anorak told you it would three days ago).
ITV was once a collection of independent TV stations round and about Britain..but financially and inextricably linked more and more. They are hard pressed as TV ad men diversify and put less money into a rapidly burgeoning airwaves pot. Cutting the expensive local news teams is the accountancy solution.
It should be a matter of deep concern this is being allowed. The coverage so far has been that of stricken viewers bemoaning the lack of local and regional news which this is likely to cause. There should be huge alarm at the real end result.
These regional news stations were the breeding grounds of some of the UK’s finest journalists, the ones prepared to stand up to biting ferrets (the late, lamented, Richard Whitely), Bristol’s Andrew Harvey (first a newspaper man then BBC regional TV news and then BBC One anchorman for more than a short while before joining ITV), the rabid taffs, like radio and TV’s John Humphries, and others who cut their teeth in the regions.
The ones prepared to carry on the role of advocacy for those unable to fight for themselves and give their all to frame and explain political issues albeit for a fat fee-cheque these days.
Even the ubiquitous Sir Trevor MacDonald started at the Trinidad bottom before his steady West Indian stride to the crease to bat against London’s politicians and Square Mile businessmen onto the Olympian heights, and a Knighthood.
I seem to remember his bottom enjoying a brief stay at Tyne Tees Television before joining ITN. Tyne Tees had a worthy, even hardy, working newsroom once staffed with gay (old usage) abandon.
It is likely to be one of the areas slashed since there’s another good news team down the road apiece, at Leeds, which is already turning out sub-regional reports via the Calendar programme.
It will eventually be very serious for the national news stations…they have always poached the good staff and rarely train cubs from scratch to become the lions and lionesses of Newsnight et al.
I predict it will be watch this space…or rather watch this blank poorly-trained waste of space…before too long.
Posted: 30th, September 2008 | In: TV & Radio Comments (12) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
September 30th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Saul:
Small world. I won’t ask the obvious question, modesty forbids.
Peter was the arch-exponent of the single camera job.
He would do the piece and right there and then would have the camera shoot him doing a series of nods to the camera. He would later splice them in so they had a single film which looks as though it had continuity..that is, Peter nodding interestedly as the interviewee’s voice carried on. You can still see the technique being used when weekend coverage freelancers get a go. That will also become a thing of the past. Jobs will be so scarce, staffers will happily work weekends in future.
The curse I carry is I can never watch the Churchill Insurance dog ads without thinking of Peter Holland. Sad but true.
..and that Roger Thame bloke…he’s gone and misplaced all his hair… I saw him, still broadcasting, while on a brief visit to the region four weeks ago.
Whey Hey!!
I’m getting to be an old timer. People are asking: Do you remember? They hang on my words. A charming old fogey character.
Could you pass the plastic bag and elastic bands?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Well, come on, don’t just leave us hanging here!
What’s the dirt?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
According to Anorak’s clock you resisted for a whole minute!
Now that’s what I call willpower.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Sorry, yes Peter. Many moons ago he went out with one of my ex wifes mates.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Also Roger Thames, dyed in the wool Mackem.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Do you mean Peter Holland? and I should have replied “I’m not that sort of guy” but resisted until now.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Did you ever come across a guy called Mike Holland?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Saul:
I knew Mike Neville, ITV, BBC and then ITV once more.
I sometimes worked with Mike Neville.
I also knew and liked George House.
But I thank the stars I was never driven home from the pub by Mike Neville (Tyneside in-joke)
Mike Neville was no journalist…he started by treading the boards but he was the best and most popular TV linkman and newscaster I ever saw.
He and George were the BBC’s Wilson and Kepple to Tyne Tees TVs Weather Celeb. Wincy Willis’s Betty.
Sadly Mike’s Geordie Bon Homme didn’t transplant well into the National TV scene.
Unlike one Frank Bough who started off as a management trainee at ICI Billingham and was also not a trained journalist…he did rather well until his penchants for cocaine and wearing ladies’ underwear at odd times became prominent news item in their own right.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Mike Neville rules KO.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am
A serious sign of the times though Saul, all the newscasters reporters are all of a maturer age and as pointed out in an email from this threads author:
Ta but you need to gloat and say we beat the beeb’s coverage of the actual job cuts by predicting them three days before.
It really will knack the national news rooms about three years down the line. The Holmes and the Humphries will be fading off screens around then and we have NO newly trained interviewers coming on stream.
There are no notable hard-punchers around and why?
Answers on a postcard please:
New age Math and literacy for starters….yup they are all Thatcher, Major and Blair’s Children now.
Perhaps in time the news slots will be ‘Heat’ and’ OK’ owned and cellulite will be all?
September 30th, 2008 at 10:59 am
That’s a bugger. Where will I get the giant Marrow and Leek results now?
September 30th, 2008 at 10:56 am
You should have opened a book ! and been 699b quids in?