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<P><FONT SIZE=4 FACE="Times New Roman">MPs attack Ofcom over regional ITV plans</FONT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman"><BR>
16 November 2004 10:14</FONT>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Media secretary Tessa Jowell is facing a growing Parliamentary revolt over Ofcom’s controversial proposals to reduce the public service obligations of ITV regional companies.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Some 43 MPs in all parties have already backed a public plea to the media regulator to rethink its strategy, which will allow ITV regions to cut non-news programming to 1.5 hours a week next year.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">The scale of the rebellion – other names are expected to be added - reflects the wide support ITV regional companies enjoy among MPs, many of whom take part in their political programmes.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">A Commons motion urging the rethink has been tabled by Labour’s John Grogan, the Tories’ Nigel Evans and Bob Russell of the Liberal Democrats.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">"ITV has a strong tradition of producing regional political, current affairs, sport and documentary programmes specifically for each region," the MPs said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">"The Ofcom review acknowledges that these regional programmes gain higher audiences on a slot-by-slot basis than general ITV output."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">The MPs said they viewed Ofcom’s proposals with "dismay" and said they were surprised that it was "not linking discussions about reductions in ITV’s licence payments with the maintenance of regional public service obligations at least until digital switchover".</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Ofcom is consulting on the proposals until 24 November.</FONT>
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