News RSS Feed


Lookaround fight goes to London

10:17am Saturday 5th July 2008

comment Comments (2)   Have your say »


THE fight to save ITV Border's much-loved Lookaround show went to London yesterday, direct to the headquarters of ITV.

Council representatives from both sides of the Scottish border joined the Bishop of Carlisle for talks with top bosses from ITV and ITV Border, in a bid to stop the 30 minute programme being axed.

Bosses from ITV announced last year plans to merge the Border region with that of Tyne Tees but campaigners say local news coverage would be seriously reduced.

Tim Stoddard, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said: "Lookaround is one of the most valued and well-loved of any of ITV's regional news programmes. The depth of support for its local coverage is proved time and time again in both the audience viewing figures and our own surveys of local people.

“Losing Lookaround would have a major impact on the identity of the region. Today's meeting has helped quantify some of the economic and social effects of the proposed ITV changes and has also been an extremely useful guide to the rationale behind the proposed regulatory changes. We have agreed to meet again with ITV so that we can prepare a fully-informed response once the next stage of Ofcom's consultation begins in September."

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourCumbria

Kentish Man, Gillingham says...
10:07pm Mon 7 Jul 08

was sorry to read that there is a possibility of ITV Border's Lookaround being axed, as a regular visitor to Cumbria I look forward to watching a local news programme that provides local news and opinions. Living in Kent we suffer with Meridian news who when providing a local news service for GMTV gave us news from anywhere in the South of England including traffic information from as far as Wiltshire, Oxfordshire & Hampshire I doubt that this helped very many people on there daily journey's to work. As for there evening news programme I was under the impression there was/is a ban on leaving the studio in order to find or verify stories & those stories that are broadcast are little more than adapted national stories or thinly disguised adverts. I do hope that Lookaround is still on air on my future visits to Cumbria and doesn't go the way of Meridian's Tonight Programme.

Report this post »

Sue Premru, Arnside says...
1:34pm Tue 8 Jul 08

Lookaround is a most splendid local news programme which gets out to cover many important issues of prime interest - and concern - to the area as it stands. Here in South Lakeland it is the only programme which covers local news in the depth it does and is vital viewing. They actually go out to gather the items. We can also share an interest in the North of our County as well as Scottish local issues as they tend to be of a rural nature. Our alternative local news gives mostly drugs & gun-warfare in inner cities and is largely a football sports programme. Wonderful as Northumberland is, it is too far geographically to be of immediate concern to us here. Please Save Lookaround.

Report this post »

Your sayYourCumbria

comment Add your comment

Register for a FREE The Westmorland Gazette account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.

Please register now or sign in below to continue.




Forgotten your password?

In this section

Essential Links

Sponsored Links



Local Advertisers


Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »