3. Letter from Mr Julian Brazier MP to
the Chairman of ITC
Thank you for your letter of 26 November which,
far from reassuring me, has filled me with dismay.
You refer to assurances you have received from
Meridian, but the changes that have been made in their western
area have already ruined the local content of news service in
that area. This is not just my view—it is the view of many
of the viewers' elected representatives. Indeed one, Martin Salter,
feels so strongly about what has happened in his area, that he
came to our meeting with Lindsay Charlton to warn us not to take
Meridian's assurances at face value.
I should be most grateful if you could make
it clear whether or not you are going to give your successor body
the option to examine whether a variation of licence is required.
We currently have one of the best regional news services, perhaps
the best, in the country. To allow Meridian to get away with doing
what they have already done to many of their viewers in the West,
without even allowing your successor body the opportunity to examine
the matter, really would be shameful.
27 November 2003
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