Two News- features about Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight. As Always, better than ITV Granada Reports.

13th January 2023 (Updated 15th January 2023) Dear Readers This evening, there was another suggestion that BBC1 North West News-programmers might be upping their game in terms of the proportion of coverage they provide North of Preston. This evening’s North West Tonight, presented by the friendly, outgoing Annabel Tiffin, provided two in-depth news-features about Cumbria:Continue reading “Two News- features about Cumbria on BBC North West Tonight. As Always, better than ITV Granada Reports.”

ITV Granada Reports does not serve its viewers who live North of Preston with Geographic- Appropriate Regional News- coverage

6th October 2022 Dear Readers If the News-feed from the ITV Granada Reports Website is anything to go by it is abundatly clear how little of ITV.Plc’s flagship Regional TV News- service covers areas north of the M62 Corridor. It would appear that Cumbria has not been covered since August, but there was the coverageContinue reading “ITV Granada Reports does not serve its viewers who live North of Preston with Geographic- Appropriate Regional News- coverage”

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.”

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 the western Yorkshire Dales and north-east Lancashire

15th August 2021 Last week I discussed the situation with regards to viewers of Regional Television who live in easternmost parts of Greater Manchester and East Lancashire (the link to the article is here: https://northwestisnorthwest.org/2021/08/08/east-lancashire-is-another-part-of-north-west-england-not-served-best-by-north-west-regional-tv/). But there is another part of northern North West England that is close to the north-east edge of the transmissionContinue reading “Regional TV in the western Yorkshire Dales and north-east Lancashire”

Good Local Television that informs Viewers is a vital Public Service- and it should be treated as such.

15th July 2021 Dear Readers The main reason why the main Regional News- broadcasters- both ITV.Plc and the BBC assert that they cannot provide more localised, relevant Regional Television for areas like northern Lancashire, South Cumbria and the Isle of Man is that they cannot afford it.  But is that acceptable in view of theContinue reading “Good Local Television that informs Viewers is a vital Public Service- and it should be treated as such.”

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.”

Travel Times from North Lancashire Call Into Question whether ITV1 Granada Reports is Best for North Lancashire

LANCASTER CASTLE: FROM LANCASTER NORTHERN CUMBRIA IS QUICKER TO GET TO AND MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN THE BIG CITIES OF MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL. THIS CALLS INTO QUESTION WHETHER NORTH WEST REGIONAL NEWS SERVICES ARE LOCALLY APPROPRIATE. Courtesy of Northern_Punkie (Pixabay) 22nd May 2021 Dear Readers The ITV and BBC Regions approaching those that exist today wereContinue reading “Travel Times from North Lancashire Call Into Question whether ITV1 Granada Reports is Best for North Lancashire”

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.”

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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”

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.”

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”

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.”

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.”