By Chris Story

Last updated 09:13, Saturday, 22 March 2008

ASSURANCES are being sought that a management overhaul does not signal a back-door merger of ITV Border and Tyne Tees.

Managing director of Border TV Paddy Merrall will leave his post at the end of this year

It was announced this week that Border’s long-serving managing director Paddy Merrall was stepping down and being replaced by a single director responsible for both areas.

Former Tyne Tees managing director Graeme Thompson takes up the regional role as part of a major national shake-up. Mr Merrall will remain as executive director until the end of the year.

The move has triggered renewed fears for the station with ITV already pursuing plans to merge its news operations with Gateshead-based Tyne Tees, which are to be considered by broadcast watchdog Ofcom.

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew, a vocal anti-merger campaigner, is now planning to write to senior network executives to highlight the concerns and to seek assurances about Border’s future.

He was angry at the management change and said: “It shows the arrogance of Michael Grade (ITV chairman) an ITV.

“While they are within their rights to do this, it sends out totally the wrong message.

“The reality is that Ofcom has got to make a decision on the request from ITV about Border and Tyne Tees and that is far from a foregone conclusion.

“The other issue is that because they have appointed someone from Tyne Tees, it sends out a strong signal that Border Television would close and move to Gateshead.”

Union leaders at the station have said that while Mr Merrall, who has been with Border for 35 years, will be sorely missed, they fear his departure is a step closer to merger.

National Union of Journalists spokesman Adam Powell said: “It is troubling for staff that this should go on when no decision has been made by Ofcom.”

ITV bosses say Mr Merrall has been an influential figure and that his work during the rest of this year will provide “leadership and support to the Border team through possibly their most challenging period”.

If approved, the news merger of Border and Tyne Tees could take effect from next year

That would kill-off flagship news magazine Lookaround, which would be replaced by a programme broadcast from Gateshead including a mini-bulletin for Cumbria, southern Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Opponents fear that as well as leading to redundancies at Border, it would trigger a deterioration in news coverage of the area.

ITV says its national overhaul, which has seen six directors appointed to run six super-regions, will streamline regional operations, provide leadership, focus and replace an outdated management model. Mr Grade wants to save between £35m and £40m from regional broadcasting and cut the number of local bulletins from 17 to nine.

Sign the News & Star’s online petition to save Lookaround at www.newsandstar.co.uk/border.

CStory@cngroup.co.uk