UTV Escapes ITV News Cutbacks

News operations at Ulster Television are to be saved from widespread cut-backs by the national broadcaster ITV.

Neither UTV or its Scottish equivalent, STV are to be hit by the £40m cost-savings initiated by ITV.

Both UTV and STV are independent companies and are not affected by the decision.

However, the national news programmer has softened the blow, and agreed a compromise over plans that were originally to have led to the closure of many of its regionally-based news services.

ITV's Executive Chairman Michael Grade said last year that the broadcaster would merge several regional news areas, but this week the broadcaster has backtracked on the proposal and will instead move to downgrade the news services offered by some of the regions - instead of abolishing them altogether.

The original plan, to save £40m - by reducing ITV's number of regional newsrooms from 17 to nine - has been met with opposition from unions, MPs and campaigners.

Now, while it will still go ahead, many of the old areas that would have disappeared under the plans will live on in 'sub-regions'.

ITV plans to restructure its 6pm regional news bulletins so that the new sub-regions will have a six minute opt-out at 6:05pm as part of the nine main regional programmes: Meridian, London, South West, Central, North of England/South of Scotland (encompassing the former Tyne Tees and Border areas), Anglia, Yorkshire, Wales and Granada.

However, some 18 sub-regions are areas that were previously served by distinct 'stand-alone' 6pm bulletins, such as the southern portion of the Meridian region and Cumbria.

But, in a further softening of the blow, the broadcaster has indicated that each sub-region would also get airtime after News At Ten, and that bulletins could be re-extended when necessary.

Trade union, BECTU is however, strongly critical of ITV’s revised proposal for regional news.

They said this is an attempt to fend off widespread condemnation from the viewing public, MPs and others and point out that, as the new proposal makes clear, ITV still wish to save around £40 million from a budget of £100 million.

Assistant General Secretary Luke Crawley said: “ITV still intend to make savage cuts of 40% in the budget for regional news so we do not believe this revised proposal will work any better than the first one.

"Regional viewers are being palmed off with a sub–standard news service. This latest proposal cuts the cake into finer slices but the fact is there is not enough cake.”

BECTU continues to criticise ITV for running away from its public service obligations to make regional news programme, having lobbied MPs and OFCOM on the issue and putting forward counter–proposals for funding regional news including an increase in the number of minutes of advertising during regional news programmes or a levy on other commercial broadcasters who choose not to make or transmit regional or public service programmes.

(BMcC/KMcA)