Regional TV cutbacks hit at lifeblood of the region

Jan 16 2009 Nicholas Craig, Watson Burton

THE cutback in regional ITV news and programming will hit us hard. We will gain more than twice the news area when Tyne Tees merges with Border, but will lose more than half the staff.

Regional programmes and local news are vital to this area. They communicate achievements, crises, excitement and human stories about and to the people who live and work in this area.

The proposed 1,000 ITV job cuts around the country could be the first large step towards closing down regional news altogether. It’s a dreadful thought.

I don’t want to know all about the endless commuter problems, weather vagaries and job prospects of London-centric national broadcasters. I want a slice of life in the North East from people who live here and understand its priorities.

Residents of the Borders region, which is having its news programme cut altogether, will have to come to terms with news broadcasts compiled in Gateshead rather than west of the Pennines.

Meanwhile, ITV will be upgrading its technology to create a “network of newsrooms offering online content”. It will also continue to pay vast sums for celebrity national newscasters. It is not difficult to envisage a future ITV controlled from one centralised facility without any regional outlets.

High quality public service broadcasting, including regional news provision, is integral to our society. It links up people across the UK, providing the oxygen to encourage debate about key issues. It is democratic and inclusive.

Many of our national TV and radio journalists began their careers in local news. Future generations of journalists will have far fewer chances to gain such skills. ITV has not guaranteed the continued presence of any regional news past 2012.

Regional programmes, from The One O’Clock Show to The Tube were upbeat, vibrant, original productions, born and bred in the North East. There were once thriving documentary, arts and entertainment departments at what was then Tyne Tees Television. The cutbacks have been scything away for many years, but this latest reduction hits at the lifeblood of this region, the news output.

The sense of disconnection that affects many in the North will be amplified by these cuts. A vital asset is being slashed and the impact will be felt on both sides of the Pennines and much further afield.

Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm