ITV to unveil new weather service

John Plunkett
Tuesday February 1, 2005

ITV1 has revamped its weather bulletins with new graphics and a new presenter, Becky Mantin, as part of an updated national service sponsored by utility Powergen.

Channel bosses have decided to dump complicated weather jargon in favour of user-friendly graphics and easy-to-understand explanations in the new forecasts, which will continue to be provided by the Met Office in a new three-year deal. Powergen has also renewed its sponsorship of the service.

Sian Lloyd and Martyn Davies will be joined as the network's main weather presenters by Mantin, who currently fronts regional bulletins on ITV's regional service, Anglia TV.

"We asked our audience exactly what information they needed and how it should be presented," said the ITV director of programmes, Nigel Pickard.

"They wanted to know how they were going to be affected by the elements and said they wanted to be told using concise, simple graphics with straightforward explanations... For many people TV weather forecasts are essential viewing."

The new deal with the Met Office will also see its ITV team move from the London Television Centre on the capital's South Bank to join the rest of the ITV News team in Grays Inn Road.

Paul Mills, the media business manager at the Met Office, said the move made sense because "the weather often makes news headlines. Closer liaison with the news teams will offer significant viewer benefits."

Mr Mills added that the new forecasts would provide a "clear, modern approach to weather programming. Viewers are not interested in too much scientific jargon so we will provide them with concise, relevant and meaningful weather bulletins, supported by visually compelling images".

ITV's renewal of its sponsorship deal with Powergen makes it one of the longest running on-screen commercial partnerships on television, taking it into its 16th year.

The Powergen UK advertising manager, Helen Tye, said its current sponsorship credits - starring the Fast Show's Simon Day - had been "extremely well received" by viewers.