The Stage

ITV gets regional restructure

Published Tuesday 8 June 2004 at 10:00 by Joanna Taylor

ITV is to restructure the way it operates in Wales and west England in a bid to counter claims that it is neglecting its regional responsibilities.

The network, which has received criticism for closing its Nottingham studios, resulting in hundreds of job losses, is now searching for a dedicated managing director for Wales.

Jeremy Payne who currently manages both ITV Wales and ITV West will step down from his position this month and the organisations separated. ITV West, which covers Bristol and Herefordshire, is become the responsibility of Mark Haskell, managing director of ITV Westcountry covering Devon and Cornwall.

Charles Allen, chief executive of ITV plc said: “ITV’s commitment to regional broadcasting is a unique part of its heritage. The move is good for viewers in Wales and the west of England. It gives ITV Wales its own management with a mandate to deliver the very best service to Welsh viewers and enables ITV West and ITV Westcountry to collaborate more closely and better serve audiences in the south west.”

The changes are part of an ongoing effort to combat criticism that ITV’s regional presence is eroding, particularly since the merger of Carlton and Granada earlier this year.

Broadcasting union Bectu’s assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey last year complained that the network’s regional complexes were becoming “centres of redundancy” and warned that this would continue post-merger.

In ITV’s forthcoming submission to media regulator Ofcom’s wide-ranging review of public service broadcasting, the network is expected to argue that it will step up its commitment to the regions but will seek to be freed of some of its other public service duties, which could include arts and religious programming.