ITV South West
Encyclopedia
ITV West & Westcountry, also known as ITV South West, is a non-franchise ITV
regional station covering the South West of England and incorporating the former ITV West and ITV Westcountry
regions.
about regional broadcasting post-switchover at the 2007 Nations and Regions conference in Cardiff
. There was speculation that ITV Westcountry and ITV West could merge operations, as part of further streamlining of regional operations, and rumours suggested that, while a newsroom (and separate regional identity) would be retained in the south west, the main Westcountry Live programme would move to a studio alongside The West Tonight at ITV West in Bristol. On 12 September 2007, ITV issued a statement to the City of London
, saying that it wished to reduce the number of news studios from 17 to just 9. This includes merging ITV West with ITV Westcountry to form the non-franchise region ITV West & Westcountry from Spring 2009. Shortly after the broadcasting regulator Ofcom
gave ITV plc
the go-ahead to merge the two regions.
, with the studio facilities in Plymouth
mothballed, with a small news bureaux remaining.
, which replaced Westcountry Live
and The West Tonight
on Monday 16 February 2009. The programme includes separate opt-out news bulletins for the first fifteen minutes of the main 6pm programme from each of the two regions, some of which are pre-recorded depending on the day's news and due to the use of only one presenting team. The main 6pm evening programme is supplemented by shorter daytime bulletins, with the weekday Daybreak
, lunch and late bulletin after News at Ten consisting of opt-out news for either the West or Westcountry regions. Separate daytime bulletins for the region were reintroduced in September 2011.
ITV West and Westcountry are also required to produce 13 hours of non-news programming a year - currently, the only non-news programme in production is The West Country at Westminster, a monthly political programme.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
regional station covering the South West of England and incorporating the former ITV West and ITV Westcountry
Westcountry Television
Westcountry Television, is the ITV franchise holder in the South West of England, replacing its predecessor, TSW , from the 1 January 1993...
regions.
History
ITV West & Westcountry launched on 16 February 2009, and merged the two regions of ITV West and ITV Westcountry into one amalgamated region. The idea was first proposed following a speech by Michael GradeMichael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
about regional broadcasting post-switchover at the 2007 Nations and Regions conference in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. There was speculation that ITV Westcountry and ITV West could merge operations, as part of further streamlining of regional operations, and rumours suggested that, while a newsroom (and separate regional identity) would be retained in the south west, the main Westcountry Live programme would move to a studio alongside The West Tonight at ITV West in Bristol. On 12 September 2007, ITV issued a statement to the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, saying that it wished to reduce the number of news studios from 17 to just 9. This includes merging ITV West with ITV Westcountry to form the non-franchise region ITV West & Westcountry from Spring 2009. Shortly after the broadcasting regulator Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
gave ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
the go-ahead to merge the two regions.
Studios
ITV West & Westcountry's studio operations were all moved to ITV West's headquarters in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, with the studio facilities in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
mothballed, with a small news bureaux remaining.
Productions
ITV West & Westcountry produces only one programme: the local news programme The West Country TonightThe West Country Tonight
The West Country Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, also including local sports news and local features of interest, produced by ITV West & Westcountry at its studios in Bristol...
, which replaced Westcountry Live
Westcountry Live
Westcountry Live was the flagship regional news programme of ITV Westcountry, serving the South West of England.-History:The programme was first broadcast on Monday 4 January 1993 - four days after Westcountry Television took over the ITV regional franchise from Television South West...
and The West Tonight
The West Tonight
The West Tonight was the flagship news programme in the ITV West region. It was broadcast at 6pm every weeknight. It launched in 1968 as Report West and ceased broadcasting on 15 February 2009.-History:...
on Monday 16 February 2009. The programme includes separate opt-out news bulletins for the first fifteen minutes of the main 6pm programme from each of the two regions, some of which are pre-recorded depending on the day's news and due to the use of only one presenting team. The main 6pm evening programme is supplemented by shorter daytime bulletins, with the weekday Daybreak
Daybreak (ITV)
Daybreak is the weekday breakfast television programme on the British commercial ITV network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway on Fridays...
, lunch and late bulletin after News at Ten consisting of opt-out news for either the West or Westcountry regions. Separate daytime bulletins for the region were reintroduced in September 2011.
ITV West and Westcountry are also required to produce 13 hours of non-news programming a year - currently, the only non-news programme in production is The West Country at Westminster, a monthly political programme.