Central Tonight

Infobox Television
show_name = Central Tonight


caption =
show_name_2 = "Central News"
genre = Regional News
runtime = Central Tonight: 30 Minutes
Central News: Varies
creator =
presenter = Bob Warman
Joanne Malin
("West Midlands" anchors)
Steve Clamp
Sameena Ali-Khan
("East Midlands" anchors)
network = ITV1 Central
country = UK
first_aired = January 1 1982 (as "Central News")
last_aired = present
producer = ITV Central
related =

"Central Tonight" is the main news programme on ITV Central, the ITV franchise for the Midlands. Since Monday 24th July 2006, the regular 6pm programme has been entitled "Central Tonight", replacing the old name of "Central News at Six" to come into line with other ITV regional news programmes with "Tonight" at the end.

Central News went on air on 1 January 1982, replacing the previous programme "ATV Today" broadcast by Central's predecessor company ATV.

The programme has two versions which are identically branded - one covering the East Midlands and one for the West Midlands, however this arrangement is set to end in 2009.

Until 1 December 2006, there was a version of the programme for the south of the region (which remained Central News at Six), but this has now ended with most of this part of the region becoming part of the Thames Valley region along with the northern part of Meridian.

Central News West

"Central News West" is the regional news programme for the West Midlands, broadcast from Central's headquarters in Gas Street, Birmingham. The area served by the West Midlands programme is the counties of Staffordshire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Gloucestershire is also partially served by Central News West as this is the programme some Gloucester digital viewers receive. However this is only intended for Herefordshire viewers from the Ridge Hill transmitter (Gloucester analogue viewers receive The West Tonight, Gloucestershire's proper ITV region after Central South). This was evidenced during the 2007 United Kingdom Floods where live programmes were broadcast from Tewkesbury.

The West Midlands edition at 6pm is presented by Bob Warman, and Joanne Malin with sports news presented by Linda O'Brien and Bob Hall on a rotating basis.

It was annouced on October 10th that Joanne Malin will be leaving from October 31st.

Presenters and Reporters

*Keith Wilkinson (senior reporter at Central West)
*Steve Keeling (reporter)
*Eric MacInnes (previously with ITN and Central News South)
*Sandy Barton
*Arti Halai (breakfast/lunchtime presenter)
*Yvonne Gaskill (breakfast/lunchtime presenter)
*Annette Finch (Stand-in sports presenter/reporter)
*Anna Brees (late bulletin presenter)
*Karen Griggs (Central Tonight presenter)
*Joanne Rittles (Central Tonight presenter)
*Kirsten Hills (late bulletin presenter)
*Mark Gough (reporter and stand-in presenter for Central Tonight)
*Linda O'Brien (sport reporter/presenter)
*Gareth Owen (reporter/presenter)
*Andy Bevan (reporter)
*Bob Hall (sport presenter/reporter)
*Lloyd Bracey (weekend presenter)
*Llewella Bailey (reporter)
*Lucy Kite ("Entertainment Tonight" presnter)

Camera operators

*Pat Fenelon
*John McPherson
*Malcolm Powell
*Paul Rudge

*Leon Troth

*Bob Withers

Herefordshire re-joined the Central News West programme in December 2006 with a live broadcast from Hereford Cathedral. This began a week-long series of reports focusing on the major highlights of the county.

Central News East

The East Midlands sub-region was launched on 12 October 1983 from a temporary studio at Giltbrook near Nottingham. The original intent had been to launch on 1 January 1982, but problems with the then-powerful broadcasting unions prevented its launch for nearly two years. The programme had a short life at Giltbrook and the programme was moved to Central's brand new studio on Lenton Lane, Nottingham, from 3 January 1984. The programme was moved to Central's studios on Gas Street, Birmingham in February 2005. The Nottingham studio complex was officially closed at the end of March 2005 following a major rationalisation programme of studio facities and centres across the ITV network. , from Derby, who was killed in Iraq by US friendly fire whilst covering the second Gulf war (in Iraq) for ITV News in 2003.

Central News East/Central Tonight covers the East Midlands areas of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland/Leicestershire. It also partially covers (central, west and south) Lincolnshire (the north and east of Lincolnshire are covered by the neighbouring Calendar news programme from Yorkshire East). Other areas included are Northampton and Corby in Northamptonshire, and Peterborough in Cambridgeshire - all of which are also covered by the "Anglia News" and "Anglia Tonight" programmes from Anglia West. Occasionally, reports from Karl Heidel - a journalist for Anglia West - are shared between Central News East and Anglia News West when he files reports from crossover cities like Northampton and Peterborough.

Currently the main anchors on Central Tonight (East Midlands version) are Steve Clamp and Louisa James (formerly a weeknight presenter of the late bulletin). Louisa James is in the place of usual co-anchor Sameena Ali-Khan (formerly of BBC East Midlands Today), who is on maternity leave until spring 2009. Previous presenters of "Central News East" have included Llewella Bailey (now a reporter and occasional weekend presenter), Kevin Ashford and Jonathan Ray. Two former anchors, Marie Ashby and Dominic Heale, have since defected to BBC East Midlands.

Presenters and Reporters

*Steve Clamp (mid-morning bulletin & "Central Tonight", weekdays)
*Louisa James (mid-morning bulletin & "Central Tonight", Monday-Thursday)
*Sameena Ali-Khan (lunchtime bulletin & "Central Tonight", currently on maternity leave until spring 2009)
*Lucy Kite (reporter, Entertainment Tonight presenter and stand-in anchor)
*Simon Ward (reporter and presenter)
*John Willets (weeknight late bulletins)
*Rajiv Popat (reporter)
*Bharat Patel (reporter)
*Helen Finch (reporter)
*Chrissie Ready (reporter, previously weather forecaster for the ITV network and the London region)
*Gareth Owen (reporter & stand in anchor)
*Lloyd Bracey (regular weekend presenter)
*Llewella Bailey (occasional weekend presenter, occasional reporter)
*Dennis Coath (sports reporter/presenter)

Future

The destiny of "Central Tonight" in its current format has changed forever. In June 2007, ITV plc. executive chairman Michael Grade hinted at a possible restructuring of the ITV regional framework. "Central Tonight" West and East editions could merge into one programme, with small opt-outs for each region during the programme. [ [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a63355/grade-hints-at-itv-region-restructure.html Grade hints at ITV Region re-structure - Digital Spy] ] . The move is expected to give ITV plc, in its own words, "greater value for money", as it wants to cut its regional newsrooms down from the current 17 to just 9, to save £40m a year. However, any such action would need the approval of OFCOM (the Office of Communications, the UK TV regulator). [ [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a70617/itv-close-to-new-regional-plan.html ITV Close to New Regional Plan - Digital Spy] ] .

It was formally announced on Thursday 26th September 2008 by OFCOM that they have accepted ITV's requests to scale down regional output. ITV want to save £40m a year from regional output. To do this, they will merge several regions, axe several daytime bulletins and halve the number of regional television programmes, excluding news. These changes will take place from 2009, which almost inevitably means that Central News East and Central News West will merge and broadcast one single Midlands news programme stretching from west (Shropshire) to east (Lincolnshire).

The newly created Thames Valley region - made up of the majority of the former "Central News South" region - would merge with Meridian Tonight to create a 'super region' in the south of England. This would span as far West as Dorset and Wiltshire and as far East as Kent and East Sussex. In franchise terms, this would mean three programmes - Meridian Tonight South, Meridian Tonight East and Thames Valley Tonight - would merge into one super-sized Meridian franchise.

61 jobs are to go across the two Central sub-regions, though unions are considering strike action.

Additionally, Joanne Malin, main presenter of Central News West is to leave the show after 10 years on October 31st.

Central News South (Now Defunct)

Replaced by the current Thames Valley News/Thames Valley Tonight, Central News South is the now defunct version of the programme serving Oxfordshire and Herefordshire; and parts of: Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire. The news service was launched at 6:00pm on 9 January 1989 with presenters Wesley Smith & Anne Dawson and special guest Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards. The infamous first edition of the programme was beset by severe techncial problems. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPVTXwdHvXc Central News South first edition] , 9th January 1989] ]

Unlike Central West & East, Central South was based at, and broadcast from, studios in Abingdon, Oxfordshire with reporters also based at newsrooms in Gloucester (now used by HTV West) and Swindon, Wiltshire (now used by Thames Valley).

Presenters and Reporters

*Wesley Smith (now with Thames Valley Tonight)
*Hannah Shellswell (nee Stewart-Jones) (now with Thames Valley Tonight)
*Alex Forrest (now with Central News West and occasionally, ITV News)
*Gillian Kelly (now with Thames Valley Tonight)
*Mike Rowbottom (ex IRN, TVS and Dubai TV, now a university lecturer)
*Simon Garrett (ex Yorkshire TV, now a freelance consultant and producer)
*Graeme Bowd (ex Daily Express, TVS, now a freelance film maker)
*Richard Barnett
*Martin Graham Scott (Dcsd, went on to ITN)
*Claire Holt (nee Taylor)
*Claire Lafferty
*Kim Barnes (ex Tyne Tees, now BBC)
*Erika Barnes (ex BBC)
*Tim Hurst
*Gareth Furby
*Geoff Barrett
*Chris Moore
*Nicola Martindale-Jones
*Sally Mules (now with Thames Valley Tonight)
*Ken Goodwin (now with The West Tonight)
*Richard Franklin (now with The West Tonight)
*Christopher Peacock (previously with Southern's "Day by Day", TVS's "Coast to Coast" & London Tonight. Followed on with Thames Valley Tonight before leaving to run his own media business in London.)
*Mark Lipscomb (now a freelance Weekend presenter on Thames Valley Tonight)
*Karen Griggs (now with Central News West)
*Victoria Bennett (now with Thames Valley Tonight)
*Anna Brees (now with Central News West)
*Jonathan Willets (now with Central News East)
*Kirsten Hills (now with Central News West)
*Victoria Bryning (now a freelance presenter on Sky News)
*Tim Russon
*Jan Onoszko (now with The West Tonight and occasionally seen on Central News West.)
*Andy Bevan (now with Central News West as the Head of News and sometimes Reporter.)
*Kate Garraway (now with GMTV, via Meridian West)
*Anne Dawson (now a Broadcast Journalism lecturer at University of Gloucestershire)
*Geraldine Peers (now with BBC Oxford News, the South Today opt-out for Oxfordshire and surrounding areas)
*Enda Brady (now with Sky News)
*Harriet Ryley
*Ama Boeting
*Tom Parmenter (previously with Central News West and now with Sky News)
*Robin Powell (now with Sky News)
*Alec Wilkinson (now with Sky News and presenter of sailing coverage on Sky Sports)

Merger and final bulletins

It was announced on 6 June 2006 that Central News South was to cease broadcasting after 17 years, to brake up and merge with other ITV news regions. Oxfordshire, and those parts of Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire & Swindon covered by Central South would merge with the existing Meridian North region to form a new ITV Thames Valley service" (with its 6pm news programme to be named Thames Valley Tonight)". The part of Gloucestershire served by Central South joined the majority of the county already covered as part of HTV West region broadcast from Bristol. Herefordshire was to rejoin Central News West from Birmingham.

The last full edition of "Central News at Six" (the then-name for the main evening programme) was broadcast live from Witney, Oxfordshire on Friday 1 December and featured a special five-minute highlights montage, which was repeated by popular demand on the last ever "Central News South" bulletin on Sunday 3 December 2006. The last "Central News"-branded pan-regional service was aired during GMTV on Monday 4 December 2006.

Central Weather

Weather forecasts are presented by:

West

*Emma Jesson
*Charlie Neil

East

*Lisa Foden
*Anna Church

Occasional/freelance

*James Wright

Central Weather in the East Midlands is presented by long-running forecaster Lisa Foden and newcomer Anna Church. In 2007, Anna won a 'Weather Idol' contest launched by the 'Central Tonight' (East) programme. Both Anna Church and Lisa Foden now forecast the weather for the East Midlands, whist Emma Jesson and Charlie Neil - who formerly did so - now only forecast for the West Midlands, and also for HTV West (The West Tonight) and HTV Wales (Wales Tonight). However, both Neil and Jesson can be seen on pan-regional GMTV and weekend bulletins.

On Air

"Central News" airs on Central seven days a week.

During the week, Central provides several pan-regional news bulletins during GMTV (06:00 - 09:25). The late-morning bulletin airs immediately after the 11:15 ITV News Summary, between a 10 minute transmission break of "This Morning". This update airs for around seven minutes, but will be axed in 2009. The lunchtime edition of the programme follows on from the "ITV Lunchtime News", giving a five minute round-up of the days developments between 13:55 and 14:00. This bulletin is a sub-regional summary, but will become a pan-regional bulletin as of 2009. The main evening edition of "Central Tonight" begins at 18:00, and ends at 18:30, immediately preceding the networked ITV Evening News. Again, this will become a pan-regional news programme from 2009, with sub-regional opt-outs lasting six minutes during the programme. The late news update from the Central sub-regions follows the "News at Ten", airing between 22:30 and 22.45, Monday - Thursday, and between 23.25 and 23.45 on Fridays, after "The Late News". This will become a pan-regional bulletin from 2009.

At the weekend,"Central News" airs four pan-regional bulletins, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. They appear at lunchtime and in the early evening respectively, though times vary. Weekend bulletins are usually presented by Lloyd Bracey, though James Wright can occasionally be seen in his place. From 2009, the lunchtime weekend bulletins will no longer be broadcast.

References

External links

* [http://www.itvlocal.com/central/news Central News] at itvlocal.com