Also known as 'The West Today' Producer(s) HTV
ITV West Followed by ITV News West Country Program creator ITV Wales & West Genre News | Country of origin United Kingdom Original network HTV West/ITV West Final episode date 15 February 2009 Release date 1968 (as Report West) Presented by Lisa Aziz, Steve Scott | |
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Original release 1968 (as Report West) – 15 February 2009 Similar Westcountry Live, Thames Valley Tonight, Coast to Coast, Daybreak Scotland, Northern Life | ||
The West Tonight was the flagship news programme in the ITV West region. It was broadcast at 6pm every weeknight. It launched in 1968 as Report West and ceased broadcasting on 15 February 2009.
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History
Previously known as HTV News, the The West Tonight name was introduced in 1997 as part of a relaunch to coincide with the opening of a digital broadcast centre at HTV's Bath Road studios in Bristol. The branding was discontinued two years later but reintroduced in 2005 when Lisa Aziz rejoined ITV West from Sky News.
As well as the main programme at 6pm, before the merger with Westcountry Live, ITV West produced news bulletins during GMTV (now Good Morning Britain), an update at around 11:15am during This Morning, the lunchtime news at 13:55, a late news update from 22:30 - 22:35/22:45, as well as weekend news bulletins.
Merger
Following the ITV West merger with ITV Westcountry to form ITV West & Westcountry, the new dual-regional programme The West Country Tonight launched on Monday 16 February 2009. A 20-minute opt-out for the former West region features within the 6pm programme, alongside fully separate short bulletins and localised weather forecasts seven days a week. Depending on the day's news, either the West or Westcountry bulletins are pre-recorded. The news service was renamed as ITV News West Country on 14 January 2013.