20th November 2024
Dear Readers
I watched BBC1 North West Tonight again this evening, Wednesday 20th November. It is very clear that BBC1 North West Tonight has retreated to it’s South Lancastrian and Merseyside confines again. Indeed, the last few programes have even limited coverage of Lancashire, let alone anything of Cumbria. ITV1 Granada Reports continues with the totally Manchester- Merseyside dominated coverage it has always had.
In no way does this serve communities north of Preston, who get little local news. Folk living in northern Lancashire and South Cumbria continue to have their Northern pride hurt by being told about what is happening an hours’ drive south of them, never what is happening in their area let alone anything significant northwards of them. Broadcasters tell these viewers it’s their local news, and that there’s nothing better.
Mainstream NW England Regional TV broadcasts will not change
This evening, BBC1 North West Tonight covered the failed appeal of the killer of nine year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel (Merseyside), an up- and- coming Steps musical in Manchester, and wrangling about Northern Rail with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Merseyside Mayor Steve Rotherham featuring. All these were featured on ITV1 Granada Reports too.
Neither broadcaster covered farms in Cumbria, villages in Lancashire, or the mystery St. Bees Man whose body was preserved from medieval times. Both BBC NW and ITV Granada fail to get north of Preston for long periods. Regional TV is supposed to be a Public service, informing folk of what is happening locally of interest.
Without more funding for more TV Regions, the northern half of North West England will continue to be sidelined. It’s worth noting too that BBC1 Look North (NE/ Cumbria) had no coverage of Cumbria for the northern two-thirds of the county that receive this programming. Thus, an entire area home to over one million inhabitants received no geographic- appropriate news from the BBC this evening. Unfortunately this is not going to change when the BBC allocates limited resources to Regional TV, whilst ITV.Plc is privately-funded.
Regional TV in North West England needs more money for more TV Regions
Viewers who live north of Preston, but who are just a bit too far south to receive ITV1 Border Lookaround with it’s excellent coverage of Cumbria continue to get the thin end of the wedge with regards Regional TV that serves their needs. Of course folk living in Morecambe, Kirkby Lonsdale and Ulverston can write in and complain to broadcasters. However, but broadcasters will never prioritise the needs of one million folk living in northern Lancashire and South Cumbria over the five million who live in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire!
Regional TV needs more money. It will take political involvement and community campaigning for Cumbria, northern Lancashire and the Isle of Man to get their own BBC TV Region. The TV License was set up to fund BBC output because it is meant to pay for local and national news, documentaries and relevant topics that serve viewers. The BBC is meant to be funded differently to provide a Public Service that would not happen just with market forces. That is what a Public Service is defined as!
The Market may Step in, but Viewers and local MPs will need to play their part
The only way that the BBC will ensure that communities in the large area between Preston and Carlisle receive relevant local news is if it’s in their interests to provide it. The only way that will happen is if BBC bosses are told to spend a minimum (say 20% of their revenue) on Regional TV, and less on repeats of East Enders, and to use the resources to provide more TV Regions providing more localised news. That would need to be backed up by financial penalties if said-services are not provided.
There are some things that require Public money, good Regional TV for all parts of northern Britain is one of them. This might mean a small increase in the TV License to pay for it. In order to ensure that folk are not worse off some Quangoes could be trimmed so that, for instance, VAT on fuel could be cut. A tougher, beefed-up BBC Royal Charter is also necessary to ensure that the BBC provides more local news-coverage. These are policies that would require Government involvement- both locally and nationally.
It may be that a new private North West Regional News– service will appeal to viewers in Lancashire and Cumbria. But essential Public services- and news informing locals of job-opportunities, nice places to visit, and rural issues for rural communities is quite essential to keep folk informed. It’s probably not best to leave this to Market forces, anymore than it is sensible to leave the provision of Bin-collections and Libraries to Market forces. So local communities need to write to their local MPs, so they can bring pressure to bear on broadcasters to make the necessary changes.