Merry Christmas 2007 to my Vistors & enjoy Hogmanay!!
The idea of dual branding has gone. In England, that
is, there is no regional name on screen for whole of that day. The only
brand to be seen before programmes is that of "ITV1". This year
the "personality" idents have spread to my home Nation -
Scotland, of course this means there is now no escape from them wherever
you are in the UK - but I hope like many Scots, that this
will change back!!
It's not only the images that are the same
in England, so are the announcements. The only voices you'll hear
originate in London, just like with BBC One and BBC Two, but at
least we still have our own BBC Scotland. All of this has taken place
despite assurances by :
Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary for Labour
Government, said that ITV's regional identities were safe.
Still, you can trust politicians, NOT !
In her speech to BAFTA Awards in June 2002, The Culture
Minister, Tessa Jowell, said: "There has been speculation that ITV companies, on a
course as they are for ever-more consolidation, will move away from their
regional identities and their regional commitments... Let me take this
opportunity to stress how inaccurate those views are... Regional
character matters. We will look to Ofcom to defend it with vigour." Click
here for the Full Text
Took by me from
the Series "Island" of which was
Commissioned By ITV Network
The Series
"Island" commissioned for the ITV Network - took by me from
Promotional Video Tape
The Question in many a minds in
the UK is, are we seeing the End of Regional ITV ?
The
Communications Billis currently going through Parliamentary process
and is due to become law by the end of 2003. OFCOM the new regulatory body
responsible for broadcasting will be, replacing both the Independent
Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission. It is
widely believed within the progressive movement that OFCOM will have far
fewer powers and reluctant to interfere in the new directions broadcasters
are planning.
Ident took today by me, Richard (3/6/2003 11.30am)
More protection for regional TV is needed in new legislation.
Viewers are worried that the future of programme production from the ITV
regional bases hangs in the balance unless stronger regulation is written
in to the Communications Bill.
We must demand commitments in the Bill to "substantial and
significant" regional production and regional programming quotas.
The strong heritage of ITV regional production is in decline and under
further threat from the loosening of ownership regulations and the
merger of Granada and Carlton.
MPs with ITV regional bases in their constituencies outside London and
Manchester must be warned that without amendment, the Bill will cause job
losses in their areas and the disappearance of their region from our
screens.
Already four franchises made no programmes at all for the network in
2000. Tyne Tees's output has suffered a catastrophic 94% collapse from 92
hours in 1994 to just six in 2000. Yorkshire shrank from 204 hours
production down to 156 in the same period.
And Scottish TV's network output fell from 225 hours in 1994 to 136 in
2000: so Scottish programming for ITV is now just 7%.
We must urge Parliament not to change the existing 25% quota
arrangements under which independent producers supply up to 25% of
programmes for ITV and BBC. This has served the sector and the viewers well.
We must oppose the lifting of the bar on non-EU ownership of ITV
companies. It is worth pointing out that, we are now faced with the
prospect of American media corporations buying their way into British TV,
unloading their programme stocks at the expense of domestic production and
remitting profits to the USA rather that reinvesting them in the UK. We
note that UK companies are not allowed by law to do likewise in the United
States. This is a completely pointless liberalisation of UK regulations for
its own sake.
We must be opposed to the so-called 'light touch' self-regulatory
approach in the Bill.
History of Logie
Baird - Pioneer in 
