The Royal Television Society has named four nominees for best news
and current affairs programme in the Midlands, writes Emma Farge.
ITV
Central, BBC Birmingham and BBC West Midlands are among the contenders.
ITV Central’s programme covered the Birmingham gang shooting in which
two teenage girls were killed outside a New Year’s party. It contained
exclusive footage made by the killers themselves. Dan Barton, editor of
Central News West at ITV Central said: “It was a quality journalistic
piece released on the day that the suspects were named. We investigated
the shooting through black rap music and the glorification of gang
crime.”
Two programmes from BBC West Midlands have been
shortlisted including Hunting: a Midlands Today News Special and Inside
Out Special: Siege Village. The former dramatises the face-off between
the hunting community and campaigners; the latter tells the story of
Staffordshire guinea pig farmers who had a family grave desecrated by
animal rights extremists. Another contestant is BBC Birmingham’s
Conflicts: Iran, a programme which considers whether Iran is next in
line for USenforced regime change.
The winner will be announced
on 8 October at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre by
comedian Brian Conley. Carren Davies, RTS committee member, said: “It’s
the biggest ceremony outside of London. Competition is tough because
the industry in the Midlands is thriving.”
The prize has been renamed the Terry Lloyd Award after the ITN reporter killed in Iraq two years ago.
He launched his career in the Midlands working for Raymond’s News Agency in Derby.
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