But if they are only going to have the UTV name on screen during news (ITV News UTV Live? Sounds horrible) then why even bother showing a new UTV logo in the first place, which surely won't be on screen as the name of the news service is just in the standard ITV font under the ITV News logo? They aren't going to change the DOG just for that 11 minute local news bulletin...
If the UTV name is going to stay on the news at all then I assume they wouldn't bother with ITV News UTV Live - they'd just stick with UTV Live for the moment and get on with introducing the ITV brand elsewhere, where 99% of the audience will spot it. Then, when they have time to move buildings, sort out a new studio etc, they'll rebrand to ITV News Northern Ireland. That's assuming they're not planning to just change it all in a oner.
The moment for me that the UTV name was a goner was when the u.tv website was redirected to ITV. I can't imagine this is going to be a gradual change.
I'm confused by the new logo too. Two possible options: 1. ITV was trying to work out whether to hold on to UTV Ireland; 2. The new logo is being introduced because they can't switch the news studios etc fast enough, and they want the look to be coherent before introducing ITV to the local news. As part of that, the people most likely to complain about changes watch the local news, and it may pacify them in the short term.
If the UTV name is going to stay on the news at all then I assume they wouldn't bother with ITV News UTV Live - they'd just stick with UTV Live for the moment and get on with introducing the ITV brand elsewhere, where 99% of the audience will spot it. Then, when they have time to move buildings, sort out a new studio etc, they'll rebrand to ITV News Northern Ireland. That's assuming they're not planning to just change it all in a oner.
The moment for me that the UTV name was a goner was when the u.tv website was redirected to ITV. I can't imagine this is going to be a gradual change.
I'm confused by the new logo too. Two possible options: 1. ITV was trying to work out whether to hold on to UTV Ireland; 2. The new logo is being introduced because they can't switch the news studios etc fast enough, and they want the look to be coherent before introducing ITV to the local news. As part of that, the people most likely to complain about changes watch the local news, and it may pacify them in the short term.
The new UTV logo has put a cat amongst the pigeons.
I seen a screenshot somewhere online.. (I think it was on the u.tv website on an article announcing the new logo) where they had the new UTV logo beside the itv channel logos on the itv.com website - it was as if UTV was a different channel but part of the itv family and it would have it's own little branch off just like itv2, itv3 etc...
But that was well before u.tv got switched off.... so I'm very confused now.
It all depends if ITV really understand the whole UTV situation - a station broadcasting to a part of the world where a geographical description causes division due to deep-rooted sensitivities. There is no right or wrong answer to what the local news can, and will, be called.
Doesn't really help either that UTV Live has historically had a teatime lead over BBC Newsline - so there'll be some viewers will not want to see a
brand
they are familiar with take a submissive role to, or be usurped by, ITV News. Checking out the comments on the BelTel story linked to a few posts back, though, suggests there are those who either don't care, or would gladly see the back of UTV's service as it currently is.
Axing UTV Live Tonight is hardly a surprise, and in regard to the investment UTV has made in more expansive Stormont coverage, is a pity, but it's a product of the attitude at Havelock House, and you could say, broadcasting in the UK since the late 1990s - the economics of running a TV station taking priority over the requirements of the service.
I seen a screenshot somewhere online.. (I think it was on the u.tv website on an article announcing the new logo) where they had the new UTV logo beside the itv channel logos on the itv.com website - it was as if UTV was a different channel but part of the itv family and it would have it's own little branch off just like itv2, itv3 etc...
But that was well before u.tv got switched off.... so I'm very confused now.
Who's to say changes to the news bulletin name will be
exactly
like the England and Wales naming scheme? This is "UTV Live from ITV News" doesn't sound that implausible/daft? UTV Live above a prominent ITV News logo in the titles rather than below?
It all depends if ITV really understand the whole UTV situation - a station broadcasting to a part of the world where a geographical description causes division due to deep-rooted sensitivities. There is no right or wrong answer to what the local news can, and will, be called.
A lot of the more forward thinking people wouldn't give a toss what it is called. It's only the extremists on both sides who might take extra notice of the naming of the service and who would listen to them anyway? I doubt there will be riots on the streets just because it's not called UTV Live any more. As long as they can tune in at the regular time and see a familiar face tell them the news then I'd say the majority will be happy. after all, it is common knowledge that ITV have bought UTV so people here have to, on some level, expect the changes to happen. It's not worth anyone getting bothered about.
I defer to people who actually live in Northern Ireland as to whether there are particular circumstances that mean the one-size-fits-all naming gameplan would cause major problems in NI. But all things being equal they're not going to keep the UTV brand about if they want to call themselves ITV - it's confused branding. I suspect Granada got away with it through a mix of the name not sounding too similar to ITV, and the fact that Granada clearly won the war for control of ITV (see Goodbye Granadaland getting a Saturday night peaktime show and all the other regions just falling over and dying).
I defer to people who actually live in Northern Ireland as to whether there are particular circumstances that mean the one-size-fits-all naming gameplan would cause major problems in NI. But all things being equal they're not going to keep the UTV brand about if they want to call themselves ITV - it's confused branding. I suspect Granada got away with it through a mix of the name not sounding too similar to ITV, and the fact that Granada clearly won the war for control of ITV (see Goodbye Granadaland getting a Saturday night peaktime show and all the other regions just falling over and dying).
I'd hazard to say that like many, many issues here in Northern Ireland/North of Ireland/The Six Counties/Ulster some politicians will care about any name change much, much more than the majority of the viewing public.
But if we're talking hypotheticals, 'ITV NI' might work as the brand name. You can think of 'NI' as either 'Northern Ireland' or 'the North of Ireland' depending on your persuasion.
I know they'd be slight ripping off 'BBC News NI', but hey . . . 'View from Stormont'??
Hmm ... so if the issue is the overt use of the term Northern Ireland then leaving it as UTV News gets round that. I can't see ITV giving it that much consideration though. Northern Ireland is sadly pretty much ignored by the UK media at the best of times - often I've found you get better coverage of Northern Ireland by watching RTE, so London-based bosses will probably be briefed on how to avoid a **** and then do the very least they can get away with.
If nothing else, ITV can simply point to BBC1 Northern Ireland, albeit the station's show is called Newsline.
the fact that Granada clearly won the war for control of ITV (see Goodbye Granadaland getting a Saturday night peaktime show and all the other regions just falling over and dying).
Are you seriously suggesting that Goodbye Granadaland (2013) is as a direct result of Granada becoming the dominant partner in ITV Plc (c.1999)? Or am I not getting your humour and it's a hilarious p*sstake?
Yes, evil Mr Granada fought long and bloody battles mercilessly slaughtering Mr Tyne Tees, Sir Yorkshire et al in order to form a single company and reach the ultimate goal: an hour long nostalgia special hosted by Peter Kay.
Some people really need to draw a distinction between the consolidation of ITV in the late 90s and what we have in today's current climate.
I seen a screenshot somewhere online.. (I think it was on the u.tv website on an article announcing the new logo) where they had the new UTV logo beside the itv channel logos on the itv.com website - it was as if UTV was a different channel but part of the itv family and it would have it's own little branch off just like itv2, itv3 etc...
But that was well before u.tv got switched off.... so I'm very confused now.
