ITV Evening News

Infobox Television
show_name = ITV Evening News


format = News, Weather, Sport
runtime = 30 minutes
producer = ITN
presenter = Mark Austin
Mary Nightingale
country = United Kingdom
network = ITV1
related = "ITV Morning News",
"ITV Lunchtime News",
"News at Ten",
"ITV Late News",
"ITV Weekend News" The "ITV Evening News" is the early evening news programme on the British television network ITV1. It is produced by ITN.

The main presenters are Mark Austin and Mary Nightingale. The bulletin is a thirty minute news broadcast covering British national and international news stories, broadcast at 6.30pm, from Daily. In the event of a major news story, one of the programme's presenters will front the first ten to fifteen minutes of the programme from the scene of the story. The other presenter will remain in the studio and read the day's other news.

History

The chronology of the programme begins in 1976 with "ITN News at 545". Michael Nicholson was the original presenter, and continued as a regular host until September 1986. Other presenters in the early days included Leonard Parkin, who at the time regularly hosted the "ITN News at One", and Martyn Lewis. Initially, the bulletins were broadcast from the "Police Five" studio and intended as a round-up of the day's headlines and looking at stories to be covered in more length by that evening's edition of "News at Ten". In 1988, the "News at 545" underwent some cosmetic changes, being given a new look and a computer-generated opening sequence for the first time, with Alastair Stewart replacing Nicholson as the main anchor and the programme being moved to the main newsroom within the ITN headquarters building, and with full-length reports now also being featured as part of the programme. In 1989, the introduction of a national weather forecast at the end of the programme led to the bulletin's timeslot being extended in length to 20 minutes and the title being changed to "ITN News at 540".

Due to the Gulf Crisis and subsequent war in 1991, ITN were temporarily granted a full half-hour slot each evening; the continual change of time (and length) of the bulletin around this time led to the "ITN News at 540" being re-branded as the "ITN Early Evening News", with John Suchet as the main host. In 1992, the bulletin went back to its 5.40pm timeslot, but retained the "Early Evening News" name, until it was cancelled in 1999. The 6:30pm "ITV Evening News" was then launched, with Trevor McDonald as its main presenter. He left to present the revived and short-lived "News at Ten" in 2001 and subsequently became main presenter on the "ITV News at 10.30" (and later on, a third incarnation of "News at Ten"). Following McDonald's departure from the "ITV Evening News" in 2001, Dermot Murnaghan and Mary Nightingale became the programme's main presenters. Mark Austin replaced Murnaghan following the latter presenter's defection to BBC News in 2002.

The "ITV Evening News" is currently the RTS news programme of the year.

Presenters

Main presenters

*Mark Austin (Monday - Thursday)
*Mary Nightingale (Various days)

Relief presenters

*Katie Derham
*James Mates
*Steve Scott
*Alastair Stewart
*Geraint Vincent
*Romilly Weeks

Former presenters

*Fiona Armstrong - presenter, 1985-1989
*Carol Barnes - relief presenter, 1982-1985; presenter 1987-1989, 1991-1994
*Felicity Barr - relief presenter, 2001-2005
*Andrea Catherwood - relief presenter, 2003-2006
*Shiulie Ghosh - relief presenter, 2000-2005
*Nina Hossain (currently on maternity leave) - relief presenter, 2004-2008
*Trevor McDonald - relief presenter, 1983-1985; anchor, 1999-2001
*Dermot Murnaghan - relief presenter, 1989-2000; anchor, 2001-2002
*Michael Nicholson - presenter, 1976-1986
*Lucy Owen - relief presenter, 2004-2006
*Nicholas Owen - relief presenter, 1990-2007
*Leonard Parkin - relief presenter, 1976-1978; presenter, 1979-1987
*John Suchet - presenter, 1991-1999
*Kirsty Young - presenter, 2000-2002

Guest presenters

Between 19 September and 23 September 2005, former ITN newsreaders returned to present the "ITV Evening News" alongside either Mark Austin or Mary Nightingale as part of ITV and ITN's 50th birthday celebrations:
*Julia Somerville - presenter of "News at One" and "News at Ten", 1987-2001
*Martyn Lewis - presenter of "ITN News at 545" and "News at Ten", 1976-1986
*Selina Scott - presenter of "News at Ten", 1977-1982
*Gordon Honeycombe - presenter of ITN News bulletins, 1965-1977
*Anna Ford - presenter of "News at Ten", 1975-1981

External links

*itv.com|id=news|title=ITV News
* [http://www.itn.co.uk ITN.co.uk]