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The old idea
of dual branding has gone. In England, at least, there is no regional
name on screen for most of the day. The only brand
to be seen before programmes is that of "ITV1". This year
the "personality" idents have spread to Scotland, which
means there is now no escape from them wherever you are in
the UK - hope the Scots change back!!
It's not only
the images that are the same in England, so are the announcements.
From Plymouth to Newcastle, Dover to Carlisle, the only voices you'll
hear originate in London, just like with BBC One and BBC Two.
This has happened despite assurances by :
Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary
for Labour Government, said that ITV's regional identities
were safe.
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Jowell seeks to dismiss ITV regional fears
By Richard Easson
Wednesday
June 19, 2002
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Tessa Jowell: Obtainting
Confidence of the people by deception
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The culture secretary,
Tessa Jowell, has moved to reassure the TV industry & viewers
that regional production will be protected if foreign companies
take over ITV licences or a single ITV is created.
Regional identities
and commitments would remain intact even if media groups from
abroad buy into the UK market, Ms Jowell said today in a debate
on ITV licence consolidation.
Maintaining regional
identities was important for jobs, national and regional cultures,
she 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," said Ms Jowell.
"There is a view
that government, in allowing non-EU ownership, would encourage
that tendency even further as global players would then import globally
produced programmes into the UK market.
"Let me take this
opportunity to stress how inaccurate those views are. Owners of
Channel 3 licences knew what their regional commitments were when
they took the licences on. Any further buyer will know what they
will be required to do."
MS Jowell outlined
some of the regional broadcasting expectations built into the
draft communications bill. These include public service broadcasters'
obligation to agree regional programming targets with Ofcom.
She added that the
third channel will continue to have regional targets, which "reflect
but build upon Channel 3's current statutory and licence obligations".
Whenever ownership
changes hands, Ofcom will have to publish a review of the licensees'
regional obligations.
Ms Jowell also confirmed
the review of the BBC's charter would begin in 2004 and a decision
had to be in place by 2006.
But she added: "Is
PSB [public service broadcasting] going to be scrapped in the
next three years? No. Has anyone come up with a formula for replacing
the licence fee that would actually work in the circumstances of the
next three years? No"
.... Regional Character
Matters. We will look to OFCOM to defend it with vigour. "
MPs rally round ITV regions
An Early
Day Motion in Parliament is calling for protection
of regional ITV programming.
Tabled by John
Grogan MP, the motion recommends that strong regulation should be
introduced to ensure that ITV provides "substantial" regionally-produced
programmes over a range of genres.
Coming just one
day after the Communications Bill received its second reading in
the House of Commons the Early Day Motion (EDM) is evidence of the
growing concern that the government is planning to water down the public
service obligations of commercial broadcasters.
BECTU has already
condemned the Bill as a weak piece of legislation which could lead
to the destruction of ITV's regional production base, and the end
of serious local programming on the network. John Grogan's EDM also
highlights the dangers of the relaxation of media ownership in the
Bill, which would allow non-European companies to buy Channel 5, and
possibly ITV itself at some time in the future.
Although EDMs
are not put to a vote of MPs, they are a salutory signal to government
about the feelings of backbenchers, and a long list of signatories
would throw doubt on the regulatory clauses of the Communicatons Bill
which is due to be considered by a Commons Standing Committee over the
next few weeks.
Early Day Motion 260 2002/2003
Future
of Regional Independent Television and Commercial Public Service
Broadcasting
That this
House:
Values greatly
the public service broadcasting role of Channel 3, Channel 4 and
Channel 5 and the regional commitment and production of the ITV companies;
urges the Government to ensure that this role and regional production
base are strengthened by the Communications Bill; notes the trend towards
centralisation and concentration of ownership of ITV as demonstrated
by the proposed merger of Granada and Carlton; recommends that the Government
introduces strong regulatory requirements on ITV to provide substantial
high quality and original regional programme production across a broad
range of programme genres and a distinct public service remit for every
Channel 3 service requiring the provision of high quality and diverse programming
which satisfies the tastes and interests of the part of the United Kingdom
for which that service is licensed; supports the granting of independent
status to regional ITV companies when seeking commissions on channels
other than ITV; fears that allowing dominant national newspaper proprietors
to own Channel 5 could destabilise commercial public service broadcasting
and regional production as well as threatening plurality and consequently
supports the conclusion of Lord Puttnam's Joint Scrutiny Committee that
this issue should be referred for consideration to OFCOM.
The Communications Bill in full
text : click here
BECTU Trade
Union briefing Communications Bill: Regional ITV
production
BECTU briefing and proposed amendments
on the UK Communications
Bill: Regional ITV production
Briefing
- Regional programme
production is the defining characteristic of ITV. The advantages
have been enormous:
- Programming
on regional themes and with regional coverage of great interest
to local viewers, as confirmed in audience figures.
- Programming
of excellence produced regionally for a national audience through
the national ITV network.
- Significant
benefits for regional economies in skilled jobs and business opportunities
both directly in television and indirectly in the supporting infrastructure
(confirmed in numerous business studies and summarised in the ITC's
'Television in the Nations and Regions').
- The strong heritage
of ITV regional production is in decline and under further threat:
- As ownership
in ITV has consolidated, we have experienced a slowdown in regional
production, under-investment in regional programming (lower costs
per hour), an annual loss of 2,000 hours of regional opt-out slots,
the withdrawal of some ITV companies from network production, a narrower
range of programme genres produced regionally, the concentration of
commissioning decisions in London, large scale redundancies and some
studio closures.
- The proposed
merger of Granada and Carlton and the Bill's proposed loosening of
ownership regulations provide a potentially huge impetus to centralisation
of production in ITV at the expense of the regions.
- Against this
background, ITV's regional production base will only be secured
by strong regulatory requirements in favour of ITV regional production
on the face of the Bill. The Bill contains clauses on regional programme
production (clause 276), regional programming (clause 277) and – applying
to all public service broadcasters – programming quotas for original
productions (clause 270). These require strengthening.
- The clauses
set no specific minimum level for the original production, regional
production and regional programming quotas but merely a level and
range which is 'appropriate', 'suitable' or 'sufficient' in the view
of OFCOM.
- This is inadequate.
Past experience has indicted that regulators have felt obliged
to modify their views on what is 'appropriate' etc to fit the economic
circumstances of the ITV licence-holders. Given the growing concentration
of ITV ownership, the possibility of American ownership, and the continuing
depression in ITV advertising revenue, the future pressure to lower
the regional and original production requirements is likely to be extreme.
- Furthermore,
the requirements for programme production should apply just as much
to national network programmes produced in the regions as to regional
programming. This will be especially important if ITV evolves further
towards a single ITV company or even a single ITV licence.
- Such requirements
should be on the face of the Bill. Commitments to OFCOM, as suggested
in the ITC Review of Programme Supply, are not in themselves sufficient.
- We therefore
recommend amendments, in line with the spirit of the Joint Committee
on the Draft Bill.
- to replace the
words 'appropriate', 'suitable' and 'sufficient' with 'substantial and significant'
- to require that
this applies to a 'wide' rather than just 'suitable' range of programmes
- to clarify that
regional production requirements apply equally to network and regional
programmes.
- The Government
has indicated its support in principle for maintaining a strong
regional television production base. These amendments are a necessary
minimum step to fulfilling this aim.
Proposed amendments
Clause 270: Original programme production quota
Clause 276: Regional ITV programme production
Clause 277: Regional ITV programming
Clause 270 (1) (a)
page 238, lines 35-6:
DELETE: 'no less than what appears to them to be an
appropriate' and INSERT: 'a substantial and significant'
Clause 276 (1) (a)
page 243, line 17:
DELETE: 'what appears to OFCOM, in the case of that
service, to be suitable' and INSERT: 'a substantial and significant'
Clause 276 (1) (b)
page 243, line 22
DELETE: 'suitable' and INSERT: 'wide'
Clause 276 (1) (c)
page 243 line 24
DELETE: 'what appears to OFCOM to be a suitable' and
INSERT: 'a substantial and significant'
Clause 276 (5)
page 243 after line 42
INSERT: ''programme' means both network and regional
programmes'
Clause 277 (1) (a)
page 244, line 5
DELETE: 'sufficient' and INSERT: 'significant'
Clause 277 (1) (c)
page 244, line 11
DELTE: 'suitable' and INSERT: 'significant'
and equivalent amendments in Clause 277 (2) and 277 (4)
Tony Benn , Pat Phoenix (Elsie
Tanner - Coronation Street) Tony Booth
1985
Picture: Richard Easson
Patrica Phoenix
Married Tony Booth in 1985 & Pat died of Lung Cancer 1986, Tony Benn
bless him went on to become Chesterfield MP untill he retired
at the 2001 General Election
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