ITV Region's

Wasn't it the case before S4C launched, that many people in North Wales tended to watch Granada rather than HTV Wales - because they preferred not to see Welsh-language programming. I don't know if the trend continued even after Welsh programmes transferred to the fourth channel.

Of course if you go back further than that, ITV came to the northwest of England several years before it came to north Wales, so a 'tradition' of the northeast having their aerials pointing that way had already started then.

The northeast can very easily receive HTV, but most people unquestioningly watch whatever comes down their aerial from the roof, or what is provided on 103 on sky -- this is perhaps most relevant these days.

Considering various different sport arrangements [and allegiances], and most recently the different political/health/education structure, I am surprised sky [are allowed to] carry Granada in the northeastern counties -- when HTV are a national broadcaster with an interest in serving the whole country, even having two news bureaux in the northeast.

Err... no. All indications show that people living in the overlap zones turn their aerial North to Tyne Tees (look on TV pres sites and you'll find a lot of clips from YTV trying to grab their viewers back from TTTV) - does that not show anything... Calendar is a shockingly bad programme, and Tyne Tees South serves the area well. BBC NE&C, however, are another matter.

Speaking as someone who lives in the area, the only reason some people have their aerials pointing north is that due to local geography, the Bilsdale transmitter gives better coverage than Emley Moor.

However, ask anyone which service they'd prefer given a choice, and I've no doubt 99% would say Yorkshire. Leeds is seen as the regional centre for the area, not Middlesbrough, and certainly not Newcastle. Even the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has been calling for ITV1 Yorkshire to be reinstated on Sky 103 rather than Tyne Tees after a flood of complaints to the local paper following the change.

You may not personally like Calendar, but its content is of much more relevance to people around here than Tyne Tees' output. Tyne Tees' Bilsdale opt is at best a poor apology to the south of the region. So much so that the main evening news programme still comes from Newcastle, so we're still getting news from as far away as Alnwick - not what I'd call 'serving the area well'.

In the Wrexham area (and the rest of the north east I presume) only HTV is carried by Sky now, whereas before, HTV along with Central was further up the EPG and Granada was on 103. Granada is now only available through the other channels option.

It's interesting to note though, that most of the new housing estates that are being built, at least 90% of the houses have their areials pointing towards the north west of England. One such site is within spitting distance of the Welsh transmitter yet the aerials point towards Winter Hill.

Its the same here in Cumbria, we get news from as far away as Berwick, Stranrear and even Edinburgh at times, Not at all relevant news to the people south of the Border.

Oh well that's good news -- I remember your discussion on that point when you were having a hard time getting HTV on 103. I didn't think the northeast had been one of the areas changed in the whole 103 reorganisation thing a while ago.



I suppose that shows how much of an unquestioning 'tradition' it still is around there. Bit pointless isn't it -- mind you, as a couple of people have pointed out, this will all become fairly irrelevant in a small number of years.

After the digital switchover, either HTV will be carried across Wales, or there will be no regional ITV at all.