Category: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Date: 29.06.2004
Printable version
A new regional
television region is to be created in Central England for Bedfordshire,
Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.
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The new ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ centre will be based in Milton Keynes and
incorporate ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Three Counties Radio, which will eventually transfer
to the city from Luton.
The announcement was made today as part of the biggest shift of investment
out of London and into the Nations and Regions in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s history
by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s Chairman Michael Grade and Director-General Mark Thompson.
The move will see a new regional news programme created, broadcasting
to almost three million viewers across the west of the current Look
East area on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ONE.
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Look East will continue to broadcast a separate programme
across Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
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Mark Thompson said today: "The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is still far
too London-based and this is simply not acceptable for a modern public
service broadcaster that draws its income from all parts of the UK.
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"The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ should reflect the
whole UK. One of the best ways of ensuring that it does is to base it
across the whole UK, close to audiences and talent in all the nations
and regions.
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"Over the period of the next Charter, there will
be a significant shift of money, commissioning power, production and
people out of London and into the rest of the UK.
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"Licence payers everywhere
will benefit from a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ that is far more active in the area where they
live and creates more programmes and services that are directly relevant
to their lives and interests."
Tim Bishop, Head of Regional and Local Programmes at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ East, says:
"We have today committed to provide a new regional television service
for the west of the current ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Look East region.
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"This is an exciting move that will bring more
local and relevant news to all our viewers by creating separate, dedicated
local news services for the East and West of the region."
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ will now explore location options for the new centre in Milton
Keynes, and timescales for the move are yet to be confirmed.
