North East Tonight

North East Tonight
Format	News, Sport, Weather
Presented by	Ian Payne, Pam Royle (Full list)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	ITV Tyne Tees (1959-2009) ITV Tyne Tees & Border (Feb 2009-present)
Running time	30 minutes (6pm programme)
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV, ITV1 Tyne Tees
Original airing	1959
Chronology
Related shows	BBC Look North, Lookaround
External links
Website

North East Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, also including local sports news and local features of interest, produced by ITV Tyne Tees & Border at its studios in Gateshead, and serving the "Tyne Tees" part of the region (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Tees Valley and North Yorkshire).

The remainder of the ITV Tyne Tees & Border region (i.e. the former Border area) consists of Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and receives Lookaround in these time slots.

Like all regional news programmes on ITV1 in England and Wales and Channel Television, it uses the generic ITV font and idents.

Overview

North East News/Tonight was first broadcast on Monday 2 September 1996 following the defection of the popular Mike Neville to Tyne Tees from the BBC's Look North programme after 32 years. Prior to its launch, since 1959, the regional news programmes were broadcast under various names - namely North East Roundabout, North East Newsview, Today at Six, Northern Life, Tyne Tees Today/Network North and Tyne Tees News/Tonight.

Mike Neville announced his retirement from the programme on 5 June 2006.^[1]

In July 2005, following chief presenter Mike Neville's departure, North East Tonight's main 18:00 programme was split into opt-outs:

• North: (Northumberland and Tyne and Wear), broadcast from the Pontop Pike and Chatton transmitters.
• South: (County Durham, Tees Valley and North Yorkshire), broadcasting from the Bilsdale transmitter.

Other bulletins including GMTV bulletins, weekday lunchtime, weekday late, and weekend early evening were pan-regional.

The last 'North' and 'South' editions of North East Tonight aired on 13 February 2009.

ITV Tyne Tees and Border

In September 2007, ITV plc announced that Tyne Tees' newsroom would be merged with ITV Border, subject to Ofcom approval.^[2]

On 26 September 2008, Ofcom (the Office of Communications, the UK's broadcasting regulator) authorised ITV's plans to save £40 million a year by making regional programming cutbacks. These include axing mid-morning bulletins on weekdays and lunchtime bulletins at weekends, merging a number of regions and axing most non-news regional programmes.

Up until Tuesday, 24 February 2009, ITV Tyne Tees and ITV Border regions were entirely separate. Border Television was based in studios in Carlisle, Cumbria.

During this era, North East Tonight was the name of the Tyne Tees region's main weekday evening programme only, with all other bulletins branded as "North East News". Meanwhile, the Border region received a fully regional version of Lookaround along with daily Border News bulletins.

As part of major ITV regional news cuts, taking place from November 2008 to February 2009, around 50 staff were made redundant or accepted voluntary redundancy at ITV Tyne Tees. On 16 December 2008, Press Gazette leaked that journalists were told that leaving collections were banned, along with leaving presentations and on-screen goodbyes. In a staff memo, head of news Catherine Houlihan cited the ban was because of the large number of staff being made redundant at the station.^[3] One worker told Press Gazette that "morale is at rock bottom".

Broadcast times

North East Tonight and Tyne Tees & Border News airs on ITV1 Tyne Tees seven days a week.

Weekdays

Programme	Scheduled Slot	Presenter(s)
Tyne Tees & Border News (broadcast during Daybreak)	06:15, 07:15 and 08:15	Sarah Kelly
Tyne Tees & Border News (broadcast after the ITV News at 1:30)	13:55-14:00	Ian Payne, Pam Royle or Sarah Kelly
North East Tonight	18:00-18:30	Ian Payne and Pam Royle
North East Tonight (broadcast after ITV News at Ten)	22:30-22:35	Ian Payne or Pam Royle (Monday-Thursday). Various (Friday).

Weekends

Programme	Scheduled Slot	Presenter(s)
Tyne Tees & Border News	Saturdays - Late Afternoon	Various
Tyne Tees & Border News	Sundays - Early Evening	Various

Sub-regional service

The main edition of North East Tonight incorporates a 15 /18 minute opt-out within the main 6pm programme, a fully separate late night bulletin after ITV News at Ten and localised weather forecasts for the Tyne Tees region. Depending on the day's news, either one of the Tyne Tees or Border news opt-outs are pre-recorded. All other bulletins are pan-regional and cover news stories from the Tyne Tees and Border regions, entitled Tyne Tees & Border News.^[4]

Personnel

Current on air team

Main article: List of ITV Tyne Tees & Border presenters and reporters

On 3 December 2008, it was announced that the presenters for the South edition of North East Tonight, Ian Payne and Pam Royle, would become the main anchors for the new service. They also act as alternate newscasters of the lunchtime and late night bulletins. Philippa Tomson, a presenter of the North edition, was redeployed as a weather presenter,^[5] and relief presenter for the new service.^[6]

On 17 January 2009, it was announced Lookaround presenter Helen Pearson would be redeployed as presenter of Tyne Tees & Border News bulletins which air during GMTV (now Daybreak).^[7] However she now works as a news correspondent, relief presenter and weather presenter.

Former on air team

Listing former presenters and journalists who have left from 2005 and their subsequent employer(s).

Edward Baran Jo Blythe (ITV Granada) Jeff Brown (BBC North East and Cumbria) Kay Burley (Sky News) Clare Burton (BBC Channel Islands) Gregg Easteal (Daybreak) Kate Fisher (ITV Central) Sarah Gatenby Pete Graves (Sky Sports News) Kim Inglis

Phil Lavelle (BBC Breakfast) Debbie Lindley Vicky Locklin Carol Malia (BBC North East and Cumbria) Lesley McNish Heather McWilliam Lucy Meacock (ITV Granada) Jonathan Morrell (Real Radio North East) Samantha Nanda

Mike Neville Andy Kluz Eleanor Jeffrey (Sky News) Bob Johnson Tiffany Royce (Daybreak) Kate Silverton (BBC Breakfast, BBC News) Dawn Thewlis (BBC North East and Cumbria) Mark Warr Duncan Wood (ITV Yorkshire)

References

1. ^ Popular news anchor stepping down, BBC News Online, 5 June 2006
2. ^ "ITV to merge regional newsrooms". BBC News. 12 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6991206.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-12. 
3. ^ http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=42668&c=1
4. ^ Revamped Lookaround set for broadcast on February 25 News & Star, 7 February 2009
5. ^ Tyne Tees news presenters axed in cost cuts, ChronicleLive, 3 December 2008
6. ^ Sun shines on North telly girl Philippa Tomson, Sunday Sun, 4 January 2009
7. ^ Helen Pearson to present pan-regional GMTV bulletins, News & Star, 17 January 2009

External links

North East Tonight at itv.com ITV News at itv.com

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