21st May 2021 This evening, there was a marathon- runner called Gary McKee who ran a 26.2 mile circuit near his home in Cleator Moor, West Cumbria. He did this every day for 110 successive days to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and the local Hospice at Home West Cumbria. He ended up raisingContinue reading “Cumbrian Viewers of BBC North West Tonight Should have been Made Proud of a Local Hero.”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Geographical Affiliation of Lancastrians Is More Northerly than BBC North West and ITV Granada Care To Admit
May 2021 Dear Readers This article sheds some light on what preferences that folk in central and northern North West England (i.e., in Lancashire and Cumbria) have in the places that they would like to visit on days out, or even move to, given the choice. It blows the lid off assumptions that “People inContinue reading “The Geographical Affiliation of Lancastrians Is More Northerly than BBC North West and ITV Granada Care To Admit”
Viewers of Regional Television in South Cumbria Don’t Get the Cumbria- focussed Regional News
May 2021 Dear Readers If you live on the Furness Peninsula, just south and south-west of Kendal or near the Duddon estuary you have a choice of two main Regional Television News- services. One of them is BBC1 North West Tonight and the other is ITV1 Granada Reports. Neither serve these areas of South CumbriaContinue reading “Viewers of Regional Television in South Cumbria Don’t Get the Cumbria- focussed Regional News”
Wanted: A North West Regional News- Service that majors on Lancashire and Cumbria
30th April 2021 Updated 26th July 2021 Dear Readers Again, over the last week neither ITV 1 Granada Reports nor BBC 1 North West Tonight have touched on Cumbria. Although BBC North West does cover Lancashire and south Cumbria better than ITV 1 Granada, neither can be said to cover Lancashire and Cumbria well. And,Continue reading “Wanted: A North West Regional News- Service that majors on Lancashire and Cumbria”
Persistence of Manchester- Liverpool bias in North West Regional TV shows need for Reform.
17th April 2021 Dear Readers The tragic and sad death of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh was covered on BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports: On BBC North West Tonight there were with highlights of the places that he and Her Majesty the Queen visited over the years. Included in coverageContinue reading “Persistence of Manchester- Liverpool bias in North West Regional TV shows need for Reform.”
BACK TO BASICS: DOES REGIONAL TELEVISION SERVE NORTH CUMBRIA AS IT SHOULD?
March 2021 Updated 3rd June 2021 Dear Readers In a recent post, I posed the question: What Purpose is Regional Television supposed to serve in relation to communities across the English North West? I then explained that Regional Television is supposed to provide news that is much closer to (and relevant to) local communities, toContinue reading “BACK TO BASICS: DOES REGIONAL TELEVISION SERVE NORTH CUMBRIA AS IT SHOULD?”
BBC NORTHWEST TONIGHT HAD A FIVE- MINUTE REPORT ABOUT WEST CUMBRIA LAST WEEK
22nd February 2021 Dear Readers Last Wednesday (17th February) BBC North West Tonight ran a five- minute report on their main bulletin about the Whitehaven area in West Cumbria in connection with the new coal- mine to be built in the area: Cumbria County Council HAD previously given planning approval for the UK’s first coal-Continue reading “BBC NORTHWEST TONIGHT HAD A FIVE- MINUTE REPORT ABOUT WEST CUMBRIA LAST WEEK”
Both BBC North West and ITV Granada are Just South Lancastria/ Cheshire this weekend
17th January 2021 Dear Readers Sometimes, BBC North West and ITV1 Granada close ranks in a way to provide a harsh reality check for those who live in the North of the transmission areas of both the North West Regional Television transmission regions- i.e. for those who live north of Preston: BBC North West Tonight’sContinue reading “Both BBC North West and ITV Granada are Just South Lancastria/ Cheshire this weekend”
Carlisle and Eden District in Cumbria excluded from list of areas with very high Covid rates in North West England on BBC North West Tonight.
12th January 2021 Dear Readers Of the two main Regional Television News services for North West England, BBC North West Tonight covers Lancashire and South Cumbria better than ITV Granada Reports- ITV Granada appeared to have it’s first news- item concerning Cumbria for a month the other day. However, when it comes to northern Cumbria,Continue reading “Carlisle and Eden District in Cumbria excluded from list of areas with very high Covid rates in North West England on BBC North West Tonight.”
Back to Basics: What Purpose is Regional Television supposed to serve?
10th January 2021 Dear Readers First of all, a Happy new Year to all readers of this Website and viewers of Regional Television, whether you live in Cumbria, Lancashire or the Isle of Man. May this year, 2021, indeed be a much happier and enjoyable one than the year of restrictions, lockdown and fears aboutContinue reading “Back to Basics: What Purpose is Regional Television supposed to serve?”
BBC North West Tonight goes back to being Just Lancastria this Week before Christmas
18th December 2020 Dear Readers, IF EVER the viewers of Regional Television in the northern North West of England and on the Isle of Man at all needed a sharp Reality Check as to how much either ITV1 Granada or BBC North West Tonight covers areas of North West England north of Preston they gotContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight goes back to being Just Lancastria this Week before Christmas”
South Cumbrians and North Lancastrians should abandon ITV Granada Reports- as clearly ITV Granada≠ ITV North West!
13th December 2020 Updated 1st June 2021 Dear Readers Viewers in North West England who live anywhere north of Preston should realise that when it comes to Regional News, ITV Granada≠ ITV North West England and that Granada≠ North West. A look through ITV Granada Reports’ Twitter feed (going back through the last 100 postsContinue reading “South Cumbrians and North Lancastrians should abandon ITV Granada Reports- as clearly ITV Granada≠ ITV North West!”
Three Cumbrian news-features on BBC North West Tonight over last two nights- But Not Northern Cumbria
9th December 2020 Dear Readers Tonight Annabel Tiffin featured a young Saxophonist from Ulverston in South Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight. Last night Roger Johnson showed the Grasmere Primary School outdoor Nativity play- with a twist and the death of Mount Everest climber, Doug Scott, who lived in the Lake District was also featuredContinue reading “Three Cumbrian news-features on BBC North West Tonight over last two nights- But Not Northern Cumbria”
Collaboration between ITV Granada Reports and BBC North West Tonight could mean all parts of North West England gaining better local coverage.
2nd December 2020 Dear Readers Both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports cover what are essentially the same transmission areas. Both the two main North West Regional Television News services major on the highly- populated urban areas of Manchester, Liverpool, Salford and surrounding areas but, although BBC North West Tonight covers the NorthContinue reading “Collaboration between ITV Granada Reports and BBC North West Tonight could mean all parts of North West England gaining better local coverage.”
Viewers of Regional Television in North West England like Local news- and Exciting News a bit to the North of them
18th November 2020 Dear Readers A couple of months ago BBC North West posted a news- item about Alton Towers in northern Staffordshire (closed by Covid-19 restrictions) on their Twitter feed. Many tourists with young families who live in Manchester, Liverpool or Cheshire would happily visit Alton Towers for the day- to enjoy the funContinue reading “Viewers of Regional Television in North West England like Local news- and Exciting News a bit to the North of them”
Two news- features about Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight.
13th November 2020 Dear Readers There were TWO news-features about Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight with the outgoing Roger Johnson presenting the programme this evening. The first was a news-item about County Lines drug gangs flooding the streets of Barrow-in-Furness with cocaine and heroin. The second news-feature was about wetlands at a place calledContinue reading “Two news- features about Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight.”
Neither BBC North West Tonight nor ITV Granada have touched Cumbria the last few days. There is a need for Pressure to be Brought to Bear on the North West Television broadcasters.
10th November 2020 Up-dated 16th September 2021 after Government Cabinet re-shuffle Dear Readers BBC North West Tonight is once more having one of it’s “Non-Cumbrian weeks” and ITV Granada has not covered Cumbria for a fortnight. The Isle of Man has also had no coverage and it has all been about Manchester and Liverpool, CheshireContinue reading “Neither BBC North West Tonight nor ITV Granada have touched Cumbria the last few days. There is a need for Pressure to be Brought to Bear on the North West Television broadcasters.”
South Cumbrian and Manx Viewers have a Strategy to Put Pressure on ITV1 Granada and BBC North West to “Up Their Game” for the Northern North West and Isle of Man- or Else!
6th November 2020 Dear Readers, This first week in November was a week that BBC North West Tonight has reverted to Not Covering Cumbria- the only time the county has been mentioned is in Owain Wyn Evans’ Weather-forecast! ITV1 Granada Reports haven’t covered Cumbria either. If ever there was a week to illustrate how poorlyContinue reading “South Cumbrian and Manx Viewers have a Strategy to Put Pressure on ITV1 Granada and BBC North West to “Up Their Game” for the Northern North West and Isle of Man- or Else!”
Even should the Worst Happen in future- and ITV1 Border is mothballed, Cumbrian viewers should be able to find a source of Local Television News
5th November 2020 Updated 15th May 2021 Dear Readers Most of Cumbria today has the option of switching over to the English version of ITV1 Border and to watch the flagship Regional Programme “Lookaround” to get excellent local news- coverage of their county if they don’t like the 85% North East flavoured output from BBCContinue reading “Even should the Worst Happen in future- and ITV1 Border is mothballed, Cumbrian viewers should be able to find a source of Local Television News”
If ITV Border’s future is ever threatened by ITV trying to save money after the Covid-19 Recession, this Website will Fight to Protect ITV Border.
2nd November 2020 Dear Readers This coming week sees all of England destined to return to Lockdown conditions for four more weeks as the British Government seeks to stop Coronavirus cases increasing rapidly resulting in potentially thousands of deaths. Whatever the merits of locking the country down again, there will be a major impact onContinue reading “If ITV Border’s future is ever threatened by ITV trying to save money after the Covid-19 Recession, this Website will Fight to Protect ITV Border.”
BBC North West is better than ITV Granada for viewers in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, but there’s still a long way to go.
30th October 2020 Dear Readers, For the second night in a row this week Annabel Tiffin covered a Cumbrian news- feature on BBC North West Tonight. Last night there was a feature on beavers being re-introduced to Cumbria after an absence of 500 years. Tellingly, the reporter covered the scheme to reintroduce beavers at theContinue reading “BBC North West is better than ITV Granada for viewers in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, but there’s still a long way to go.”
BBC North West and ITV Granada’s coverage remains unacceptable for their northern viewers. Suggested template for BBC North West to cover Cumbria and North Lancs. better.
Dear Readers For the first time since the start of September, ITV Granada finally featured a news- item mentioning Cumbria- Barrow-in-Furness is to receive £25 million to help boost regeneration as part of the Conservative Government’s “Levelling Up” programme and Blackpool is to get £40 million. But South Cumbrian viewers of ITV Granada Reports shouldContinue reading “BBC North West and ITV Granada’s coverage remains unacceptable for their northern viewers. Suggested template for BBC North West to cover Cumbria and North Lancs. better.”
Map-shading and Area-Descriptions show an Intent Not to Cover Northern Cumbria on ITV Granada Reports and BBC North West Tonight.
21st October 2020 Dear Readers Viewers of Regional Television in the North West will understand what areas are deemed acceptable for news-coverage in the main evening bulletins by the map showed on the Weather-forecast at the end or how places are described. On both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada a map of NorthContinue reading “Map-shading and Area-Descriptions show an Intent Not to Cover Northern Cumbria on ITV Granada Reports and BBC North West Tonight.”
Back to No Coverage of Cumbria on both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada
BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) had two pieces of news about South Cumbria over the last two days. Firstly, there is the concern over rising levels of Coronavirus in Barrow in Furness, and this has led to the borough being put under tighter restrictions (Level 2, of the new 3- Tier System of CoronavirusContinue reading “Back to No Coverage of Cumbria on both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada”
If their Twitter Tweets are anything to go by ITV Granada Reports Does Not Cover Cumbria- at all!
14th October 2020 Dear Readers Looking through the last 200 tweets on ITV Granada reports’ Twitter feed is illuminating: Not a single mention of Cumbria, just one concerning Lancaster and just four concerning Blackpool. Yet one Twitter post about Coronavirus concerned the Mayor of Sheffield, another discussed Wales (tourists from Coronavirus hot-spots in England notContinue reading “If their Twitter Tweets are anything to go by ITV Granada Reports Does Not Cover Cumbria- at all!”
Annabel Tiffin on BBC North West Today and Roger Johnson on BBC North West Tonight both covered the North Lakes light plane- crash.
12th October 2020 Dear Readers BBC North West Tonight covered the tragic situation where a pilot died after losing control of his microlight plane crashed in the North Lakes, near Troutbeck and midway between Penrith and Keswick (more can be read on this tragic accident here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-54501995). The fact remains that BBC North West coveredContinue reading “Annabel Tiffin on BBC North West Today and Roger Johnson on BBC North West Tonight both covered the North Lakes light plane- crash.”
ITV Granada Reports doesn’t cover Cumbria. Time for a full-scale move to ITV Border (English version) for the northern North West of England.
11th October 2020 Dear Readers It has been weeks since ITV Granada Reports- which advertises as “Covering the North West” -actually covered anything from Cumbria. Programmers for ITV’s Regional News in North West England seem to forget that 100,000 viewers in the north of their transmission area actually live in Cumbria and (moreover) these areContinue reading “ITV Granada Reports doesn’t cover Cumbria. Time for a full-scale move to ITV Border (English version) for the northern North West of England.”
On BBC North West Tonight Roger Johnson Meets Boris Johnson. And there’s a news-item about West Cumbria!
On Friday (2nd October), I watched BBC North West Tonight. The news-coverage was more like North West Regional news should be like- with news-coverage from Cumbria as well as from Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside. Roger Johnson covered South Cumbria in a report on the proposal for a new super-hospital in Lancashire to (potentially) replace theContinue reading “On BBC North West Tonight Roger Johnson Meets Boris Johnson. And there’s a news-item about West Cumbria!”
ITV Granada off-air, so ITV leaves North West Viewers with ITV Calendar (Yorkshire): Neither Granada or BBC North West Tonight have shown Cumbrian News for weeks.
28th September 2020 Dear Readers Another week is getting off to a not-too-promising start for any mention of Cumbria on either BBC North West Tonight or on ITV Granada Reports. There has now been no coverage of the northern half of North West England on either BBC North West Tonight or ITV Granada Reports forContinue reading “ITV Granada off-air, so ITV leaves North West Viewers with ITV Calendar (Yorkshire): Neither Granada or BBC North West Tonight have shown Cumbrian News for weeks.”
25th Sept. 2020: My E-mail to ITV Granada Reports about their absence of Cumbrian coverage
Dear Readers One of North West England’s flagship Regional News programmes, ITV Granada Reports has not covered anything from Cumbria in three weeks. I have decided to put keyboard to email because this is shocking for folk who live in more northerly parts of North West England- since they are not really getting any localContinue reading “25th Sept. 2020: My E-mail to ITV Granada Reports about their absence of Cumbrian coverage”
Another week. Virtually no Cumbrian coverage on BBC North West Tonight and absolutely none on ITV Granada
Rising Coronavirus cases -and attendant lockdowns affecting Manchester, Liverpool, parts of Cheshire and (mostly) South Lancashire have dominated headlines on BBC North West Tonight. Extensive coverage of the Inquest into the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombings also takes up extensive air-time on both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada. And (Coronavirus restrictions permitting) SportsContinue reading “Another week. Virtually no Cumbrian coverage on BBC North West Tonight and absolutely none on ITV Granada”
Another day, another week with no Cumbrian news whatsoever on BBC North West Tonight.
Roger Johnson was on top form tonight on BBC North West Tonight: There he was in the middle of Preston discussing the new Coronavirus restrictions affecting Lancashire and Merseyside. All of Lancashire, except for Blackpool, are under special enhanced restrictions in addition to the Rule of Six – no more than six people allowed toContinue reading “Another day, another week with no Cumbrian news whatsoever on BBC North West Tonight.”
Cumbria again not getting any coverage on BBC North West Tonight or ITV Granada Reports
Neither of the flagship Regional News programmes for North West England have produced any real coverage of the county of Cumbria during the last week. This is despite features covering Cumbria on BBC Look North including- today- a young child needing to be rescued from the sea off the coast of West Cumbria. This is,Continue reading “Cumbria again not getting any coverage on BBC North West Tonight or ITV Granada Reports”
From 10th April 2018: A method for BBC North West and ITV Granada to improve coverage.
This is an article I originally penned on 10th April 2018. It serves as a timely reminder today that both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada could cover Cumbria and North Lancashire better with some efficient time-management! Dear Readers Both the BBC and ITV Granada in the North West of England can still improveContinue reading “From 10th April 2018: A method for BBC North West and ITV Granada to improve coverage.”
From 3rd May 2018: The Maps displayed by BBC NorthWest Tonight and ITV Granada Reports show a Statement of Intent of the areas they cover!
This is an article I posted on a previous site on 3rd May 2018 Dear Readers, Just yesterday BBC North West Tonight showed a map to illustrate where in the North West local council elections were taking place (see here: https://twitter.com/kevfitz21/status/991668859575955456). The map only extended up to include South Lakeland, one of the few placesContinue reading “From 3rd May 2018: The Maps displayed by BBC NorthWest Tonight and ITV Granada Reports show a Statement of Intent of the areas they cover!”
ITV Granada Reports is shocking for any Cumbrians and North Lancastrians who have no alternative Regional News- Not a mention of Cumbria in over a week!
Granada Reports is ITV’s flagship Regional News programme covering North West England and the Isle of Man. For sure the news-reports are undoubtedly popular in Manchester, Liverpool and other conurbations along the River Mersey (where over 60% of the news reported is within a 30-mile radius of such locations) and viewers there warm to LucyContinue reading “ITV Granada Reports is shocking for any Cumbrians and North Lancastrians who have no alternative Regional News- Not a mention of Cumbria in over a week!”
4th September 2020: BBC North West Tonight. Any hopes of further Cumbrian news- coverage quickly dashed!
True to form BBC North West Tonight lets down it’s viewers who live north of Preston after dangling in front of them the prospect of more consistent news- coverage of Cumbria (i.e. something about Cumbria each night). The last three evenings of the week have yielded nothing about Cumbria! At the same time BBC LookContinue reading “4th September 2020: BBC North West Tonight. Any hopes of further Cumbrian news- coverage quickly dashed!”
BBC North West Tonight. Roger Johnson is excelling himself.
The last few days have seen an improvement in the amount of Regional News- coverage given to the northern half of North West England by BBC North West Tonight. Even the Keswick outlook forecast has come back into Owain Evans weather- forecast! This evening, Roger Johnson had a piece on schools re-opening in Blackpool andContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight. Roger Johnson is excelling himself.”
ITV BORDER COULD BE THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF POOR LOCAL NEWS- COVERAGE IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE RESPECTIVE NORTH-WEST AND NORTH-EAST REGIONS.
There are good reasons why both North Lancashire and Northumberland should be transferred to ITV Border. These rural areas of the northern North West and North East England would get better coverage.
ITV could realise that South Cumbria and Northern Lancashire are not getting much local news from Granada- and shift these areas into ITV Border so that they are better-covered.
ITV is privately run, it’s revenue comes from advertising and some sponsoring of programmes. It also gets some income from ITV Hub- its online advert-free subscription service which it has recently expanded. Viewers pay £3.99 a month to view ITV programmes (including ITV Regional News programmes) online. Being dependent (as it is) on viewers (fromContinue reading “ITV could realise that South Cumbria and Northern Lancashire are not getting much local news from Granada- and shift these areas into ITV Border so that they are better-covered.”
Campaign to Keep the BBC North West Tonight family together.
The BBC are not changing their mind about making savings, so it is important that viewers write to the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport at 100, Parliament Street, Westminster, LONDON. SW1A 2BQ to ensure that DCMS puts pressure on the BBC to change course with regards to any proposed cuts to Regional TelevisionContinue reading “Campaign to Keep the BBC North West Tonight family together.”
A Letter to the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport.
If anyone who lives in Cumbria or in Northumberland does not consider their respective Regional bulletins to be relevant or up to scratch for them, details of The Right Hon. Oliver Dowden and the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport are listed in the above article . Sending emails is a waste of time,Continue reading “A Letter to the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport.”
The Northern Half of North West England is sidelined by the BBC and by ITV Granada
The BBC plan to make more cuts to Regional News programming in England- quite despite the fact that people rely on good local news relevant to their communities and favourite haunts. This is despite the fact that, for many rural areas in Northern England, mainly those areas north of cities, get scant mention (and canContinue reading “The Northern Half of North West England is sidelined by the BBC and by ITV Granada”
Roger Johnson and the new weather forecaster on BBC North West Tonight- and no Cumbria!
19th August 2020 , Updated 19th October 2021 The last few days (17th- 19th August 2020) have seen, once more, an absence of coverage of the northern half of North West England on both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports. On BBC North West Tonight there have been indications of intent NOT toContinue reading “Roger Johnson and the new weather forecaster on BBC North West Tonight- and no Cumbria!”
Regional News Programmes in Scotland and the North of England need a little ICE in them to enhance their “Northern-ness”
LOCHNAGER, THE HIGH CAIRNGORMS IN SUMMER- SNOW PATCHES STILL PERSIST ON THE HIGHEST SLOPES. (Image Courtesy of Con Stock Photo inc (csr601d)) I have made the point in recent posts that viewers of Regional Television in northern parts of Britain (i.e. Scotland, North West and North East England) like their news to cover some placesContinue reading “Regional News Programmes in Scotland and the North of England need a little ICE in them to enhance their “Northern-ness””
Massive sink-hole opens up underneath the A68 in the Scottish Borders. Not the slightest mention on ITV Tyne Tees News or BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria).
Viewers of Regional Television in the northern half of North East England were short- changed by both BBC Look North (North East) and ITV Tyne Tees: Lots of coverage of Tyneside, Sunderland and even Darlington (in southern county Durham) but nothing about a serious incident pertaining to anyone who lives north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne who mightContinue reading “Massive sink-hole opens up underneath the A68 in the Scottish Borders. Not the slightest mention on ITV Tyne Tees News or BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria).”
This week Northumberland has been short-changed on BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) and ITV Tyne Tees.
With the exception of a report about swimmers getting into difficulty on the Northumberland coast and needing to be rescued by Seahouses RNLI (reported on on ITV Tyne Tees) the county has had negligible coverage throughout the week. Both BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) and ITV Tyne Tees covered North Yorkshire fairly extensively thisContinue reading “This week Northumberland has been short-changed on BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) and ITV Tyne Tees.”
Eleanor Morris presented BBC North West Tonight this evening- and finally Cumbria gets covered properly.
Credit where credit is due. Finally, after days without coverage of the county there were three reports about Cumbria in BBC North West Tonight, presented by Eleanor Morris. The swimmer who swam all 13 lakes in the English Lake District was covered, there was a report on the rescue of a little boy who slippedContinue reading “Eleanor Morris presented BBC North West Tonight this evening- and finally Cumbria gets covered properly.”
It is not OK for Cumbria to not get covered at all in North West Regional News bulletins
BBC Look North (Newcastle) featured two pieces about the English Lake District- very much in North West England- on it’s bulletins. The first featured a family group of six people who attempted to cycle from Windermere to Wasdale Head in poor weather- they got lost on the high fells in between and had to beContinue reading “It is not OK for Cumbria to not get covered at all in North West Regional News bulletins”
Please Annabel Tiffin, Can you cover something from Cumbria?
Updated 19th October 2021 Annabel Tiffin presented BBC North West Tonight this evening (3rd August 2020)- and there was nothing about Cumbria or indeed North Lancashire. It is now ten days since BBC North West Tonight (and ITV Granada) produced any news about Cumbria at all. How much longer do the good people of SouthContinue reading “Please Annabel Tiffin, Can you cover something from Cumbria?”