ITV plan to slash local news as Central Tonight is merged

Apr 3 2008 By Jon Griffin

WEST Midland viewers will be guaranteed just six minutes of dedicated local news at 6.05pm when Central Tonight merges with its Nottingham counterpart, it was revealed today.

ITV bosses today claimed the decision to introduce "newsbelt" programmes with local coverage rather than news from Nottingham or Lincoln would still provide "critical mass across the whole region".

Under the revised proposals, ITV says £35-40 million worth of savings will be made with the cutbacks.

ITV sparked controversy last September when it unveiled plans for one regional news programme covering the entire Midlands as part of a national network streamlining project.

Currently, ITV airs two separate programmes in the Midlands, one for the West Midlands, hosted by Bob Warman and Joannne Malin, and another for the East Midlands.

Under new plans announced today, existing regions will become sub-regions, each with six minutes of news from their area in a "newsbelt" at 6.05pm. The sub-regions will also have a bulletin after News at Ten, but half will be pre-recorded.

Mike Jermey, the director of ITV regions and network news operations, said the revised proposals would allow ITV to be "more local" or "sub-regional" than under the broadcaster's original plan.

"We decided to be open about what we were proposing and the way forward and what we needed to change," he said.

"We need to make £35 million to £40 million of cost reductions."

Watchdog Ofcom has said no "final decision" on the merger plan will be made until 2009. Unions have vowed to fight the plans.