Granada producer bites back

Pretty self explanatory really, but I saw this in this weeks Broadcast magazine and just HAD to post it...nice thought...

"A brave stand to save regional programmes was made at the RTS awards in Manchester the other week, as one passionate producer took to the stage.

Granada programme-maker David Nolan declared that he would not leave the stage until all the other Granada regional staff joined him. He then accused Ofcom and ITV of causing regional programmes to be "murdered" and added "most of us won't be here next year".

The drama increased when he won another award for Are You Being Serviced? and the kilt-wearing producer returned to the stage. This time his message was concise:

"Anyone who says regional programmes are no good, everyone who says regional programmes are not watched, anyone who says regional programmes aren't worth it - **** off!"


Ison's comment: NICE!

Is this their attempt to spice up the proceedings, injecting a little 'Robbie Williams V the Gallagher Brothers' element?

Will someone please think of the children?

Too little too late of course, but I take my hat off to the guy for having the balls to say what most of ITV's staff are thinking right now.

Roll on the US takeover!!

Good Man! Although can't help thinking he had a few before saying that.

Better still, get the likes of Mike Neville, Bob Warman and Fred Dineage to instigate management buy-outs of Tyne Tees, Central et al!

I dont understand why ITV was ever messed with in the first place! if all the regions were left as independants then everything would be ok today...
If ITVplc is eventually taken over by a U.S consortium I just hope they fetch back the regions and their idents!!!

Nah, the presentation would get a huge overhaul under US control. It needs to either Americanise or Australianise itself.

Well the Americans are big on Regional television, albeit not in the same structure as ITV. Plc is in. Perhaps they may consider some regional identity.

It's all gone tits up since they thought they could make money with itv digital. The picture quality on the soccer was worse than vhs - purely because they were trying to squeeze too many channels into the available space - accountants not engineers luv! They haven't learnt anything , they're still cutting back and they'll eventually disappear up their own multiplex. You have to speculate to accumulate , but you need people who know the business . itv doesn't seem to have them .

I know full regional presentation is by and large accepted as an irreversible fait accompli , and I don't doubt it or try and question it anymore; however, surely regional 'strands' in the vein of BBC2W could reasonably be re-introduced to ITV, where a regional 'sub-logo' which is simply the ITV1 logo coupled with a regional logo (with equal prominence) is used to introduce programmes - or even, the ITV1 logo with region name on a set, in front of which is stood or sat a regional presentation team - which could simply be the news presenting team, but called in to do links between the programmes aswell - most of which might have some sort of documentary/current affairs element in them anyway.

What I think is sad is that there are still quite a few regional programmes on ITV1, it's just that they're not obvious as being regional because they're not identified as such in any way.