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ITV slashing its regional affairs team |
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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
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ITV’s continuing centralising and rationalising process has now hit its regional affairs department with the news that the majority of the 23 strong team is to be cut.
The team is spread across the UK but the hub of the operation is currently in Manchester. A consequence of the rationalisation is that the reduced team of six which will remain is likely to be based in London.
Staff are currently going through a consultation period with the broadcaster.
Individual names have not been publicly released but Jane Luca, ITV’s Manchester-based Controller of Regional Affairs is believed to be one of those affected. Each of ITV’s regional operations presently has two regional affairs personnel who report to Luca.
 Luca
The department’s remit is communication with key stakeholders: the government - national and regional – local media, community groups and regional interest groups.
The news follows previous announcements by ITV signalling its reduction in funding and priorities involving regional programming. The move to combine Border TV’s newsroom with that of Tyne Tees has caused howls of outrage in Cumbria and attracted a powerful lobbying group of local politicians and leading Cumbrian business folk.
It is believed that ITV is also considering the role of several other regional units: from regional senior management to news gathering and production.
News that Manchester is potentially the biggest loser in this latest rationalisation will disappoint those who grew up with Granada’s historically close association with the North West and the subsequent merger with London Weekend TV which resulted in Manchester retaining and investing in a number of HQ functions for the commercial broadcaster.
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