[BigSister]

Good episode so far tonight looking forward to 2nd part

[Scarlett.]

Me too

[Scarlett.]

Yay we got to see No.13 again

[amby]

wow! tonights ep was so cringey lol.

Its so unrealistic that both Jason and Steve would propose to Becky...she's not pretty and she doesn't have a great personality.

[Scarlett.]

Lol she gets another proposal next week...[spoil]from Steve again xD[/spoil]

[BigSister]

silly Steve
and yeah it was nice to see number 13 again
Maybe the works are in motion via kevin/sally

[Scarlett.]

I think the Websters should move back to No.13

[Scarlett.]

ITV was in a state of turmoil last night, facing the prospect of *having to sell off its most popular shows like Coronation Street to raise money.

Against a background of steeply *declining revenues, City and tele*vision sources have revealed that Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster may cease making television programmes altogether.

Executive chairman Michael Grade admitted last week that flagship shows such as News at Ten cannot be guaranteed “indefinitely” as the ailing company struggles with the recession.

Mr Grade said the firm was facing a “dramatic” fall in revenues while *being locked into a regulatory regime drawn up when it had a *near-monopoly on television advertising.

He said the financial state of commercial television was “severely challenged”, adding: “I have seen the cycle come and go over the years. I have never seen anything quite as dramatic or quite as profound as this in terms of the effect on advertising revenues.”

Mr Grade told the House of Lords communication committee that ITV needed a string of concessions if it was to survive as a public sector broadcaster.

These include lifting the ban on product placement in shows, scrapping the *production of regional news and *allowing it to cut broadcasting hours to shore up advertising rates.

If the company is forced to sell off ITV Studios, it would become a so-called “front-end broadcaster” like Channel 4 and Five, which buy in shows rather than make them.

As an interim measure ITV will *announce more redundancies next month, and is considering closing Yorkshire TV and making Emmerdale, its other famous soap, set in the Dales, from Manchester.

The crisis has also engulfed news coverage. ITN, which makes News At Ten, is said to be “up for sale”.

An ITV spokesman denied the *production wing would close, but left open the possibility of a sell-off, or management buy-out.

He said: “As you know, operational reviews are taking place to ensure that ITV is in the best shape to meet the unprecedented challenges facing the economy, but there are no plans to drastically scale back, or shut, ITV Studios.”

However, a well-placed insider said: “It’s fairly certain that Leeds will be closed and Emmerdale will be run from Manchester, which is effectively the end of Yorkshire TV.”

On a management buy-out, he said: “They were always angling for this but they are the very management who have brought ITV to its knees.”

A City media source said: “A sell-off could be excellent news for other independent production companies. But if it’s a management buy-out, its *market share compared to other *production companies could fall as all the other indies try to grab work.”

One large media investor said: “ITV is a real mess. The real value is the value of its content and library. The rest of the business is still too fat.”

Gordon MacMillan, editor of Brand Republic, said: “Seeing its prime-time police footage show In the Line of Fire coming third in the ratings *behind Five this week does not help.

“Add to this the fiasco over the FA Cup replay between Everton and *Liverpool [when adverts on a loop meant viewers missed Everton’s *winning goal], then you can see why *advertisers are thinking twice.”

Mr Grade insisted that ITV “will survive”, but acknowledged the firm was having to take “painful decisions”.

It shed 1,000 jobs last year and is lining up further job cuts and a salary freeze for executives earning over Ł60,000. It has also axed funding to the National Film and Television School.

Its chief operating officer, John Cresswell, said the firm had planned for a modest rise in advertising revenues but was having to deal with a fall of up to 10 per cent. He said experts were now forecasting a drop in total *advertising revenues of Ł350million.

The broadcasting regulator Ofcom and ministers are considering the *future of ITV’s public service broadcasting obligations. Mr Grade said: “It is for policymakers to define how they see ITV going forward as a public service broadcaster.

“If it is in excess of what the licence is worth, we cannot do it. We have an alternative, which is to give up our public service broadcaster status and take our chance in the market.”

Sunday Express



Apart from this just being an attention grabbing headline, if they were sold off, it wouldnt affect where it is broadcast, just who makes it (which could be a good thing)

[Scarlett.]

[Scarlett.]

Coronation Street may be sold off to an independent production company due to severe cutbacks at ITV, it was claimed today.

The Sunday Express reports that the long-running soap may no longer be produced by Granada Television because ITV is struggling to cope with the impact of the recession.

It has also been alleged that, as an "interim measure", Emmerdale may start to be made in Manchester rather than by Yorkshire Television in Leeds in the near future.

An insider told the newspaper: "It's fairly certain that Leeds will be closed and Emmerdale will be run from Manchester, which is effectively the end of Yorkshire TV."

Last week, ITV's executive chairman Michael Grade admitted that the financial state of commercial television had been "severely challenged" by the economic downturn.

"I have seen the cycle come and go over the years," he explained. "I have never seen anything quite as dramatic or quite as profound as this in terms of the effect on advertising revenues."

An ITV spokesman confirmed that the broadcaster is currently holding talks over its future, but dismissed claims that its production wing would be closed altogether.

He said: "As you know, operational reviews are taking place to ensure that ITV is in the best shape to meet the unprecedented challenges facing the economy, but there are no plans to drastically scale back, or shut, ITV Studios."

[Scarlett.]

CORRIE bosses have axed filming for the first time in ten years after three tragedies hit the soap in as many weeks.

Cast and crew are in mourning after Kym Marsh’s baby boy and Bill Roache’s wife died last week — shortly after vision mixer Therese Meek passed away suddenly.

Producers will close the Street set tomorrow so all staff can attend a memorial service for Sara Roache, 58, who died of a suspected heart attack ten days ago.

Together ... Kym Marsh with Hollyoaks hunk Jamie Lomas

Together ... Kym Marsh with Hollyoaks hunk Jamie Lomas

Filming was last cancelled in 1999 when Bryan Mosley — who played shopkeeper Alf Roberts — passed away aged 67.

The show was thrown into further turmoil on Thursday after Kym — barmaid Michelle Connor — was left devastated by the loss of little Archie, her son with Hollyoaks hunk Jamie Lomas.

The tot died seconds after being born 18 weeks prematurely at a Manchester hospital.

A show source said: “We have never known anything like this. Some people say there’s a jinx on the show but we see it as a combination of bad luck and coincidence. The priority is to look after the welfare of our cast.”

Telly legend ... Bill at awards with wife Sara, who died last week

Telly legend ... Bill at awards with wife Sara, who died last week

Darren Fletcher

Meanwhile, show chiefs have decided to rewrite scripts to give their grieving stars as much time off as they need.

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Crunch meetings are due to be held this week to work out how their scenes can be reorganised.

Both Kym, 32, and Bill, 76 — who plays Ken Barlow — were involved in major plot lines.

In one scene involving Kym — originally due to be shot today — her lines will now be split between three other Street actors.

Other key storylines expected to change involve Bill’s screen lady friend Martha Fraser (Stephanie Beacham) and Michelle’s plot involving Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and Peter Barlow, played by Chris Gascoyne.

A Corrie spokesperson said: “We will have to tinker with scripts but we will be back to filming on Wednesday.”

Spirits at Corrie’s Granada studios in Manchester reportedly hit “rock bottom” following the tragedies.

Babies ... Alison, Jack and Wanda had tots

Babies ... Alison, Jack and Wanda had tots

But an insider told how moods were slightly lifted when actress Alison King — conniving Carla Connor on the ITV1 hit — gave birth to a baby girl.

The 35-year-old is now on maternity leave and is expected back in Weatherfield in the early autumn.

Jack P Shepherd, 20 — who plays troubled David Platt — is also on leave after becoming a new dad.

Wanda Opalinska, who stars as factory worker Wiki Dankowska, has also had a baby.

[Scarlett.]

The cast and crew of Coronation Street are to take a break from filming tomorrow in order to attend Bill Roache's wife's memorial service.

Earlier this month, 76-year-old Roache - who plays Ken Barlow in the Weatherfield soap - was left devastated when his wife Sara, 58, died suddenly of a suspected heart attack at the couple's Cheshire home.

Only days after the news of Roache's passing, Kym Marsh (Michelle Connor) and her partner Jamie Lomas - who plays Warren Fox in Hollyoaks - announced the loss of their first child Archie, who was born 18 weeks prematurely and died seconds after delivery.

Suspension of filming last occurred ten years ago following the death of Bryan Mosely, who played shopkeeper Alf Roberts.

Some of the soap's scripts are due to be re-worked to enable a full day's filming to take place today. Following Roache's memorial, production of the soap at Granada Studios in Manchester will return to normal on Wednesday.

A Corrie spokesperson said of the matter: "We will have to tinker with scripts but we will be filming every day this week apart from Tuesday."

[Tom]

Is Wiki coming back?

[Scarlett.]

In a good few months she will be doing, I think Kim Crowther plans to use her more too

[Tom]

Oh thats good, I like her. I seem to remember I read she was axed? Maybe just imagining it

I wonder if all of the stuff will come out eventually about her who died in the factory?

[Scarlett.]

lol nah she is on maternity leave

I was wondering that too, it seems to have faded away, maybe Wiki could come back and tell someone about it

[BigSister]

oh thats good news im glad shes coming back
and yeah they should use that storyline more

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, its itching to come out xD

[Scarlett.]

Claire is back!

and long advert time!

[Scarlett.]

haha @ Becky

[Jen]

I like Michelle better, with Steve anyway.

and that long advert was the advert I have been looking forward too

[Nicky.]

LOL @ the title!

But I'm glad she is back!

I'm happy for Steve and Becky

[Scarlett.]

Steve is awesome

and it is great to finally have Claire back

[Scarlett.]

[Nicky.]

Becky don't look happy in the last picture!

and silly Ken - what is he doing xx