The ITC has approved some variations to the GMTV licence, after the breakfast station appealed to the ITC last year to make greater allowance in the flexibility of its rolling format.
The original licence, which was granted in February 1992, specified the minimum time, on a weekly basis, for different categories of programmes: news, sport, factual programmes, education, religion and children’s. GMTV appealed to the ITC that the licence was too detailed in its format for their rolling programme style, which needs to be able to respond to the news and current affairs priorities of the day.
As a result the ITC has adjusted the minimum timings for a number of programme categories.
Almost one and three-quarter hours per week will not be allocated in the licence to any individual programme category but will be assigned by GMTV. The new weekly minimum licence requirement for news will be 6 hours 18 mins, compared with 6 hours 33 mins at present; for current affairs 2 hours 30 mins as opposed to 3 hours 47 mins. Sports will be 40 mins, as opposed to 60 mins, education will be 30 mins compared with a total of 43 mins at present.
Children’s programming will also be affected. The total hours broadcast will not alter, but less time now has to be devoted to children’s informational programming; only 1 hour instead of 2 hours 3 mins. The remaining 3 hours 18 mins will be for entertainment. GMTV had protested that the previous ruling was preventing them from competing equally with the Big Breakfast for
children viewers.
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