UTV sell TV business to ITV

I know ITV have used Blackstaff on occasion. The Jonathan Dimbleby show is an example. Are the BBC still looking to move? Any talk of colocation?

Stephen Nolan has written exclusively for today's Belfast Telegraph: "Why I feel so sad for UTV". It's the front page story, with two further pages inside.

Here's the article. In it he mentions that this weekend is Julian's last in-vision shift but that he will still stay on as an out of vision announcer.

http://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/stephen-nolan-why-we-should-treasure-the-likes-of-julian-and-our-local-telly-traditions-35131863.html

A very powerful article from Stephen Nolan here. Never thought I would be reading something so powerful and from the heart from him.

OT, but in a thread with bad news in the last few pages, to hear that show is returning brings a smile to my face.

Some more new signage...

All change coming into work this morning! #UTV pic.twitter.com/ITvpv0Om6o

— Damien Edgar (@damien_edgar7) October 15, 2016

I have mixed feelings about it all to be honest. After reading Stephens article in the BT it is sad that we're loosing a familiar face on our screens, however, you can't exactly bash the decisions ITV are making as UTV didn't exactly invest in talent. I've grown up in NI but now live in London, working for none other than a television production company. I'm under 30, and UTV wasn't very familiar to me. I grew up with UTV Live, Gerry Kelly, Schools around the corner, all of which are no longer airing way before the ITV bodes came in. For me, UTV didn't appeal to me. The programming wasn't all that unique, innovative and produced quite poorly in my honest opinion. It all went down the same path of country style docs (rare breed, LSU) to Politics. A company that doesn't invest in new people, new ideas is one that won't be around forever. Things move on, new technologies advance, people do things differently. When was the last time a new member of staff presented IVC?

I highly doubt there was a huge fight amongst the media to get that exclusive. Huge over-reaction to the dropping of incredibly dated in vision continuity by an incredibly dated relic of a bygone era.

I know we all think it morphing into ITV is inevitable but perhaps this could be the turning point in the generalisation of ITV and if London execs see the benefit of retaining the local brand that they would do the same should they buy STV in the future and perhaps even restore HTV too. Or not.

Yes, Sunday seems to be his last in vision link (unless he decided to resign as this was printed) and then its colour picker idents from Monday.

Stephen has a few good points but he's only looking at it from one angle.

UTV lost a lot of money and ITV are here to save what they can of our local station.

ITV could have ripped away the UTV name and not bothered with new idents so I think that's honestly the best they can do sadly.

ITV really aren't the bad guys - this was always going to be the future in a competitive television market of today.

Speculation that UTV could be relocating to the new City Quays development...

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/utv-prepares-to-say-goodbye-to-havelock-house-on-belfasts-ormeau-road-35131686.html

I heard this rumour yesterday too, so I would guess that there is some substance to it.

Every time? Aside from Border - which had its franchise scaled down as a whole - I can't think of another example. If you're thinking Tyne Tees, I would hardly call Television House a shed.

And another in the newsroom...

The new @utv logo is a-go in the newsroom too #UTV pic.twitter.com/s9Dd68DUt7

— Damien Edgar (@damien_edgar7) October 15, 2016