There was a time when local television actually meant something. When you could switch on the telly and see programming that reflected the place where you lived—real news about real local issues, quirky regional shows, and presenters who felt like they belonged to your part of the country.
Back in the golden age of ITV regional television, every area had its own identity. Granada wasn’t just showing the same things as Yorkshire TV. Thames had its own character, different from Anglia or Westward. These stations weren’t just faceless corporate networks—they had a soul. They made TV that mattered to their communities, with a mix of serious local journalism, regional documentaries, and even homegrown entertainment.
Fast forward to today, and what do we have instead? A sorry excuse for “local” TV in the form of That’s TV and other similar stations—cheap, lazy, and utterly pointless. They exist only to tick regulatory boxes while providing the bare minimum of actual local programming. What could have been a revival of meaningful regional broadcasting has turned into an embarrassing farce.
Remembering When Local TV Was Done Right
Back in the day, your ITV region wasn’t just a minor detail on your screen—it was part of your cultural identity. If you grew up in the North West, you had Granada—a powerhouse of regional broadcasting that wasn’t afraid to take risks, whether it was hard-hitting investigative journalism or launching new entertainment formats. Yorkshire TV had a similar reputation, serving its audience with distinctive, well-produced programming.
The South had Southern and TVS, bringing you everything from serious current affairs to game shows made in Southampton. In the Midlands, Central took over from ATV and continued producing quality content that wasn’t just local in name, but in spirit too. Even the smaller regions—Tyne Tees, Anglia, Border—had their own identity, their own personalities, their own way of doing things.
These weren’t just satellite offices of a national network. They were proud, independent stations that reflected the communities they served. They covered local politics, regional sports, and the stories that mattered to people outside of London. They invested in programming that had a distinct flavour, rather than lazily repackaging the same content for multiple areas.
Then Came the Downfall…
Slowly but surely, these strong regional brands started disappearing. Consolidation and cost-cutting meant that what were once independent stations were absorbed into a nationalised ITV network. News bulletins became less local, regional documentaries were axed, and what was once a patchwork of distinct voices was reduced to a bland, one-size-fits-all operation.
By the time ITV scrapped regional continuity completely in 2002, the damage was done. Local television, as people had known and loved it, was dead.
But then, in the early 2010s, there was hope. The government promised a new wave of hyperlocal TV stations, bringing proper local news back to screens across the UK. The dream was to create something akin to the United States’ local affiliates—small but independent stations that would focus on their communities.
It sounded promising. It sounded like a way to fill the void left by ITV’s retreat from true regional programming.
Instead, we got That’s TV—a cynical, threadbare operation that has absolutely no interest in genuine local broadcasting.
That’s TV: The Biggest Con in Broadcasting?
If you’ve never watched That’s TV, consider yourself lucky. In theory, these stations are supposed to provide a local television service. In practice? They’re barely local at all.
What should be a channel full of community-driven content is, instead, a dumping ground for:
- Endless reruns of ancient music shows—if you’ve ever wanted to see the same 1980s music videos played 12 times in a week, this is the place for you.
- Low-budget “documentaries”—often nothing more than archive footage repackaged with some hastily recorded narration.
- Minuscule news bulletins—if they even bother at all. When they do, they’re usually so short and superficial that they’re completely useless.
It’s a joke. A channel that was given a broadcasting licence under the pretense of being local, yet does almost nothing to serve local audiences.
The business model is painfully obvious:
- Buy up regional TV licences.
- Do the bare minimum to keep Ofcom happy.
- Fill the schedule with ultra-cheap archive content.
- Profit.
There’s no investment, no ambition, and absolutely no passion for local broadcasting. Instead of celebrating and reflecting the communities they’re meant to serve, they act as bottom-tier nostalgia channels, riding on the fumes of old BBC and ITV footage.
An Insult to Proper Local Media
The most frustrating thing about That’s TV is that there’s still a huge appetite for local news and content. Just look at the success of community radio stations, independent news websites, and hyperlocal social media groups. People want to know what’s happening in their towns and cities.
As a radio station manager, I understand what local broadcasting is supposed to be. It’s about serving the community—giving people a voice, covering the stories that matter, and making sure local news, events, and culture are properly represented. It’s about creating a sense of place, a connection between broadcasters and their audience.
That’s why it’s so disheartening to see a network with actual Freeview channels squander the opportunity completely. If they’re not going to take local TV seriously, why are they even here?
Meanwhile, community radio stations—run on shoestring budgets by volunteers—are doing a far better job of providing local news and entertainment than these so-called “professional” TV stations.
Time to Shut It Down?
At this point, the question has to be asked: should Ofcom even allow these stations to exist? If they’re not fulfilling their original purpose, why should they be given valuable space on Freeview?
Local TV could work. It should work. There are so many talented journalists, broadcasters, and creatives out there who could make brilliant regional television. But the current setup is a joke—one that’s actively making people less interested in the idea of local broadcasting.
If That’s TV and its ilk aren’t going to do the job properly, they should step aside and let someone who actually cares take over. Real local TV deserves better than this.
Until then, if you’re looking for something genuinely local? Stick with community radio. At least they actually give a damn.
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