2nd November 2025
Dear Readers
In this post I wish to explore some of the deeper, fundamental responsibilities that Regional TV broadcasters should exercise in their serving of the communities which watch their programming. Regional and National TV broadcasters, such as ITV Tyne Tees & Border, which produces ITV Border Lookaround and ITV News Tyne Tees for viewers west and east of the North Pennines/ Cheviots respectively are endowed with certain responsibilities towards the communities that they purport to serve. It might be said that Regional TV programs are there just to provide facts- i.e., news about what’s happened locally, but good Regional TV programming can- and should- do more than this.
Anyone old enough to remember Mike Neville, who presented BBC Look North in NE England from the 1970’s through to the 1990’s will remember he was more than just a news-reader. He brought vigour, character and interest to his reporting, he bought communities together with his heart-felt concern for his nightly audience. This comes back to Regional TV, the provision of local news and topics relevant to communities, Mike Neville certainly did this over many years, but he bolstered the Northern pride of his audience with topics and news-coverage that affirmed folk’s sense of Northern-ness, rather than diminishing it.
The weather certainly played its part, back in the 1970’s and 1980’s a series of very cold and snowy winters (conditions of which were bought out in news-coverage) affirmed to folk in Northumbria that they lived closer to the Arctic than folk in southern England, strong Christian values also played a part in helping strengthening communities, and in further helping to make the Northumbrian identity one that folk could wear with pride. There was also North Sea oil and collaboration with the Norwegians, and Scandinavian cultural influences (i.e., Abba) that enhanced the local sense of Northern-ness through unique links with regions even further to the north (or to the north-east across the North Sea). This fed back into pride, in the local communities of Northumberland and Tyneside, further strengthening those communities.
A modest global warming has, by and large, seen an end to cold, snowy winters in NE England. Such winters ensured that outsiders had a respect for the harsh but beautiful winter conditions, especially on high ground. In recent years, heavy snowfalls and hard frosts have become intermittent and, in some winters, not occurring at all. The northern uplands of the North Pennines, North York Moors, and the Cheviots have, in the process lost some of the awesomeness that garnered not only respect from those visiting these, but milder winters have removed the some of the interest and mystique surrounding the High Northern Fells from tourists visiting them.
It is not in the gift of Regional TV broadcasters to bring about a return to the colder winters of the past, but there is evidence that “Man-made Global Warming” has not been the sole determinant of rising temperatures over the last forty years. That is not to say that humankind does not have a role in trying to reduce CO2 emissions, but this must be done in a way that does not impoverish entire populations- and to be aware that a couple of degrees of global warming may have more benefits for communities in the North (in the form of longer growing seasons for crops and lower winter heating bills for the elderly), sea-level rises are unlikely to be more than a couple of metres in the next 100 years- so ample time to build up flood defences or to develop schemes such as carbon capture that take CO2 out of the atmosphere on a large scale..
Alas, there are still things that broadcasters can- and should do- to retain (or, if need be, bring a return to) the northern pride, community cohesion and Christian values that underpinned Northumbrian communities and make this northernmost region of England the jewel in the crown that attracted folk from the remainder of the country. To these issues we will now turn.
Local and Topically- Relevant News-coverage
In order to engage viewers of Regional TV, and- by extension- enthuse communities it goes without saying that Regional TV News-coverage has to be locally and topically relevant to the communities it serves. Thirty years ago, Tyne Tees Television (as it then was), produced the main evening Regional TV programme called Northern Life, with a 15-minute opt-out (broadcast from Middlesbrough) covering Teesside, Teesdale and North Yorkshire, with the main programming then covering Tyneside and Northumberland. This was all for a population of under three million inhabitants and it meant local communities stood a higher chance of being covered.
These days, there’s one ITV Regional News programme, ITV News Tyne Tees covering an area stretching from York right up to Berwick-upon-Tweed, some 160 miles. Within the 27-minute bulletin (allowing for adverts) some five to ten minutes of the main evening news-bulletin is devoted to sports, and most of the coverage is focussed on where folk are concentrated- i.e., within Tyneside, Teesside and Wearside. Consequent on this reporting, urban news and issues (such as ethnic tensions, violent street crime, drugs) get covered more than rural and coastal news and issues (i.e., farming, rural transport and fishing).
This has two effects, first that the rural northern half of the region, i.e., Northumberland and the northern Yorkshire Dales (which also comes within ITV News Tyne Tees’ transmission area) gets little coverage. Secondly, with little of topical relevance and large areas not getting covered well it means that large rural areas- and communities within them- are not properly engaged and their concerns are not addressed by their so-called “local news” programming.
Even in places like North Tyneside, South Shields and Hartlepool coverage of Sports and coverage of ethnic tensions in cities, means that concerns of the indigenous populations in these communities- such as local worries about crime, community regeneration and lack of local opportunities get overlooked in favour of more “politically-correct” coverage (a guidance which should never inform broadcasters wishing to serve NE English communities). Broadcasters tend to forget that, even in 2025, most folk living in these communities are White, Northern British- with the concerns that these folk have. An exercise in finding out what viewers want from Regional TV, addressing concerns and engaging local audiences in a pro-active way would go some way towards encouraging folk to think of others, to pull together for their communities and for families to be less “atomised”.
It is not possible for Regional TV broadcasters to provide sufficiently detailed coverage of local communities across this huge TV Region with just the one TV Region. Regional TV provision across North East England needs splitting in two, and sports coverage needs to be limited to just a few minutes (folk who follow football teams have other TV channels they can watch in 2025). Locations North of Tyne and towards the North Pennines should have their own TV programming, so that the rural concerns of this vast area are properly addressed, and communities in Tynedale, Coquetdale, and upper Weardale can be engaged properly.
The ideal for local and Regional TV is 80% coverage within half an hour’s travel-time and a further 20% coverage up to an hour’s travel-time away- north as well as south. Even 30% coverage within half an hour’s travel time and 20% up to an hour’s travel-time away would mark a big improvement for someone living in Seahouses or Allenheads; alas viewers of Regional TV in these locations are not getting anything close to this degree of coverage! Unfortunately, in these austere days Regional TV is being starved of funds when, in view of its importance serving local communities, funding should be doubled so that there are more (and smaller) TV Regions and there is more topically-relevant Local/ Regional News and Documentary programming for local communities.
Northern News with Ice in it
Northern communities such as those in Tyneside and Northumberland respond best to their Northern identity and sense of Northern-ness, which they identify strongly with being affirmed. This happens when they see news and facts presented to them that build them up in this strong sense of Northern identity. A Tynesider would affirm himself (or herself) as English, but probably more so as Northern too.
If Northumbrian viewers see news-features that not only affirm this sense of Northern-ness, but also do it with a “Wow Factor”, that is positive. Although less common than in the past, NE England is visited upon with snow and ice in the winter months, at least in colder, upland areas and if it does not immediately impact anywhere in the region winter snow and ice may well affect significant parts of an adjacent region further north that folk might travel to (either for leisure, or out of necessity).
Snow and ice will certainly feature in the weather-forecast when such conditions are expected, but broadcasters in NE England would do well to feature more of their pictures (often shown in conjunction with the weather-forecast) with snow and ice in them at times, even when this is not in the forecast. Pictures of snow and ice, for which read, icy high latitudes are a great way of affirming Northern-ness by associating the region with a weather-phenomenon associated with higher (i.e., Northerly) latitudes.
This goes for spring-time too: In late- March -usually long after any snow has melted away from other parts of England- there will often still be snow-patches clinging to gulleys on the highest north-facing slopes of Cross Fell, or The Cheviot (high up on the North Northumberland/ Scottish border). Broadcasters should encourage viewers to send in pictures of these late-lying snow-patches and to air them- and sometimes to feature them in short reports. This does something for our Northumbrian communities, it affirms a sense of their northerly latitude, of being further north than other parts of England. It also affirms the uniqueness and a “Wow-Factor” for their region, i.e., that of having snow nearby when it has long gone from areas further south.
Links with strong communities even further North
It is a fact that communities which have pride in the fact that they are well to the North- and different- from most other parts of the UK identify with places that are similar and even more “Northern”. Places well to the South are associated- in the minds of Northumbrian folk- with Poshness, Atomised Greed and Selfishness (i.e., “The City”, in London), lack of community, Multi-culturalism (and with it, a perception of there being large numbers of folk from cultures hostile to the community and to the country as a whole). Locations further north, across the Border into Scotland are those which communities in Northumberland- in particular- have strong historical and cultural ties to.
At the north-eastern edge of the UK North-East England does have links with regions to the north and east. Contrary to “received wisdom” communities in North-East England have ties across the northern North Sea with Norway, Sweden and Denmark- the local Geordie and Northumberland dialects have words that have Nordic roots, there are cultural links with Scandinavia in terms of activity and music (which I have elaborated on in a recent post on this website: https://looknorthmustlooknorth.org/2025/07/28/music-and-cultural-links-between-northumbria-scotland-and-norway-and-the-etias-implications/), and modern links through the North Sea Oil and Fishing Industries- and more recently- through offshore wind-farms in the North Sea. Alas, stemming from Brexit (for which folk voted to get democratic control), Northumbrians are liable to be subjected to Visa Waiver screening from next year (at the behest of the EU) that is liable to stop some of them visiting friends, beautiful places etc, in Norway or Sweden as they have done in the past. Again, I discuss these issues in more detail in the article linked to above.
It is widely considered that because North-East England voted heavily to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum that folk living in North-East England really want nothing to do with anything that is not Great Britain- but that is not strictly true: Voters voted for their government to have control over their money, legislature and borders- specifically who comes to settle in their communities- but they did not vote to be cut off from friends, contacts and beautiful places to visit over the wider region and in adjacent regions.
Given the significance of links to the north and north-east that Tynesiders and Northumbrians have, it is incumbent upon Regional TV providers serving these areas to recognise and cover these Scottish and Nordic links. This is only really going to happen with a Regional TV-service like ITV News Tyne Tees being split so that folk north of Tyne have opt-out programming.
The BBC Regional News-service for North-East England, that’s BBC Look North (NE/ Cumbria)- funded as it is by TV Licence-payers, could also take a lead even though it covers a massive area: It basically needs splitting so that Cumbria has its own 15-minute opt-out and North of Tyne also has a 15-minute opt-out. The area covered is far too large for all areas to get effective local and Regional TV coverage, and Northumberland (in particular) is poorly-served. Cumbrians have the option of switching over to ITV Border and watching Lookaround, for folk in mid and northern Northumberland they do not have a ready local news-service to switch over to. A 15 minute opt-out from within BBC Look North would make room not only for local Northumbrian coverage, but it would provide space for news-reports covering wider regional links that Northumbrian communities have to the north.
Communities in and around Seahouses, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Wooler get a bit peeved off with endless coverage of Sports, Asian tensions in Middlesbrough or knife-attacks in Sunderland. These are issues, places and problems that they feel they have forced upon them that “diminish” their sense of Northern-ness because it is about places and communities that they really don’t want to know about. They want to know about issues and communities that bolster their sense of Northernness and community pride, about folk and communities across the wider region that they share a cultural history with and share similar concerns.
Northumbrians do not, in any way, like to be “told” that because they live in North-East England and are to be nice and multicultural, that they must accept streamed into their living-room endless news about Tyneside and Teesside, or about ethnic groups who live in distant cities- and their issues- that have absolutely no bearing on their lives (there is, as I discuss below, a place for such coverage but it is not Regional news). Folk living in coastal northern Northumberland want more coverage related to the local tourism and fishing industry, they may be more interested in whether the ETIAS Visa Waiver Scheme is going to disrupt their plans to see the fantastic Swedish musical pop-band Sarek in concert in Gothenburg (link to one of Sarek’s songs- Genom Eld och Vatten– that’s Through Fire and Water in Swedish- here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK_VrQetwGc), or whether rail disruption north of Newcastle will affect their ability to travel to Edinburgh to do Christmas Shopping and meet up with Scottish relatives (of which, by the way, many Northumbrians have).
In short, Northumbrians should, if anything, be exposed more to news from places and regions further North rather than to the South. Northern Northumberland has stronger ties with the Scottish Borders than Tyneside/ Wearside and quite a lot of Northumbrians have more in common with Scots and Norwegians- than with Asians and Africans (the coverage of issues affecting whom has increased sharply in Northern Regional TV in recent years). Communities are bolstered and strengthened by sympathetic news-coverage of the places, issues and wider regional links with which they attach more importance, and it is important for Regional TV broadcasters (and indeed National TV broadcasters) to do this. It is all part of their Corporate Social Responsibility to bolster community cohesion, pride and resilience,- through the promotion of common bonds or wider regional affiliations that communities may have, not by forcing on to these communities “affiliations” and topics that they have absolutely no interest in whatsoever!
There is a place for more coverage on issues affecting ethnic (and other) minority groups in the UK. Bit this should be more the preserve of National broadcasting that covers National and International news-coverage, such as the BBC’s Six O’Clock News,- by the very nature of the fact that there is an International dimension to ethnic groups living in Britain and who have recently moved to the country. There has long been a dedicated BBC Asian Network, and for ethnic minorities new TV Channels such as Generation Black TV have sprung up for UK-based audiences (link here: https://stirr.com/live/6430/genb-tv), and the BBC already goes out of its way at a National level to provide programming for the Black and Ethnic Minority communities in Britain. And, in 2025 and the days of the Internet, there is absolutely nothing to stop Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis or Iranians finding TV channels with news broadcast in their mother tongues- and providing detailed news about what is happening in their respective countries- and they can shop around. With regards to the proportion that they are of the UK population (just 13% at the 2021 Census, and the proportion is a fraction of this for the English Norh-East), it means that all things considered- it would be a stretch to say that the Black and Ethnic Minority Community is under-represented.
Local and Regional TV News-services are for Local communities and the wider Region thereof. Broadcasters would do well to consider who it is they are primarily to be focussed on, and if 95% of the population of Tyneside and Northumberland have wider Regional links and ties across the wider region that are not those that the Powers-That-Be would wish them to have, it would be great if BBC Look North and ITV News Tyne Tees– and other Regional TV documentary broadcasting- could start peppering a bit of their coverage with mention of ties to Scotland and Scandinavia- instead of Asians, or indeed Jamaicans worried about a hurricane back in Jamaica (coverage of which was on BBC NW Tonight -for NW England- two nights in a row over the last week!).
Unlike those who follow Sports coverage, or those who are of ethnic minorities (for whom there is a wealth of news and documentary coverage on new channels springing up), local communities in Northumberland have few options. Their population is low enough, despite the wide area of their coverage, for there not to be a dedicated local TV news-service for Northumberland, or for Northumberland and the Scottish Borders to provide news and topics of interest for Northumbrian residents. The BBC Regional TV services ITV News Tyne Tees and BBC Look North (NE/ Cumbria) really are the best that there is- and effective coverage of the area and some coverage of the wider Region (and in ways that is important for North Northumbrians) really does not exist! This is simply not good enough.
Promoting Community Cohesion and Respect
This brings us onto the fourth main area in which Regional TV coverage needs to be improved, though in-part it depends on the areas of improvement just covered. Good Regional TV exercises good corporate social responsibility in promoting the well-being, cohesion, and harmony in the communities that they serve. Regional TV does this in the areas already mentioned- local and relevant news, fostering Northern pride and a sense of exciting uniqueness, and fostering common ties and wider regional affiliations that further affirm the communities served. But promoting community and respect goes beyond this.
In late November and early December 2021 BBC Look North’s Carol Malia reported on a community- near Wooler- up in rural northern Northumberland pulling together after Storm Arwen brought widespread devastation due to devastating northerly gales and (for much of NE England) snow. Over the course of three or four nights the impact of power blackouts and cold on the community, how folk locally were rallying around to help the elderly and vulnerable- and coping with the after-effects of Storm Arwen were broadcast to over a million households across NE England and northern Cumbria: Not only was this an excellent bit of rare coverage of northern Northumberland, but Carol Malia was- in effect- showcasing a remote North Northumbrian community of folk coming together to help each other out in adverse circumstances. The underlying message- as well as recognising and fostering pride in the North Northumberland community and showing folk that broadcasters take an interest in their far-flung community- was a wider message broadcast to a million homes across North-East England: That message was “Hey folks! This is a splendid example of the Best in our Region- a Community pulling together in the face of adversity. We should all be doing this!”.
More coverage like this, showing rural communities across Northumberland pulling together, supporting the vulnerable in tough situations, etc,. which would go some way to building up community cohesion and fostering community pride. Such reporting for other parts of North-East England would likewise foster strong community spirit.
This is such an important part of building up communities and bringing the best out of people, so that this region produces something else unique, that communities across Northumberland, Tyneside and rural County Durham can be proud of- strong resilient communities that pull together for all who live in them- and in a way that does not happen in the more atomised societies in the English Midlands and South of England. Northumbrian communities can be encouraged to come together to show-case their resilience and togetherness in the face of adversity, which is another badge that Northumbrians can then wear with pride. This forms a virtuous circle of community resilience being built up to be something for local folk to be really proud of it, which further brings the community together with folk invested in (and having greater pride in) their communities- leading in turn to greater resilience. If Regional TV broadcasters can play a role in setting this train in motion they should do so.
The flip-side of this is not just factual reporting of crime and yobbery in Regional bulletins -but condemnation of yobs, vandalism and low-level crime that damages communities- and encouraging viewers to “If you know who this is, please contact the Police”, and encouraging local communities to hold together in the face of such blights on their lives- and overcome them.
Rural areas in Northumberland suffer the effects of crime- it might not be stabbings and drug-related offences, but inter-family feuds boiling over into violence, domestic violence, tractor and quad-bike thefts which are far more likely to be relevant to the communities impacted. If these sorts of issues arise, local communities should be encouraged to deal with them (with Police involvement as required): When Northumbrian communities successfully fight back against yobbery and low-level criminal behaviour within them a follow-up news-report or two showing how communities fight back against Crime and Anti-social behaviour would go down well. This would encourage other communities afflicted with burglaries, vandalism, thefts, and violence to unite- to fight against the menace in their midst. This is not to say that broadcasters should encourage vigilantism, but that folk living in a community can be encouraged to take a more pro-active approach in making their communities better and safer for others to enjoy. And in so doing, helping to return Northumberland communities to their unique, welcoming, and selfless tight-knit characteristics that they had par-excellence in the past.
Returning to Northumbrian Christian Roots and Values
There is a vital element in restoring Northumbrian communities to their proud former glories- but it is one where broadcasters fear to tread. But it is absolutely fundamental to changing individual behaviour from selfish (and potentially yobbish or criminal) to being considerate, selfless and putting others first. It is a belief that there will one day – after they die- be a divine encounter where they face the prospect of being judged for things done, including those things done in secret and punished for such wrong-doing. Christianity and Judaism both have at their core a God who loves, who provides instruction on how to live, but who spells out consequences for those who reject God and His teaching – who are then judged for sinful behaviour after they die. Christianity goes further in the affirmation of Jesus Christ, that only those who have a life-long faith in Jesus whilst following God’s laws can be sure of heaven.
The situation we have in the 2020’s is rather different. The younger generation has been bought up on proving things with science, and to take pride just in who they are, and to do what they want and have sexual relationships with whoever they want to be with. Not only has this led to more atomised societies, so evident south of the M62 Corridor, but the influx of folk from countries underpinned by very different faiths to our Judeo- Christian heritage has effectively eliminated such faith from large parts of major cities further south. It’s probably not popular to point out what many folk must be intuitively aware of know deep down, but if the Powers That Be systematically remove from a population any belief in the possibility that folk will be held accountable for wrongs committed, allowing the idea to universally take hold that folk just have to “Not Get Caught!” in this life and just a nothingness follows (so it’s best if they “Live Life to the Full!”), if the authorities double down to arrest and censure any Christian teachers who would tell folk that “Yes, there Is Actually a God!” then this creates the conditions for millions of folk to live selfish, greedy and violent lives, but not to be good citizens looking out for others!
There are a good half a million younger folk living in North-East England alone, who today have been inculcated with such beliefs who would react very adversely -to anyone who would so much as dare to get them to consider the possibility that there is a God who will judge them, that they cannot do whatever they want without consequence! But this is an indisputable fact: If you create a moral framework in a society in which people are told that there is Not Really a God, that Church is just a cosy tradition some older folk do, that God is Not Actually Real it will have damaging consequences for families, for communities and their cohesion- because millions of folk will be encouraged to just do what they please- with little regard for others, or the possible future consequences!
Unfortunately, no-one in Public life would dare to preach like this: Nowadays not even the established Church of England has ministers or pastors who teach their congregation more than just believing in Jesus (some do not even teach that!), but also that folk need to turn away from lust, greed, envy and rage- towards loving kindness, care for the poor, and being gentle- if they want to be sure of avoiding hell. The UK has fallen a long way morally in little over thirty years- from when such instruction for a holy life was heard in school assemblies and when Catholic Schools still had the cane. It is true that there are Free Churches and House-churches, some of whom espouse the following of godly and righteous living, and in my view these cannot grow fast enough: For example, the churches under the Vineyard movement (of which there are several in NE England) do this- and it is also encouraging the Catholic Church has seen something of a revival with an increase in the numbers of young millennials (who have become disillusioned with the drive of a woke, LGBTQ agenda).
There is evidence of the existence of hell (from some who have had near death experiences when their hearts stopped beating who were subsequently resuscitated, link here to the most vivid I have seen from someone reported to have died and come back to life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yN2Zsuk1Fc), there is ample evidence that Jesus walked the Earth 2,000 years ago, and even that he died and rose again. There is evidence of God at work today in people who have been healed of sickness and injury after receiving prayer and ministry (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeghFM0SL6Y and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6hfA3MFyiU ). If folk have an open mind, and don’t shut their mind thinking that this is all just make it all up- they just come to realise that perhaps there is a God after all- and that they need to do something about it.
Back to the main subject in hand there is probably little that broadcasters on Regional TV in North-East England can do in this regard: If Amy Lea or Ian Payne started talking about God on ITV News Tyne Tees, and of the need for viewers to live selfless lives and care for the poor because one day they might be judged by God if they don’t, that would probably be the last broadcast either of them will ever present for ITV News Tyne Tees! The legendary news-presenter Mike Neville might have been allowed to do that on BBC Look North (for NE England) back in the 1980’s- but that was a different age in which the rich Judeo-Christian heritage of North-East England was respected, when our laws and institutions were underpinned by Christian values and teachings. This is no longer the case, and now the law is such that if a news broadcaster challenges someone with an idea that they do not like, or comes across as confrontational to people, broadcasters can be had up in the Courts for causing deep offence.
Extoling Christian values, hinting at the need to live lives pleasing to God because that is good for local communities is very difficult in this day and age- but doing so is not impossible. Allowing Church leaders to speak on the news in relation to issues affecting the area or having documentaries on the growing number of Free and House Churches in North-East England would be one way of promoting Christian values. The problem is, this means the Muslims would demand more coverage of their messages so that they don’t feel “discriminated” against- and it would take a tough Regional TV programmer to say “Actually, the Muslims have a lot of their own Programming, so this is more than fair!”, and to stand firm. Perhaps broadcasters in North-East England can go one better and do a documentary on the Minsteracres Retreat Centre just off the A68 a few miles south of Riding Mill, on the Northumberland side of Kiln Pit Hill (link here to this ministry: https://minsteracres.org/). This would show lives being touched by- a God to many in NE England who don’t believe either God or Jesus Christ is real!
In terms of transforming Northumbrian communities, so that they are once more the pride of Britain- by inculcating into thousands of minds that they just might not get away with living selfish, rude, inconsiderate lives because of a God who may judge them- will reach into hundreds of thousands of souls. If hundreds of thousands of folk in NE England are encouraged to take stock of their own lives- through something that they have seen on the telly- that will help to transform communities for the better.
Northumberland, and to some extent County Durham, has a long history of Christian cultural influences, which have- perhaps- given this region a stronger grounding in Christian values than other parts of Britain. St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne was a monk and bishop of the early Northumbrian Church -with monasteries at Melrose (in the Scottish Borders) and on Lindisfarne (just off the North Northumbrian Coast, near Berwick-upon-Tweed). You can read more about St. Cuthbert here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert. St. Bede is another example of a great saint, a monk who brought Christian teachings to the early church in NE England during the late seventh and early eighth centuries AD, based as he was at Monkwearmouth, near Jarrow (Tyne and Wear). This rich history and heritage can be covered in Regional News broadcasts, again in a way that sells Christian values and beliefs to viewers across North-East England, but without coming across as “preachy”.
All of this, alas relies on broadcasters with courage to broach a controversial but essential topic of the need for Christian values to be restored (a delicate balancing act nowadays, because this has to be done in a way that doesn’t too greatly risk career-terminating arrest, but broadcasters will need to be prepared to take some risk to Tell it Straight to their viewers). Ultimately, this is going to require a change of Government- to one that will encourage a return to the strong Judeo-Christian heritage of North-East England- with an overhaul of some of the laws prohibiting the assertion of Christian values. It also requires courageous Christians and Church leaders to challenge Regional broadcasters to have COURAGE, to be willing to expound on the unsayable and to gently show folk the merit of belief in God and returning to Christian values. Northumbrians concerned about all this, who do believe in God should use their vote to bring in righteous Government, and to share their faith with those who don’t believe in God (again, something that is not easy nowadays, but necessary). That is also part of the change needed.
The Corporate Social Responsibilities for Regional TV Broadcasters serving North-East England
In conclusion there is a lot that the Regional broadcasters serving NE England can do to connect with their audiences in a manner that tangibly improves those communities. They need to be relevant, to directly address folks’ concerns and issues, cover wider Regional links that have salience and relevance to viewers and to do this in a way that fosters community pride and cohesion. But the introduction of Christian values and documentaries containing evidence of divine reality- and exposing viewers to Christian truths (inasmuch as the BBC and ITV.Plc National headquarters, and the authorities would allow) is also essential if Northumbrian communities are to- once more- return to being special and amazing, with their unique Northern attributes that can then be reported on. All of these measures, in turn create virtuous feedbacks whereby excellent communities that pull together are reported upon, fostering greater community pride and a desire in those in other Northumbrian communities to replicate- leading in turn to more Northumbrian communities peopled by wonderful folk.
The news- coverage of ice and snow, where possible, in the winter half-year also adds an element of awe and amazement at their unique Region for Northumbrian communities. This demonstrates to Northumbrians that they live in a uniquely special Northern Region, closer to the Arctic than many other parts of the UK, with weather that transforms parts of the English North-East into virgin beauty with cold, awe-inspiring conditions. This, along with the odd documentary reporting on the reality of an Awesome God (perhaps folk getting healed in a Northumbrian Healing Meeting) increases the sense of awe and respect in folk about matters that characterise (or pertain to) North-East England: That can only be beneficial for many thousands of Northumbrian souls and the communities in which they serve- and ultimately that is of benefit to viewers of Regional News and documentaries across all of North East England.
Northumbrian Folk have a Part to Play too
It is unlikely, in the reality of financial constraints on Regional TV broadcasts and the Political/ Legislative climate of 21st Century Britain that broadcasters are willing to tread a path that they believe could cost them money in lawsuits, let alone one that risks career-ending arrest and criminal conviction. So, it is incumbent upon local folk, specifically those who live North of Tyne who would appreciate more localised, community-values based reporting to put some pressure on broadcasters themselves.
If one is a Christian or follower of Judaism, it is also incumbent upon one to share one’s faith- and to persuade friends and family of the merits of Christian living, and even having the courage to spell out the possible eternal consequences for someone rejecting God and His laws- backed up with evidence in one’s own life experience (not just words out of The Holy Bible or The Torah). The societal decline of North-East England has not happened in a vacuum, and it will take the concerted effort of thousands of Christian folk to arrest this decline and bring about a glorious renaissance of Northumbrian communities. It is not always easy or popular to share one’s faith (especially in this day and age), but it is a vital part of restoring Northumbria to its former glory- so it is special and fantastic once more for local communities.
Beyond that, Regional TV broadcasters still have a vital role to play: Their half-hour nightly “Messages” (if one can appreciate them as such) reaches the eyes and ears of potentially three million inhabitants who live in North-East England, and including much of North Yorkshire (that falls within the transmission areas of NE England Regional TV broadcasts). The likes of Carol Malia (for BBC Look North in NE England) or Ian Payne (for ITV News Tyne Tees) have enormous responsibility that stretches far beyond merely reporting facts that happen across the region. They need to be encouraged- strongly- to use their nightly “pulpit” to do and say what is needed for the Region as a whole through the news and topics that they bring (I don’t think it is too harsh to tell them it is Cowardly not to Stand Up and Say What-is-Needed-Said for fear of career-loss or some temporary unpopularity if they reply to one’s original letter to them that they refuse to espouse Christianity): They should use their influence to be seen to recognise and build up communities, specifically the large rural area that stretches north of the A69 up into the Scottish Borders that is often otherwise overlooked.
Broadcasters must be encouraged with their reports and news- to promote community resilience and cohesion. Reports must cover cold weather, even that occurring just outside the Region that may affect travellers going north (i.e., in the Scottish Borders)- as that is part of “Bigging up” the Northern Pride and the “Wow-factor” that Northumbrians can be encouraged to feel about their communities and their Region- for the betterment of said-communities. Some reporting and documentary coverage should cover links to places even further north (i.e., in Scotland or Norway) as Northumbrians have cross-border ties and news about icy places further north enhances Northumbrians’ sense of Northernness- a badge that they wear with pride. And the promotion of Christian values and reporting of news sympathetic to God as real- and bringing a future portent to how many thousands of Northumbrians live today can only be good for communities if it encourages, good, selfless, and virtuous living from folk in their communities (although there is a limit to what broadcasters are allowed by law to say nowadays). Viewers, specifically those who are Christians, or who follow Judaism also have a responsibility to write to- and prevail upon Regional TV broadcasters- so that they use their “pulpits” to “preach” news and values in a way that brings about positive change to the communities that they broadcast their Regional TV programming to.
LOOK NORTH MUST LOOK NORTH 