1st October 2021 Three fairly serious developments have gone unreported across northern Lancashire this week, both on BBC1 North West Tonight and ITV1 Granada Reports. Firstly, there was an attempted murder in Blackpool whereby a young man aged just 19 years-old was attacked and stabbed outside a nightclub by nine men who came from London.Continue reading “Neither BBC North West Tonight nor ITV1 Granada Reports cover Northern Lancashire well”
Tag Archives: cumbria
Much has happened in Cumbria recently- about which North Lancastrians were Not Told from their Default Regional TV.
30th September 2021 Dear Readers To illustrate the lack of news-coverage that North Lancastrians and South Cumbrians stuck with BBC1 North West Tonight and ITV1 Granada Reports actually get about northern North West England here are some recent news- features that would have been of significant interest to viewers, that they nonetheless got to hearContinue reading “Much has happened in Cumbria recently- about which North Lancastrians were Not Told from their Default Regional TV.”
Geographical Centres of Gravity and Proportions of Local News with Regional TV with Lancaster’s Localness Onion.
7th September 2021 Dear Readers It is vital that viewers of Regional Television get a news-service that is not just local, but which also covers the most relevant and geographic- appropriate wider Regional News for their communities. To that end the average geographic location of most of the content and the proportion of coverage thatContinue reading “Geographical Centres of Gravity and Proportions of Local News with Regional TV with Lancaster’s Localness Onion.”
A Beautiful Day in North Cumbria
28th August 2021 I went on a trip out with my father on a lovely warm and sunny Bank Holiday Saturday. Here is a the view of a small market- town in North Cumbria that you will never hear about on BBC1 North West Tonight, and you most definitely won’t hear about it on ITV1Continue reading “A Beautiful Day in North Cumbria”
Have ITV Granada Reports News- Programmers become aware of this Website: They are covering Cumbria.
24th August 2021 It’s good to see after all this time, but after seeming to totally ignore the half of North West England that is north of Lancaster for so long ITV1 Granada Reports have started to cover Cumbria. It is a joy to see but two significant pieces on Cumbrian affairs: The first isContinue reading “Have ITV Granada Reports News- Programmers become aware of this Website: They are covering Cumbria.”
Regional TV in Cumbria and North Lancashire by 2050. A Worst Case Scenario
20th August 2021 This is a Website that campaigns for better and more geographic- appropriate Regional Television for Cumbria and northern Lancashire- as well as for the Isle of Man. However, there is every possibility that what viewers in northern parts of North West England and on the Isle of Man will end up withContinue reading “Regional TV in Cumbria and North Lancashire by 2050. A Worst Case Scenario”
The North West’s Gypsies would do well to watch ITV Border Lookaround
11th August 2021 In this article I discuss the fact that the Gypsies and Travellers of North West England are failed by both BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports when they refuse to cover Appleby Horse Fair- the largest gathering of it’s kind for Gypsies and the Romany community in Europe. It isContinue reading “The North West’s Gypsies would do well to watch ITV Border Lookaround”
BBC North West Tonight is better than ITV Granada Reports for North Lancastrians
10th August 2021 This evening there were two more news- features about South Cumbria were on BBC North West Tonight– a news-feature about a Kendal-based Indie pop-group and another news- feature about wildlife at Foulney Island- just off the coast near Barrow-in-Furness. There was also a news- feature about the Isle of Man and twoContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight is better than ITV Granada Reports for North Lancastrians”
Better Coverage of northern North West England on North West Tonight
9th August 2021 The return of Roger Johnson, the main News- anchor on BBC North West Tonight from his holidays- plus the end of the Tokyo Olympics (2020) has brought a revival in the extent of coverage north of the M62 Corridor: Barnoldswick in north-east Lancashire and Blackpool were covered, the plight of a youngContinue reading “Better Coverage of northern North West England on North West Tonight”
Viewers of Regional TV in South Cumbria should watch ITV Border’s Lookaround
5th August 2021 Dear Readers If you live in Cumbria, your go-to news-service for Local and Regional Television should be ITV Border’s Lookaround, which almost invariably has 50% of it’s news-coverage devoted to the county. It is, by far the best geographic- appropriate and all round regional and local TV news-service that there is forContinue reading “Viewers of Regional TV in South Cumbria should watch ITV Border’s Lookaround”
Another Cumbrian News Drought from the North West Regional TV Producers
4th August 2021 Dear Readers Last night, 3rd August 2021 saw no Cumbrian news on either BBC North West Tonight and ITV1 Granada Reports– which seems to have been the case so far this week. Viewers of Regional Television, who live in northern North West England but who nonetheless have the main North West RegionalContinue reading “Another Cumbrian News Drought from the North West Regional TV Producers”
ITV1 Granada Reports should cover all North West England in Statistics or Stop Advertising as Covering the North West
24th July 2021 Over this weekend ITV Granada reported that there were seven death due to youngsters and men drowning whilst swimming in rivers and in the sea in North West England (see here for report: https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2021-07-21/safety-plea-to-heatwave-swimmers-after-teenagers-die-in-the-water) then that a 19 year-old man from Preston, who drowned on the Lancashire coast became the eighth personContinue reading “ITV1 Granada Reports should cover all North West England in Statistics or Stop Advertising as Covering the North West”
If you live in Central and Northern Cumbria then ITV1 Border Lookaround should be your Go-To Regional News- Service.
DUSK NEAR MALLERSTANG, JUST SOUTH OF KIRKBY STEPHEN, CUMBRIA. (AUGUST 2020) 18th July 2021 Dear Readers If you live central, northern and West Cumbria- that is everywhere from Kendal northwards to the Scottish Border (but with the small exception of Alston Moor in the extreme east of the county) your default ITV1 Region is ITV1Continue reading “If you live in Central and Northern Cumbria then ITV1 Border Lookaround should be your Go-To Regional News- Service.”
Thirty Years Ago People Power changed Regional TV in Northern Cumbria- and it can in Northern Lancashire too.
10th July 2021 Dear Readers In August 1986 the BBC, under the management of Michael Grade decided that it would be appropriate if Carlisle and northern Cumbria received their Regional News- programming from Manchester rather than from Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the grounds that “Cumbria is in the North West, so it should receive North West news”.Continue reading “Thirty Years Ago People Power changed Regional TV in Northern Cumbria- and it can in Northern Lancashire too.”
ITV BORDER CAN CATER FOR ALL THE NORTHERN NORTH WEST OF ENGLAND WITHOUT DILUTING EXISTING COVERAGE
6th July 2021 Dear Readers Viewers of Regional Television who live in most of Cumbria, that is all of northern and West Cumbria- along with that part of south and south-west Cumbria north of Kendal enjoy an excellent Regional News service that provides 50% coverage of Cumbria, sometimes more. This is ITV1 Border’s flagship RegionalContinue reading “ITV BORDER CAN CATER FOR ALL THE NORTHERN NORTH WEST OF ENGLAND WITHOUT DILUTING EXISTING COVERAGE”
The North Pennines and parts of Cumbria east of the M6 get little coverage from BBC1 Look North (NE/ Cumbria) or even from ITV1 Border’s Lookaround.
4th July 2021 Dear Readers I live in the extreme north-east of Cumbria near the remote village of Nenthead in the North Pennines: The North Pennines and surrounding rural areas covers a really large area and for the purposes of Regional Television News- coverage. It is bounded by the Tyne gap and A69 to theContinue reading “The North Pennines and parts of Cumbria east of the M6 get little coverage from BBC1 Look North (NE/ Cumbria) or even from ITV1 Border’s Lookaround.”
BBC North West Tonight covers northern North West England better than ITV1 Granada Reports
7th June 2021 Dear Readers This evening BBC1 North West Tonight devoted close to 50% of its coverage to Cumbria, Lancashire and the Isle of Man only, which is has not done for a while. Roger Johnson was- as is normally the case- cheerful and outgoing as the main news- presenter and he engaged withContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight covers northern North West England better than ITV1 Granada Reports”
South Cumbrians and North Lancastrians should watch ITV Border then BBC North West for Best all-round Local News.
1st June 2021 Updated 10th August 2021 Dear Readers This evening I watched BBC1 North West Tonight, ITV1 Granada Reports and ITV1 Border’s Lookaround: It is amazing what the Internet age has bought to enable viewers with a computer to watch Regional News programmes from different BBC and ITV1 Regions. For a limited period, ITV1Continue reading “South Cumbrians and North Lancastrians should watch ITV Border then BBC North West for Best all-round Local News.”
Cumbria and North Lancashire Community Television
30th May 2021 Dear Readers Regional Television receives proportionally less funding as a share of Britain’s Gross Domestic Product than it did thirty years ago when the only choices of television were BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4. Few would deny that the digital age has opened up a wealth of choice of different televisionContinue reading “Cumbria and North Lancashire Community Television”
North Lancashire is in the Wrong ITV Region
Dear Readers Watching ITV1 Granada Reports this evening was an eye- opener. Most of the “News” coverage was dedicated to Manchester City’s up-coming Champions League match in Porto, Portugal: ITV1 Granada even went out of the way to send a reporter there! Amongst the other coverage was the footballer Marcus Rashford chatting to former USContinue reading “North Lancashire is in the Wrong ITV Region”
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”
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”
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”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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 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.”
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””
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”