NRegan

Last updated at 00:00, Friday, 14 December 2007

THE GOVERNMENT has warned regional news coverage should not suffer just because money needs to be saved.

Culture minister Margaret Hodge made the statement in a Commons debate on public service broadcasting obligations and ITV regional programming where MPs called on the government to pressure TV bosses to ensure regions kept their local news service.

She used the recent floods to highlight that in difficult times people always wanted information and the best way to do this was locally.

She added: “We also recognise the pressure on ITV but we believe regional news remains the core part of the public service remit.

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew has been leading the case for the broadcaster to retain the Border region and save nightly news magazine Lookaround.

Plans are being considered by broadcast industry regulator Ofcom which are expected to be scrutinised early next year. Mr Martlew told MPs that ITV’s executive chairman Michael Grade had failed to tell him how much any changes would save.”

The massive campaign to save Border will continue, he said.

He highlighted the example of Barrow, which is covered by the Granada region, mentioned 13 times in the last three months, while the Isle of Man, covered by Border has been mentioned 83 times.

Mrs Hodge added: “Regional television is one of the cornerstones of British television, we all agree with that but nevertheless for public service broadcasting the picture is changing as we move from analogue to a digital world. The government is clear that in this new world there will be an absolutely vital role for public regional programming and regional news.”

The debate comes days after Mr Grade hinted that Border news might be given more airtime than initially indicated if its merger with Tyne Tees goes ahead.

First published at 18:24, Thursday, 24 January 2008
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk