OT: Where did 'Men and Motors' go?

I think only BBC1, BBC2 and ITV1 are regionalised for transmission, all the others (eg Men and Motors) are UK-wide, and I don't know whether the regionalised services (ie ITV1 for commercial) can break down their digital feeds into micro-regions small enough to appeal to local businesses making local adverts for local people.

Owain

There's many more tv stations in the USA and towns can have their own station, hence the local advertising. For that to happen over here, you would have stations broadcasting, for example to an area the size of Ealing or Croydon.

Dave

I'd guess you're correct as proper regional broadcasting has all but disappeared on ITV. But there should be a way of making it viable on the minority channels - perhaps by some tie up with the local radio stations? Even although those are rapidly going too.

ITV-1 have about 30 micro regions (as sub sets of their 15 main regions). I watch Hannington, and that certainly has local advertising targeted at just that transmitter's service area (Thames Valley/North Hants)

The smallest geographical ITV sub region is Yorkshire TV:Sheffield, just that city and neighbouring Chesterfield.

Channel 4 have six advertising macro-regions, and C5 have four, though C5 do have the ability to target an ad to one only one, or a specific set of transmitters, though only on analogue. I'm not sure if they've ever used that feature in anger.

AFIAK no other commercial channel carries regional/local ads.

It does in N Ireland and untill a few years ago I thought it did on the mainland also.

No loss there then ;)

It might get worse...

I read a vague article last week, on CEEFAX I think, that the rules for freeview channels are being relaxed. The net result that some of the extisting Freeview channels may (or may not!) become pay-to-view. Apparantly the BBC, ITV, C4 & C5 channels are protected but some other channels may start to charge - or something!. So we could end up with the public service channels plus a load of quiz channels.

BTW again on CEEFAX some concerns have been raised about these quiz channels, and suggest existing gamling regs should be applied to them like for casinos etc.

Egremont.

I wonder if I meant gambling or gaming regs?. One or the other...

Gone but not missed in my case. Anything much beyond BBC4 is largely a waste of electricity.

WHAT? Something you can't bodge up with your standard hotkey answer of "body filler" ?

I rather enjoyed the re-runs of The Sweeny and Professionals M&M did recently. Pure nostalgia and so old they didn't seem like repeats. Interesting to see all the young non regular cast who are well known now, etc. And just how scruffy the production values were in those days. And all the old cars being thrashed around. ;-)

You may not believe it, but I have a full degree in engineering of te general including structural sort, and a an honours in electrical engineering and electronics.

Armed with that rather useless bit of paper (tells you how many nails to use, but never how to get them in past a knot) even I can tell you that car body filler is not conductive at VHF, UHF and gigahertz frequencies ;-)

Its always intrigued me as to how much of our knowledge is knowledge of what can't be done, rather than how to do it.