By Phil Coleman

Last updated 12:47, Monday, 25 February 2008

ONE of Cumbria’s best known entrepreneurs is putting his weight behind efforts to save ITV Border’s nightly news show Lookaround.

Andrew Tinkler: ’I am really pleased’

Eddie Stobart chief executive Andrew Tinkler, whose company WA Development International owns Carlisle Airport, has spoken out to defend the programme, saying it is vital to Cumbria’s economy and cultural life.

He has added his voice to the growing chorus of disapproval from those opposed to merging Border’s news operations with those of Tyne Tees.

Mr Tinkler has now agreed to take a delegation from ITV Border to the Isle of Man on February 22, flying them from Carlisle Airport in his company jet so they can lobby Chief Minister Tony Brown.

Critics of the merger say Cumbria and the Isle of Man are likely to lose out, and risk becoming marginalised if their news regions are swallowed up by news operations based in distant cities. Mr Tinkler said:“I think ITV Border’s news programmes are important for the local economy.

“It would be a real shame if they were moved away from Carlisle. I just don’t think this area would get the TV news coverage that we need.

“Border also helps to promote businesses, and the station also creates jobs. I want to put my name behind trying to save Lookaround because we need to keep it here.

“We have to put pressure on ITV to keep it here.”

Adam Powell, a long-serving reporter with Lookaround, and spokesman for the station’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) chapel, said: “The Isle of Man is an important part of the Border region.

“The island, as well as south west Scotland and Cumbria, gets a good service from Border and we want to make sure that continues. It’s good to have the support of important business people like Andrew Tinkler.

“As far as business is concerned, what we do is a two-way street: in an area like ours, they get far more coverage than they would in a bigger region where the news agenda would be dominated like issues such as knife-crime and murders.

“We give local business a lot of positive coverage.”

Mr Tinkler’s involvement in the battle to save Lookaround has come just days after the NUJ at the station accused ITV bosses of trying to kill off the station, rejecting a £12m bid for the station from a business consortium.

ITV bosses last week confirmed that the new merged news service would contain at least 12 minutes of Border region news.