COMMERCIAL NEWS - FREE - 18.00 - 19.00 hrs (ITV Evening)

Member Name: JB01

Product:	ITV Evening
Date:	05/06/06 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Freeview & entertaining

Disadvantages: A bit long

The programme on ITV or channel 3 terrestrial covers about 1 hour of TV time and is split into 2 parts. The 1st from London Tonight which includes parts of Essex. Alistair Campbell and Katie Dereham are regular faces on the programme. Alistar Cambell is away today but back tomorrow. The format is similar to the mid day slots.

Today 2 presenters’ male and female sit side by side on a couch with a low table in front of them behind a projected background of London’s skyline with St Paul’s Cathedral. A preview of reports to come starts the show, today a damning report concerning the suicide bombings of July 7th and the care of the victims. This takes up a large part of the show with video footage from Russell Square and live interviews in the studio. Big Ben and its chimes. A special report on gardening and water conservation.

A scroll bar on the bottom of the TV screen adds information to the verbal commentary by the presenters. Towards the end of the 1st half the show becomes more light hearted. An Arts review section follows with info on new films etc including a section on WHAT NOT TO MISS for this weekend, music, films, shows in and around London.

FINALLY the weather this is normally sponsored by a private company, today it is sponsored by Topps Tiles. Today’s broadcast also includes the weather for tomorrow.

There is normally no commercial break during the show and none between it and the NATIONAL NEWS shown during the second half, today I spotted a short commercial during the local weather. Today and recently Annie Nightingale has rejoined the broadcast team, again a male and female presenter figure. For the show presenters are standing to start the show in the background with images projected around the backdrop of the studio to illustrate the verbal presentation. After a while the presenters move behind a waist high desk. Today some of the features covered in the London show are covered (July 7th), a new live heart operation and gun running in the Gaza strip. Normally the show starts with an outline of what is going to be covered.

The show occasionally switches back to local news (London Tonight in our case). And finishes there with the NATIONAL WEATHER sponsored by POWERGEN.

MY OPINION

I’ve noticed the ITV presentations tend to be more report orientated than say channel 5, with fewer live in the studio interviews, on 5 the female broadcasters tend to wear more austere clothing. An hour for both segments is rather long, a shorter news might be more palatable. The graphics and verbal content are amusing and relatively easy to assimilate. I think they have the most attractive female presenters as well, is this good news ? Certainly not bad (I’m not paying, commercial TV and freeview).

Summary: Free, commercial news, local, national and international.