ITV News West Country
Title card for the west sub-region, depicting Smeaton's Tower
Presented bySabet Choudhury & Alex Lovell
Country of originEngland, United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersTBA
(Head of News)
Production locationsBristol, England
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time29 minutes (18:00 broadcast)
Production companyITV West Country
Original release
NetworkITV1 (ITV West Country)
Release16 February 2009 (2009-02-16) –
present
Related

ITV News West Country is a British television news service broadcast and produced by ITV West Country.

Overview

ITV News West Country is broadcast from studios in Brislington, Bristol, with district reporters and camera crews based in newsrooms at Plymouth, Exeter, Truro, Taunton, Swindon and Gloucester.

History

The nightly regional news programme was launched on 16 February 2009 as The West Country Tonight, following the merger of two regional news services – The West Tonight (ITV West) and Westcountry Live (ITV Westcountry).[1][2]

From 24 November 2016, ITV News West Country began broadcasting in HD to the ITV West and ITV Westcountry regions on Sky and Freesat only. At present, Freeview and Virgin Media carry the ITV News Central region on ITV HD in the West and Westcountry, requiring these viewers to use the standard definition ITV channel for their regional ITV News West Country service.

On air staff

When the programme launched, it was presented by ITV West presenters Lisa Aziz and Steve Scott (formerly of The West Tonight).[3] ITV West weather presenters Alex Beresford and Bob Crampton were both retained. Beresford left the programme in a full time capacity to present the weather for Good Morning Britain in 2017; Crampton remained in his role until his retirement in 2018.[4]

However, Aziz was suspended in June 2009 from her position and left ITV in February 2010, with former Westcountry Live freelancer Vanessa Cuddeford taking over.[5] Scott left his position to become sports editor for ITV News in May 2010,[6] and was replaced by former Meridian Tonight presenter Ian Axton.

Bristol-based district correspondent Cordelia Lynch became a stand-in main presenter for Cuddeford from May 2012 when she went on maternity leave. Both Cuddeford and Lynch announced their departures from ITV West Country a year later. Kylie Pentelow of BBC East Midlands Today replaced Cuddeford from July 2013.[7]

On 3 March 2017, it was announced that former Sky News presenter Mark Longhurst would be taking over from Ian Axton, following his promotion to Head of News for ITV West Country in January 2017.[8] Longhurst left the programme seven months later.

On 22 January 2018, it was announced that interim presenter Jonty Messer had become Longhurst's replacement.

Kylie Pentelow moved to Wales at Six on 4 February 2019,[9] for a one-year secondment.

Eli-Louise Wringe was maternity leave cover for Pentelow from April 2022,[10] for the following year.

Messer left ITV on 27 July.[11][12] Sabet Choudhury succeeds Messer from 17 October 2022.[10]

Pentelow is the latest presenter to leave on 28 September 2023.[13]

On 30 October 2023, it was announced that Alex Lovell would join the program in December 2023, following her departure from BBC Points West.[14]

Notable on air staff include Ben McGrail (Somerset correspondent).

Notable former on air staff include Lisa Aziz, Alex Beresford, Bob Crampton, Mark Longhurst, Jonty Messer, Kylie Pentelow, Peter Rowell and Steve Scott.

Sub-regional service

As part of the pan-regional launch of what was initially called The Westcountry Tonight in February 2009, two opt-out services were retained, incorporating the first half of the main evening programme on weeknights at 6pm, the full late bulletins after News at Ten on weeknights, and sports news on Mondays and Fridays.[15] The opt-outs were known as East and West at first, then changed to more geographically accurate names. ITV News West Country (South West) covers Cornwall, Devon, parts of Dorset and parts of Somerset, while ITV News West Country (West) covers Bristol, parts of Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

On 5 September 2011, separate weekday daytime bulletins for the two sub-regions (at breakfast and lunchtime) were reintroduced.

In July 2013, proposals for a more localised Channel 3 news service were approved. ITV News West Country extended the East (now West) and West (now South West) opt-out services to at least 20 minutes of the 6pm programme, in addition to separate weekend bulletins for the two sub-regions, effectively restoring full services for the two areas.[16] The changes came into effect from 16 September 2013. Both sub-regional services utilise the same presenter(s) and studio/set in Bristol, therefore one of the two opt-outs – depending on the day's news – is pre-recorded 'as live' shortly before transmission.

References

  1. ↑ Digital Spy – Ofcom 'to allow' ITV regional news cuts
  2. ↑ BBC News – ITV to merge regional newsrooms
  3. ↑ Your Westcountry news from Bristol, Western Morning News, 27 January 2009
  4. ↑ Bob Crampton retires after four decades at ITV, itv.com, 29 June 2018
  5. ↑ Newsgirl Lisa Aziz quits after dropping race and sex claims Elisa Roche, Daily Express, 25 February 2010
  6. ↑ Scott confirmed as ITV News sports editor Sports Journalists' Association, 11 March 2010
  7. ↑ New presenter joins ITV News West Country ITV News, 5 July 2013
  8. ↑ And finally....some news about Ian, itv.com, 16 December 2016
  9. ↑ Who is Kylie Pentelow, who's replaced Andrea Byrne on ITV Wales? Wales Online, 4 February 2019
  10. 1 2 Ex-BBC presenter Sabet Choudhury joins ITV News West Country itv.com, 3 October 2022
  11. ↑ ITV News West Country presenter Jonty Messer announces decision to step down Caroline Abbot, Devon Live, 28 June 2022
  12. ↑ Presenter Jonty Messer says Goodbye after 12 years at ITV West Country itv.com, 27 July 2022
  13. ↑ Presenter Kylie Pentelow says goodbye to ITV West Country after 10 years itv.com, 29 September 2023
  14. ↑ Alex Lovell [@Alexlovelltv] (30 October 2023). "After 18 years presenting BBC Points West I have taken the huge decision to leave at the end of November. Thank you to all my amazing colleagues and lovely viewers for all the love, laughs and tears - we've shared it all haven't we. I am super excited to be joining @itvwestcountry in December and I will be in the studio with my lovely friend @Sebchoudhury in January" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ Seventeen regions into nine: How the updated ITV local news services will run Caitlin Fitzsimmons, The Guardian, 17 February 2009
  16. ↑ OFCOM sets out licence terms for ITV, STV, UTV and Channel 5 Archived 26 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, OFCOM, 23 July 2013
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