20th August 2022 Dear Readers A glance through ITV Granada Reports‘ Website (listed here: https://www.itv.com/news/granada), which lists all the news- stories they feature in their programming, and one would be struck by how Greater Manchester/ Merseyside- dominated the news-coverage is, that is, excepting their little Isle of Man section (which if one checks the datesContinue reading “ITV Granada Reports seldom Gets North of the M62 Corridor”
Tag Archives: North West Tonight
BBC NORTH WEST TONIGHT HAS BETTER SERVED COMMUNITIES IN NORTH LANCASHIRE AND SOUTH CUMBRIA IN RECENT DAYS. BUT THE PROGRAMME NEEDS TO LOOK AFTER ITS MORE NORTHERN VIEWERS WELL PERMANENTLY.
7th December 2021 Dear Readers Happily, BBC1 North West Tonight has been covering Cumbria rather better of late. South Cumbrian viewers of the programme have been treated to extensive coverage of power- cuts across South Cumbria last week. Unfortunately, a number of viewers who were suffering from these power cuts could not watch BBC1 NorthContinue reading “BBC NORTH WEST TONIGHT HAS BETTER SERVED COMMUNITIES IN NORTH LANCASHIRE AND SOUTH CUMBRIA IN RECENT DAYS. BUT THE PROGRAMME NEEDS TO LOOK AFTER ITS MORE NORTHERN VIEWERS WELL PERMANENTLY.”
BBC North West Tonight goes High Definition and covers Whitehaven
1st November 2021 Dear Readers BBC1 North West Tonight covered Whitehaven this evening- with regards to the proposed new coal-mine there that now looks set to be in doubt after the Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled it out: It is good that areas of Cumbria north of the transmission area are being covered for theContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight goes High Definition and covers Whitehaven”
Last night BBC North West Tonight covered Cumbrian floods for a second night
30th October 2021 Dear Readers Last night, and for the second night in a row- BBC1 North West Tonight covered Cumbria extensively with regards to the aftermath of flooding. It was again headline news and- not only that- BBC1 North West Tonight again covered parts of the northern Lake District: The flooding of homes inContinue reading “Last night BBC North West Tonight covered Cumbrian floods for a second night”
At last, both BBC North West and ITV1 Granada Reports cover Cumbria- but neither mention the M6 being shut by a lorry fire in South Cumbria.
28th October 2021 Dear Readers After a week with little coverage of Cumbria on BBC1 North West Tonight or virtually nothing on Cumbria in ITV1 Granada Reports viewers in northern North West England were given a treat on the main North West Regional TV News bulletins: It took some of the heaviest rains for sixContinue reading “At last, both BBC North West and ITV1 Granada Reports cover Cumbria- but neither mention the M6 being shut by a lorry fire in South Cumbria.”
Five News-Items about Cumbria on ITV Border’s Lookaround, Just M62 Corridor on BBC North West and ITV Granada
27th October 2021 Dear Readers Tonight was perhaps the starkest illustration in a long time how no-one living north of Preston can rely on either the two mainstream North West Regional TV News- bulletins for good all- round local news- coverage that is geographic appropriate. For the first time in quite a while, even LancashireContinue reading “Five News-Items about Cumbria on ITV Border’s Lookaround, Just M62 Corridor on BBC North West and ITV Granada”
A Cold Bright Autumn Day in the North Cumbrian Pennines.
21st October 2021 Dear Readers Here are some views of a part of Cumbria, which almost certainly never features on either BBC1 North West Tonight or on ITV1 Granada Reports. To be fair, North Cumbrian viewers seldom see this part of Cumbria featured on ITV1 News Border Lookaround or BBC Look North (NE/ Cumbria) either!Continue reading “A Cold Bright Autumn Day in the North Cumbrian Pennines.”
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.”
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”
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”
East Lancashire is another part of North West England not served best by North West Regional TV
8th August 2021 People watch the Regional Television to get news about the region in which they live- as it applies to them- but also folk expect to find out more about the communities in which they live, travel to work and visit. Indeed, at the end of the BBC National News at 6.30 pmContinue reading “East Lancashire is another part of North West England not served best by North West Regional TV”
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”
BBC North West Tonight News Reporter Steven Saul Goes Native – and Did Not Cover Cumbria.
30th July 2021 This evening was an eye- opener: No coverage of Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight, and that’s despite the News Reporter Steven Saul (he comes from Preston) whom one might appreciate what makes good all-round local news- coverage for his Lancastrian viewers- he comes from Lancashire. The question is, has Steven SaulContinue reading “BBC North West Tonight News Reporter Steven Saul Goes Native – and Did Not Cover Cumbria.”
Neither BBC North West nor ITV Granada have got North of Preston in run-up to Euro-final Week-end!
11th July 2021 Dear Readers I don’t know what it is about the run- up to major national Sporting events (like the Euro 2020 finals)- or when Manchester United or Liverpool Football Club get into the Champions League, but it seems major sporting events involving England or Manchester United/ Liverpool Football Club seems to makeContinue reading “Neither BBC North West nor ITV Granada have got North of Preston in run-up to Euro-final Week-end!”
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”
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”
All North West Regional Coverage South of Preston- again
26th May 2021 From time to time, viewers who live in northern North West England- but still in those areas where the two main default choices for Regional Television are ITV1 Granada Reports and BBC1 North West Tonight– must get the impression that the two main choices on offer Close Ranks- against them! How elseContinue reading “All North West Regional Coverage South of Preston- again”
Cumbrian Viewers of BBC North West Tonight Should have been Made Proud of a Local Hero.
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.”
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”
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?”
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!”
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.”
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!”
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.”
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”
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.”
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”
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.”
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!”