In the Very Unfortunate event that ITV Border is scrapped in ITV Cuts, there will still be STV East that northern Northumberland’s Viewers could get

Dear Readers,

My previous post looked at how viewers of North East Regional Television who live in northern Northumberland could obtain more localised news- coverage and also find out about significant happenings on the Scottish side of the Scottish Border (https://looknorthmustlooknorth.org/2020/10/31/some-north-northumbrians-can-get-itv-border-scotland-if-they-twiddle-the-signal-reception-on-their-televisions-and-point-their-aerials-north/). Today, there is the option of tweaking aerials, and getting Sky Television or Freeview to get ITV Border (Scotland). But what if, heaven forbid, ITV.plc’s Management- as a result of the Coronavirus Recession reducing their advertisement revenues- decide to mothball ITV Border altogether? If that happens northern and central Cumbria would be put in the ITV Tyne Tees Region whilst the Scottish Borders are put in the Scottish Television Eastern Region (STV East, which encompasses Edinburgh and the Lothian areas).

If that disastrous situation looked like unfolding, this Website would campaign rigorously to save ITV Border, which has served most of Cumbria, southern Scotland and (until 2006, when the area was transferred to the ITV Tyne Tees transmission area) northernmost Northumberland very well over the years: That is a promise!

If, however OFCOM approved and allowed the mothballing of the ITV Border Region- and this went ahead, it need not be a complete disaster for northern Northumbrian viewers. It is almost certain that STV East (which does not have a huge population in it’s transmission area) will take on the Scottish Borders- and probably cover them quite well. It is certain that the Kelso transmitter that today transmit the signal for ITV Border (Scotland) will carry STV East if the Scottish Borders were transferred into an expanded STV East Region.

This means that those viewers of Regional Television in northern Northumberland who can get ITV Border (Scotland) via Sky or by twiddling the reception knobs on their televisions (and pointing their aerials north) will be able to pick up STV East- which will cover Edinburgh, East and West Lothian and the Scottish Borders and the area around Dunfirmline (north of the Firth of Forth). This means North Northumbrians will be able to tune into STV (East) at 6.pm to get the news to the north of them and then to BBC Look North (North East/ Cumbria) to get the Regional News to the south of them.

There would still be a higher chance of getting more immediately local news each night, even though STV East would (almost certainly) never cover Northumberland. Places such as Berwick-upon-Tweed, Norham and Cornhill-upon-Tweed are within a few miles of the Scottish Border where there is a high chance of getting news of significant local happenings within 20 miles to the north- and which may have a very direct bearing on folk living in northernmost Northumberland.

ITV Tyne Tees would- in all likelihood- be even less likely to cover Northumberland well if they also had to cover most of Cumbria (like BBC Look North does today) following the abolition of ITV Border: There would be West Cumbrians complaining bitterly that they were getting 90% of irrelevant North East news and so (as with BBC Look North) Regional programmers would feel compelled to ensure Cumbria gets more coverage. Lower-populated northern Northumberland would be a lower priority.

This is where North Northumbrians persistently switching en-masse to receive STV (East) would have a big impact: If up to 200,000 North Northumbrians to switch over to STV East (to watch “STV News at Six” (Edinburgh version)) would cause the expanded ITV Tyne- Tees- Cumbria Regional Programmers a problem: They would lose up to 10% of their viewers overnight (with a threatened loss of revenue)- and it is that which should then force them to prioritise Northumberland (with overlap coverage into the Scottish Borders) to hold onto their most northern viewers. North East Regional News programmers will have to make sure that all viewers in all parts of North East England (including right up near Berwick-upon-Tweed) are happy with their news- coverage before worrying about viewers over 100 miles away on the other side of the Pennines (and who, arguably, should be getting a North West Regional News- service tailored to their needs).

I conclude by reminding North Northumbrian viewers of Regional Television that whether the alternative of ITV Border (Scotland) remains in existence or not, there will still be a viable alternative to tune into to find out what is happening to the north of them. The option of threatening to abandon ITV Tyne Tees (or an expanded ITV Tyne- Tees- Cumbria) for a Scottish-flavoured Regional News- service- to bring pressure to bear on North East Regional Programmers to look after their most northerly viewers as well as they look after Geordies and Mackems- will always be there.