BORDER TELEVISION

That this House notes that 24 February 2009 will see the end of Border Television's news broadcasts to the South of Scotland, Cumbria, North Northumberland and the Isle of Man, from its Carlisle studios before their closure and sale; further notes that its flagship Lookaround news programme is now to be produced in Gateshead, with a 15 minute opt-out for the former Border region from a combined Border and Tyne Tees news service; believes that Border Television and its Carlisle news studio provided its viewers with well-informed, local and entertaining news coverage for nearly 50 years and did much to protect the strength of local identity and cross-border links in the essentially rural communities it served in the South of Scotland, Cumbria, North Northumberland and the Isle of Man; further notes that Border also acted as a valuable platform in the careers of some of the most highly-regarded broadcasters in the United Kingdom; regrets that these qualities of Border Television and the strength of public opinion in the Border region were insufficient to persuade Ofcom not to allow the merger with ITV Tyne Tees; and hopes that the spirit and quality of Border Television, and particularly its emphasis on the importance of strong local stories in news gathering, can be carried forward under the new arrangements from Gateshead.