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Carlton and Granada merger -LATEST NEWS

Michael Green 'resigns' (October 2003)

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WH
Whataday Founding member
Corin posted:
So that leaves Hallmark. I am most likely wrong about this, but who else is there with any interest in buying Granalton?


Haim Saban has said he will attempt to make a takeover, and Disney are also rumoured to be interested.

Quote:
And remember that a possible dark horse candidate, Pearson, will not appear, since they are owned by the same company that owns RTL Group, namely Bertelsman.


And since they don't exist anymore!

Quote:
It is erroneous to say that Hallmark have not expressed an interest in ITV.


I didn't say they haven't expressed an interest in ITV. I said they haven't expressed an interest in buying ITV, which is true. Hallmark are interested in assets rather than the company as a whole.
Last edited by Whataday on 8 October 2003 12:44am
LU
Luke
Ed Hammond posted:
I wouldn't have thought that every single Granada/Carlton arm will change its name to "ITV (something)". Carlton Screen Advertising (who provide adverts for cinemas), for example, will probably keep the same name. After all, seeing the ITV1 brand in the cinema would just seem a bit odd...


Actually I was in the cinema the other week and just after the "Carlton Screen Advertising" ident came the ITV1 celebrity promo! Too much of a coincidence?
TV
tvarksouthwest
Just seen this on BBC News:

I work for ITV (and yes, I very rarely watch it outside of work) but this merger is needed to modernise its operation. It is a hotch-potch of intransigent smaller companies and kingdoms that are in desperate need of merging. This will allow them to get rid of the dead wood and spend more on programmes that attract viewers (some of which aren't all that bad).
Greg, UK

Is this our very own Greg Taylor? If so Greg, will you still support the merger if yours is one of the jobs cut?

If the government HAD to OK this merger - they should have imposed one very draconian condition. Namely that neither manpower nor facilities could be cut. This way, the whole exercise would have been completely pointless for Messrs Allen and Green, and would never have been up for discussion.
:-(
A former member
CPFC posted:
Ed Hammond posted:
I wouldn't have thought that every single Granada/Carlton arm will change its name to "ITV (something)". Carlton Screen Advertising (who provide adverts for cinemas), for example, will probably keep the same name. After all, seeing the ITV1 brand in the cinema would just seem a bit odd...


Actually I was in the cinema the other week and just after the "Carlton Screen Advertising" ident came the ITV1 celebrity promo! Too much of a coincidence?

Well lets hope that "ITV plc " don't get their hands on SMG the owners of Pearl & Dean!
ED
ED Founding member
Asa posted:
This is interesting:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3162078.stm
Quote:
She added: "We will see more seamless news programming - divisions between regional, national and international news will go, and there will be more coherence."


Aside from increasingly using regional reporters on ITV1/ITVNC bulletins, it seems to imply the overall look will be similar - in the same way as BBC News' national and regional presentation is. Give it a couple of years and we'll see bulk default sets, samey title sequences, 'regional' names (rather than company (Granada) or established (Calendar) names) and intergrated news bulletins - still with bad opt-out timings, no doubt.


Will this mean though that local/regional newscasts will be able to have international news segments within their own newscasts? (possibly getting rid of the 6:30 national news...)
:-(
A former member
Thought this might be interesting - ITV Network Diagram:

http://www.fielden9.freeserve.co.uk/itv/itv_tx_diagram.gif
CO
Corin
How long do you think it will be before the Calrton ITV1 for the Midlands distribution gets moved to LNN?

And how long do you think it will be after that before the Leeds distribution gets moved to LNN?
LM
Lee M
Corin posted:
How long do you think it will be before the Calrton ITV1 for the Midlands distribution gets moved to LNN?

And how long do you think it will be after that before the Leeds distribution gets moved to LNN?


It is the plan for the transmission for Carlton Central to be moved to LNN I think, but Leeds is to remain as a backup to LNN, retaining transmission for the regions it currently transmits, and also may take on transmission for UTV, Scottish TV and Grampian TV, should they be taken over by ITV plc.
CO
Corin
Incidentally, now that Granalton has the go ahead, and there will be all that excess studio capacity available to the merged company, is the rather large building and site at Manchester 3 needed any longer?

How much could be raised by selling this site to property developpers?

After all, it is a prime inner city location and could be put to much better use than housing vacant tv studios.
WH
Whataday Founding member
Corin posted:
Incidentally, now that Granalton has the go ahead, and there will be all that excess studio capacity available to the merged company, is the rather large building and site at Manchester 3 needed any longer?.


Do you mean 3 Sixtymedia? I doubt they'll be selling that, as it's owned by the BBC too.
:-(
A former member
Whataday posted:
Corin posted:
Incidentally, now that Granalton has the go ahead, and there will be all that excess studio capacity available to the merged company, is the rather large building and site at Manchester 3 needed any longer?.


Do you mean 3 Sixtymedia? I doubt they'll be selling that, as it's owned by the BBC too.


I would imagine that they'd want to keep at least one set of studios in the North, like the Manchester Granada studios - after all it would be hell if they had to move Coronation Street and all the sets, and it's good to have a Northern audience for some shows too.
GE
thegeek Founding member
BluePeter posted:
Well lets hope that "ITV plc " don't get their hands on SMG the owners of Pearl & Dean!
Too right. If they so much as think of getting rid of that music...

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