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!”
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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?”
A Letter to the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport.
1st August 2020 Updated 19th October 2021 I have penned a letter to the the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport- for the time has come to act and say something on behalf of 200,000 viewers in Cumbria who often don’t get coverage of their county for a week or more onContinue reading “A Letter to the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport.”
That’s another whole week without Cumbria featuring in either BBC North West Tonight or ITV Granada
Watched Annabel Tiffin presenting BBC North West Tonight again this evening. Whilst one cannot state other than that Annabel Tiffin and her colleague Roger Johnson (the main News Presenter) have an excellent rapport with the viewers- and no doubt they bring some warmth and happiness to many elderly folk living alone in these difficult times,Continue reading “That’s another whole week without Cumbria featuring in either BBC North West Tonight or ITV Granada”
BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada: Coverage is Really Not Good Enough for the Northern Half of North West England.
To get an accurate picture of how well the northern two- thirds of North West England are getting covered by Regional Television one has to watch it over a period of time. You get the odd day when two items of news- coverage about Cumbria might be covered in the main evening bulletins followed byContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada: Coverage is Really Not Good Enough for the Northern Half of North West England.”
Both BBC North West Tonight and BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) seem to Neglect their Northern Ends!
Both BBC North West Tonight and BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) failed viewers in the northern halves of their respective transmission areas this evening (27th July), even though the news- presenters (Annabel Tiffin on BBC North West Tonight, Carol Malia on BBC Look North) have a good rapport with their respective audiences. BBC LookContinue reading “Both BBC North West Tonight and BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) seem to Neglect their Northern Ends!”
The need for Region- Specific open General Public Discussion Forums for North West and North East England.
Prior to starting this Website I looked on the Internet for Discussion Forums open to the General Public that were Region- specific rather than subject- specific. I would find things like Cumbria Share – a website for businesses to get together and share their ideas (see here: https://cumbriashare.co.uk/forums), or Cumbria Forum, part of the CumbriaContinue reading “The need for Region- Specific open General Public Discussion Forums for North West and North East England.”
BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) does need to cover rural Northumberland better- and overlap into the Scottish Borders.
This Website highlights the shortage of regional news- coverage of northern parts of North East England on BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) as well as the shortage of coverage of Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada. Carol Malia’s bulletin this evening (22nd July) is a case in point, although rural NorthumberlandContinue reading “BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) does need to cover rural Northumberland better- and overlap into the Scottish Borders.”
21st July 2020: Much better coverage of Cumbria and Lancashire on BBC North West Tonight. Two news- items about Carlisle on ITV Granada’s Twitter feed!
This week sees a big improvement in Regional news- coverage for the northern two- thirds of North West England. Now, I don’t know whether some of the programme- producers are now aware of this Website, but today in particular there were two items of coverage concerning Cumbria and five news- items concerning Lancashire on BBCContinue reading “21st July 2020: Much better coverage of Cumbria and Lancashire on BBC North West Tonight. Two news- items about Carlisle on ITV Granada’s Twitter feed!”
South Cumbria is Definitely in North West England. There should Never Be a situation where BBC North West covers NOTHING from Cumbria for Six Days- but BBC North East covers two South Cumbrian news items (plus a further two Cumbrian items) over a weekend!
This weekend -of 18th/ 19th July 2020 illustrates something very amiss with BBC Regional Television in the North West and North East of England: It is that Cumbria has not been covered at all all weekend on BBC (and nothing about Cumbria has been covered for six days) whilst BBC Look North (North East andContinue reading “South Cumbria is Definitely in North West England. There should Never Be a situation where BBC North West covers NOTHING from Cumbria for Six Days- but BBC North East covers two South Cumbrian news items (plus a further two Cumbrian items) over a weekend!”
Introducing the Localness Onion: Immediate Local and Regionally Local- and its relevance to Regional News.
Up-dated May 2021 This Website provides a constructive critique of BBC and ITV Regional News (as watched) in northern parts of both North West and North East England on the grounds that viewers to not get enough news that is remotely, let alone immediately “Local” to them. The ideal news for a location is oneContinue reading “Introducing the Localness Onion: Immediate Local and Regionally Local- and its relevance to Regional News.”
17th July 2020: Nothing about Cumbria on BBC NorthWest tonight for last four days-no coverage of woman who died after Cleator Moor murder.
If you thought BBC North West Tonight was covering Cumbria a bit more regularly- and it certainly began to seem that way- then another week without any Cumbrian news- coverage on the BBC’s flagship main news-bulletin for North West England comes along to squash any hopes that South Cumbrian and North Lancastrian viewers might haveContinue reading “17th July 2020: Nothing about Cumbria on BBC NorthWest tonight for last four days-no coverage of woman who died after Cleator Moor murder.”
BBC North West Tonight, BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria), ITV Granada and ITV Tyne Tees can improve coverage at the margins of their transmission areas at little extra cost.
15th July 2020 Dear Readers BBC North West Tonight was presented by the excellent Roger Johnson with flamboyant Owain Wyn Evans presenting the weather- forecast. Meanwhile on BBC Look North (NE & Cumbria) Carol Malia presented the news with the seasoned- meteorologist Paul Mooney providing a detailed weather- forecast. The news- presenters and weather- forecastersContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight, BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria), ITV Granada and ITV Tyne Tees can improve coverage at the margins of their transmission areas at little extra cost.”
A large Region of northern Britain covering southern Scotland and rural Northumberland effectively sidelined by the BBC
Viewers of Regional and Local Television in mid and North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders (including the easternmost part of East Lothian- which extends well to the east of Edinburgh) are comprehensively short- changed in the amount of localised coverage that they receive. The Scottish border- and with it the boundaries of different BBC andContinue reading “A large Region of northern Britain covering southern Scotland and rural Northumberland effectively sidelined by the BBC”
13th July 2020. Better coverage of Lancashire and Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight. But fatal Cumbrian road smash very near the transmission boundary should be covered.
There are tentative signs that BBC North West Tonight might be improving coverage of the northern two- thirds of North West England- although one seasoned watcher of BBC North West Tonight will point out that there were similar “false dawns” in the past. Anyway, one should not be churlish! This evening’s main BBC North WestContinue reading “13th July 2020. Better coverage of Lancashire and Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight. But fatal Cumbrian road smash very near the transmission boundary should be covered.”
BBC North West Tonight. Coverage of the rise in Coronavirus cases in Blackburn- but not Cumbria! BBC Look North covers death of Jack Charlton (brother of Sir Bobby Charlton) – no mention of Coronavirus!
The weekend is upon us- and BBC North West does not cover Cumbria- perhaps no surprises there! But whilst they are mentioning that there has been a rise in Coronavirus cases in the Blackburn-with-Darwen Borough Council area (not knocking the coverage of Lancashire, by the way, more is needed), they might have added that CumbriaContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight. Coverage of the rise in Coronavirus cases in Blackburn- but not Cumbria! BBC Look North covers death of Jack Charlton (brother of Sir Bobby Charlton) – no mention of Coronavirus!”
9th July 2020: Better coverage across much more of North West England on BBC North West Tonight.
When BBC North West Tonight shows signs (and intent) towards improving news- coverage across the northern two- thirds of North West England it is good to point this out. Tonight’s Regional Bulletin (with the wonderful Annabel Tiffin) is a case in-point: Out of ten big news stories there were two about Cumbria (and part ofContinue reading “9th July 2020: Better coverage across much more of North West England on BBC North West Tonight.”
If you live in Lancashire, Cumbria, the Isle of Man- or Northumberland and watch Regional Television- Your Views and Feedback are Welcome
I would like to take this opportunity to remind anyone who visits this Website who lives either in the northern two- thirds of North West England, the Isle of Man or indeed Northumberland to share their views on the BBC and ITV Regional Television where they live: Is the Local News where you live reallyContinue reading “If you live in Lancashire, Cumbria, the Isle of Man- or Northumberland and watch Regional Television- Your Views and Feedback are Welcome”
Campaign to Keep the BBC North West Tonight family together.
In my last post (here: https://northwestisnorthwest.org/2020/07/05/the-bbc-should-not-be-cutting-north-west-tonights-excellent-news-presenters-and-weather-presenter-to-save-money/ ) I explained that the BBC intends to find £125 million in savings each year. Regional Television looks set to bear some of these cuts. In particular, where more than one News- Presenter presents the Regional News, there is a high likelihood that one of the Presenters will faceContinue reading “Campaign to Keep the BBC North West Tonight family together.”
The BBC Should Not Be Cutting North West Tonight’s excellent News- Presenters and Weather Presenter to save money
The Coronavirus Pandemic (and associated Lockdown) has hit the BBC hard and it has to find £125 million of savings this year. So, what does it do? The BBC plans to focus on Regional Television, which provides a vital Regional and Local service to folk across the country to make savings of £25 million byContinue reading “The BBC Should Not Be Cutting North West Tonight’s excellent News- Presenters and Weather Presenter to save money”
Distances and Travel Times between Cumbria/ North Lancashire and major centres in the North West, North East of England and also southern Scotland: Relevant to Regional Television.
DEFINING WHAT IS LOCAL TO A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY A few basic facts establish whether a location in Cumbria or North Lancashire should be receiving BBC (and/ or ITV) Regional output from the North West, the North East of England- or whether really it should be part of a new Television Region. The first is theContinue reading “Distances and Travel Times between Cumbria/ North Lancashire and major centres in the North West, North East of England and also southern Scotland: Relevant to Regional Television.”
BBC North West Tonight just proved to themselves that Covering Cumbria Can Be Done- whilst keeping everyone else happy
BBC North West Tonight had a first yesterday (30th June 2020). Whilst Roger Johnson devoted the whole of the main programme marking 100 days since the start of the Coronavirus Lockdown- and the impact that this has had across the North West, Steven Saul (a BBC North West programmer) and Andy McLannahan, BBC North West’sContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight just proved to themselves that Covering Cumbria Can Be Done- whilst keeping everyone else happy”
North East England is North East England- and BBC Look North and ITV Tyne Tees must cover Northumberland more.
Readers of this Website- dedicated to campaigning for better Regional News coverage for the northern two-thirds of North West England- might be interested to know that there will be articles covering the forgotten northern corners of North East England too. This is the first one devoted to pointing out the deficiencies of Regional news coverageContinue reading “North East England is North East England- and BBC Look North and ITV Tyne Tees must cover Northumberland more.”
Writing to BBC North West and ITV Granada about Regional News coverage of Lancashire and Cumbria
Updated 24th August 2023 Dear Readers, As you may now know, this Site is a Critique of Regional Television in North West England, with particular regard to the northern three-quarters of the Region: In other words it is that part of the North West of England and the Isle of Man that is north ofContinue reading “Writing to BBC North West and ITV Granada about Regional News coverage of Lancashire and Cumbria”
Carlisle and northern Cumbria do not benefit greatly from BBC Regional output
Dear Readers Viewers of Regional television in northern and West Cumbria get their Regional News- services from BBC (North East/ Cumbria), which comes from Newcastle upon Tyne and from ITV Border (English version). ITV Border, which produces a Scottish flavoured programme (from an opt-out on the Scottish side of the border) and a Cumbrian- flavouredContinue reading “Carlisle and northern Cumbria do not benefit greatly from BBC Regional output”
Liverpool Football Club Win the Premier League for first time in thirty years- and North West Tonight covers little else!
For anyone living in the northern two-thirds of the English North West Liverpool Football Club’s historic win (the first time they won the Premier League in thirty years) was perhaps a very happy occasion for any that supported the team…but predictably for the rest of the viewers of BBC North West Tonight was certain toContinue reading “Liverpool Football Club Win the Premier League for first time in thirty years- and North West Tonight covers little else!”
The BBC should INCREASE resources for Regional Television in the North West of England, NOT Cut it!
An article in the Liverpool Echo (dated 5th May 2020) reports that the BBC, citing the tough Economic climate, plans to mothball two of its bases in Lancashire from where reporters and editors edit news- items to report on the north of the BBC North West Region. This article can be found here: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/bbc-close-offices-north-west-18202450. TheContinue reading “The BBC should INCREASE resources for Regional Television in the North West of England, NOT Cut it!”
25th June: North West Tonight again had no coverage north of Wigan- except the man arrested for road-killing in Dalton-in-Furness.
“That’s Yer Lot!” is something I was told when I was a child if my parents thought I was being greedy. I am sure it it something many parents have told their glutinous offspring in this country through the generations. It also perfectly sums up the apparent attitude of BBC North West Tonight’s Programmers andContinue reading “25th June: North West Tonight again had no coverage north of Wigan- except the man arrested for road-killing in Dalton-in-Furness.”
A new BBC North West Region for Lancashire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man
On 27th September 2004 a new BBC Region, BBC Look North (East Yorkshire/ Lincolnshire) with their broadcasting centre based in Hull was born. This new BBC Region was transmitted to East Yorkshire, parts of North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and it catered for a potential 1.5 million viewers. This new BBC Region, whose viewers previously receivedContinue reading “A new BBC North West Region for Lancashire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man”
Television Regions with Hard Transmission Borders and Viewers on the Edge
BBC and ITV Regional Television in the North of England, particularly in the North West and- to a lesser extent- in the North East of England do not seem to like covering any news on their programmes- other than that which occurs within the areas where viewers can see the respective Regional programmes. These HardContinue reading “Television Regions with Hard Transmission Borders and Viewers on the Edge”
It takes a huge tragedy to get Cumbrian coverage on BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada
There were two separate tragedies in North West England over the weekend of 20th/ 21st June 2020. The first incident was a shooting at an illegal rave in the Moss Side area of Manchester in the early hours of Sunday morning. Two men sadly lost their lives as a result of the shooting. The secondContinue reading “It takes a huge tragedy to get Cumbrian coverage on BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada”
The Ideal for Regional Television in the North West- and North East of England
A small illustration of how out- of- kilter the BBC Regions for the North East and North West of England will introduce my discussion about how it can be improved. A report on BBC Look North (BBC North East and Cumbria) covered how a victim of burgulary in Kendal (South Cumbria) sleep-walks and goes aroundContinue reading “The Ideal for Regional Television in the North West- and North East of England”
15th June 2020: BBC North West Tonight. Still nothing to report about Cumbria.
South Cumbrian viewers of BBC North West Tonight must be getting heartily sick of being ignored. For a week-and-a-bit now we have had nothing north of Preston on the flagship BBC Regional Programme for North West England, nothing for the northern two- thirds of the geographical North West of England. The Isle of Man hasContinue reading “15th June 2020: BBC North West Tonight. Still nothing to report about Cumbria.”
The BBC spends less on Regional Television in North West England than elsewhere.
Dated 10th February 2018, Dear Readers If you live in the North West of England, particularly if you live anywhere north of Preston and wonder why the regional news on BBC’s North West Tonight has little of relevance to your area; it is because the BBC spends less per head of population and per square kilometreContinue reading “The BBC spends less on Regional Television in North West England than elsewhere.”
The BBC could spend much more money on Regional Television in the North West if it was more Efficient.
Dated 17th April 2018 Dear Readers, I stumbled across this article written for The Daily Mail on 14th June 2015: It is entitled “BBC Spends less than half its Cash on Programmes”. It details expenditure for the Accounting Year ending April 2014- this after the BBC was made to cut 20% off expenditure in realContinue reading “The BBC could spend much more money on Regional Television in the North West if it was more Efficient.”
The North West of England Proper: Perspectives on Regional Television output.
19th May 2018 Dear Readers, I aim to look at how the perception of Regional Programming changes within the North West of England that those making the programmes need to bear in mind. What people in the North West of England consider to be “North West” will vary as one travels north from Cheshire, throughContinue reading “The North West of England Proper: Perspectives on Regional Television output.”
Again No Coverage North of Preston on North West Tonight. That’s the Whole Week!
I have watched BBC North West tonight again, protesters of rioters defacing a “Penny Lane” sign in Liverpool, Sikhs in Manchester discussing the opening of their places of worship, the Manager of Bolton Wanderers having to resign after the football club’s relegation to Division 2, TT Races Not Going Ahead on the Isle of ManContinue reading “Again No Coverage North of Preston on North West Tonight. That’s the Whole Week!”
BBC North West Tonight and North West England Politics
On the night of the General Election- the evening of 12th December 2019- a telling little feature of BBC North West’s Election Night coverage for the North West was a Whiteboard display showing all the counties and the Parliamentary Constituencies in each county. What might have incensed Cumbrian viewers of BBC North West’s coverage wasContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight and North West England Politics”