ITV Wales has managed to Opt Out of 2 Peak Time Progs about Wales .

zandarzandar Posts: 929
Forum Member
✭✭
ITV Wales has managed to opt out of two peak time network programmes about Wales. On Monday (27 October 2014) at 8pm, they will not be showing Countrywise - which will be about the Gower peninsula but will, instead, be screening a programme about abusive relationships. (The Countrywise programme will be on ITV Wales at 11.50pm).

The following day - Wednesday 28 October - they will not be showing Wilderness Walks With Ray Mears (in Snowdonia) at 7.30pm on ITV 1 but will instead, have a programme about Dylan Thomas.

Viewers in Wales would be well advised to check the HD version of ITV 1 (Freesat 119 but also available from Welsh transmitters on 103 if your TV has a HD tuner) - should they wish to see the above programmes. Let us hope that when (if) ITV Wales does goes HD, that at least via satellite, an English version of ITV 1 HD is also still available.

I welcome the fact that ITV Wales (or other ITV areas) do produce their own content. The problem is where the opt outs of network programmes are placed. Perhaps ITV 1 should have a dedicated slot for regional output in a similar way to the BBC who usually have Inside Out dealing with regional issues at 7.30pm on Mondays.

Comments

  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    If you are going to show local programming in peak viewing time (as BBC Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do) it is inevitable you will have to displace network programmes although I agree it's a bit ironic they are replacing programmes about Wales with...programmes about Wales. Tomorrow, for instance, EE moves to BBC2 in Scotland because of football and a major new drama at 9 pm on the network will be shown at 10.35.Virtually the whole current series of New Tricks has been displaced in Northern Ireland.
  • RichardcoulterRichardcoulter Posts: 30,153
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I remember the days when Pobol Y Cwm was shown during the afternoon on BBC1.

    Before returning to the usual afternoon trade test transmission, the announcer would say "the next programme is in welsh and is on certain transmitters only. The next programme on all transmitters is Play School at 3:55".

    I only found out years later that the transmitters that weren't showing the welsh programme were.........the welsh transmitters!!! :confused:
  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I remember the days when Pobol Y Cwm was shown during the afternoon on BBC1.

    Before returning to the usual afternoon trade test transmission, the announcer would say "the next programme is in welsh and is on certain transmitters only. The next programme on all transmitters is Play School at 3:55".

    I only found out years later that the transmitters that weren't showing the welsh programme were.........the welsh transmitters!!! :confused:

    Presumably because the programme had already been shown in Wales the previous evening:D
  • Mark CMark C Posts: 20,726
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    ftv wrote: »
    Presumably because the programme had already been shown in Wales the previous evening:D

    Yes, and showing it again in Wales, would have attracted extra royalty payments
  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    In the VHF days there was a huge overlap into Wales from Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield and a few other transmitters.There was the additional complication that Wenvoe served the Bristol Channel area and had to carry local news for both Wales and the West Region until a separate channel 13 for south Wales was established in 1964. ITV had a similar problem and introduced channel 7 from St Hilary in 1965 for south Wales. I don't believe any other ITA transmitters outside Wales carried Welsh programmes although Granada did provide some from Winter Hill until 1963.
  • hyperstarspongehyperstarsponge Posts: 16,562
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    It would be nice to see more opt outs on the ITV network.
  • zandarzandar Posts: 929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    ftv wrote: »
    In the VHF days there was a huge overlap into Wales from Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield and a few other transmitters.There was the additional complication that Wenvoe served the Bristol Channel area and had to carry local news for both Wales and the West Region until a separate channel 13 for south Wales was established in 1964. ITV had a similar problem and introduced channel 7 from St Hilary in 1965 for south Wales. I don't believe any other ITA transmitters outside Wales carried Welsh programmes although Granada did provide some from Winter Hill until 1963.

    It still is possible to receive out of area transmitters. In most cases, where this is possible, viewers should direct an aerial at the more distant transmitter as well as another at their their own region. (In some cases, one aerial will do for both). A simple junction costing about £5 can be used to combine the two signals and any switch removed. The weaker region's signals will load in the low 800's.

    In analogue days, you had to have a switch to flick the signal between the relevant aerial. With digital switchover, some viewers were getting picture freezing because they had forgotten to put the switch to the correct aerial. No doubt, many then called out aerial installers who told them they needed new aerials in order to make money.

    With the introduction of Digital TV, installers are tending to only put up aerials for the relevant region. As the example of ITV Wales opting out of peak time programmes about Wales demonstrates, it is still prudent to have the choice of other regions if they are available. All regions of BBC are available via satellite and I think it would be a good idea for that to also be the case with ITV as it would also enable 'exiles' to keep in touch with their home region. MP's for example, living in London, can only watch their regional news from the BBC but not ITV. *

    * For satellite viewers, all ITV regions are available in a special 'Other Channels' / non
    Freesat mode. As such, they do not appear on the Sky or Freesat EPG's.
  • zandarzandar Posts: 929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    It would be nice to see more opt outs on the ITV network.

    I quite agree. Perhaps the most interesting of these programmes could be shown on ITV 2,3 or 4? They won't get massive ratings but would surely be preferable to much of the tosh that these channels currently broadcast.

    On BBC 1 Scotland on Mondays at 7.30, they have a series about Scottish Islands.This is just the sort of programme that would attract a nation-wide audience on BBC 4 but with relatively low ratings.
  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    zandar wrote: »
    I quite agree. Perhaps the most interesting of these programmes could be shown on ITV 2,3 or 4? They won't get massive ratings but would surely be preferable to much of the tosh that these channels currently broadcast.

    On BBC 1 Scotland on Mondays at 7.30, they have a series about Scottish Islands.This is just the sort of programme that would attract a nation-wide audience on BBC 4 but with relatively low ratings.

    Or an audience on BBC2 with higher ratings
Sign In or Register to comment.