Scottish parliament wants Border to be scrapped
epm-84
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On the radio I heard the Scottish parliament wants the Border franchise area to be reviewed and the Scottish area of Border to be come a new franchise which they hope will be awarded to STV to allow Scottish programs to eb shown to the whole of Scotland, as is the case with UTV and ITV Wales.
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If this happens can see a lot more satellite dishes going up in the Borders and maybe more aerials pointing south to England and west to NI!
You mustn't have seen the old toss they show on UTV....
I am just going by what the OP said, I have not heard about it myself. It sounds like something the SNP would come out with though.
Also, to be fair, Wales and Ireland has always been covered by one ITV region while Scotland is covered by three, so to say that it should be the same as those areas is ignoring how it was set up in the first place.
Caldbeck is in Cumbria and is now split with a Scottish PSB service broadcast to Scotland (assume that means STV) and an English PSB service broadcast to England. The commercial muxes are just English but by next year this will not be a problem as they will be uniform throughout the UK.
So Selkirk is like a sore thumb and eventually it should be assumed by STV. I am not making any comment about the quality of STV, just referring to the geography of the region. Obviously the satellite regions are dictated by the terrestrial arrangements.
Presumably the Edinburgh government will pay the costs involved in doing this?
I agree watch the dishes go up..
I don't know how they've been getting away with the situation on ITV1 Border in Scotland so I'm glad to hear the Scottish parliament speak out about it.
This ITV1 Border region now which used to at least have split England and Scotland versions, has a single regional news bulletin covering everywhere from Dumfries to Newcastle and as far as I know now zero programmes at all for South Scotland. There used to be the odd one or two such as Scotsport but now even this token Scottishness has been totally stripped.
Surely viewers in places like Dumfries & Galloway if they feel at all patriotic would rather have STV. If people in the Border Scotland region are satisfied with their ITV1 service then all I can say is they must be pretty apathetic about TV, STV would easily provide them with a better service more suited to their area and culture. I really don't understand the anti-STV attitude with some in Scotland, don't they realise how lucky they are to have it. A broadcaster that wants to provide more regional news and an increase in the production of original Scottish programmes. Take a look at ITV1 Wales to see what it could be like instead, ITV1 is mostly London.
Fair's fair could STV get a Freeview slot in the area?
You are aware that Border covers Scotland and England? Therefore it isn't just the case of giving Border to STV.
This doesn't just apply to S4C in Wales. This has also happened to ITV in Wales and as reported often in the past,in these forums,the North Wales coast area was/is always traditionally ITV Granada Territory,however their news coverage of this area ceased,in 2009.
My investigations,involving our local MP and his meetings with both ITV Granada and ITV Wales,to discuss re-instating ITV Granada's news coverage,have turned up an agreement between ITV Granada and Wales,whereby ITV Granada will cease to cover any news from the North Wales area. Our MP attempted to persuade ITV Granada to re-instate their news coverage,on the grounds that coverage had already been given,over the past five decades,but both ITV regions,refused to listen.
Our local MP has since written to me to say there is no point in continuing further,as the two parties won't listen and as they are private companies,there is little he can do to oblige them to change their decision.
Ultimately,whatever ITV decide,it will be pointless if the viewers don't go along with it and i can definitely confirm that most viewers in the North Wales coast area,have stayed with ITV Granada and the other Winter Hill channels.
My honest gut feeling,is that there is some political influence,as regards the actions of ITV,in this area,to try and protect Welsh culture and that is the term the politicians have used.
I would certainly suspect that the suggestion that ITV Border,in Scotland,is handed to STV,would have come from the nationalists,just as the problem with ITV in North Wales,has occurred,since the Welsh Nationalists and Labour,are in power in the Welsh Assembly.
Politics and broadcasting don't mix,in my opinion
I always thought it odd that ITV would be that bothered about losing the Scottish half of one of the smallest populated ITV regions in the country (even WITH the English half included).
To a broadcaster the size of ITV, it wouldn't affect them much but for a smaller broadcaster like STV, a few extra potential hundred thousand viewers would be quite useful though it seems STV don't agree!:eek:
Really its as simple as throwing a switch just about.
Caldbeck TX (North Cumbria) has two
ITV muxs . Scotland Ch24 England Ch28
BBC Scotland Mux Ch27 HD Ch22
BBC England Mux CH25 HD Ch28
The Selkirk TX Just swap ITV MUX to STV
and all Relays north of the border
We feel this would be better all round, For viewers and broadcasters
Selkirk relays would all get the same STV like they all get BBC Scotland. The few English ones would have to be expensively reattributed to another main transmitter and I doubt whether it would even be possible, because the relays have to "see" the main.
The only possibility is if there are spare frequencies available to create a Selkirk England and Selkirk Scotland. But I doubt whether ITV or STV would be willing to pay. So it's either STV or ITV at Selkirk.
BTW Caldbeck is now effectively split North & South since DSO. No problems there. It's just Selkirk which is the anomaly.
There aren't any England based relays of Selkirk. The Cheviots effectively form a natural border for TV and radio between the North East (Pontop Pike and Chatton) and Scotland (Selkirk).
Berwick was a hybrid, until ITV changed from Border to Tyne Tees region (the irony) before DSO.
Travel a relatively short distance SW of Selkirk past Hawick and you are in a no-mans land for TV until reaching Langholm, which relays Caldbeck. A relatively short hop over the border into Kielder Forest brings into the Pontop Pike transmitter group zone.
Regarding an earlier post: Mux 2 from Caldbeck Scotland does not carry STV. It was intended to carry Border Scotland. But as that doesn't exist, it's currently ITV TTB.