Daily Echo: Meridian TV debate

AFTER watching Meridian every day for many years and enjoying Fred and Debbie, why take Debbie Thrower off?

She was a pleasure to watch, her and Fred were part of our family, we looked forward to seeing them each day. Sangeeta Bhabra has not got the personality as Debbie and never will.

And as for replacing the Spinnaker Tower with a bridge in Oxford...There are lots of better views (The Bargate,the Civic Centre ect). V Funnell.

AFTER reading in today’s Echo the article about Meridian Tonight, I have to agree with the many viewers, I do not like the new news reader, she has no personality, and it seems such a shame after enjoying Debbie for so long, who gave us such an enjoyable account of events, she had to go.

I hope the powers that be will give us back our local news, and Debbie, and not cover 200 miles – it’s hardly local.

Mrs Barbara Castle.

I KNOW this email is going to make no difference to the changes that have taken place at Meridian, but I needed to tick a box for myself...

My husband and I really do like change... if it’s for the better, but we really do not like the way it has changed at Meridian. We have been watching this programme for many years, with an open mind, listening to local news...and now for the first time in years have not bothered watching.

If we are not doing anything else, we turn the TV on, but would now prefer wait to watch BBC, South Today.

Fred and Debbie together were great. My husband and I do not know the new presenter. She is probably a very nice person, but that said we do not like her ‘presence’ on the show.

CHRISSY DAVIS.

I FIND it a dizzy situation that the population in our area obviously doesn’t watch the national news by ITV, or else the explanation would have been made clear to them for why this was a very desperate 'rock and hard place' situation step by ITV! Money, it really does all come down to money.

Times are hard for the commercial ‘original’ four' channels in this country (except BBC of course, no harm done).

We’re not like Americans, the revenue can only be created through power programming and advertising to a larger population causing instant effect.

ALEX.

I THINK the lady who co-presents on Meridian doesn’t gel with Fred like Debbie used to. I think she looks uncomfortable.

CLIVE SHUTTLER, Southampton.

I VERY rarely complain or made the effort to but what have Meridian Tonight done/ Call this progress and improvement.

As one of their now ex-customers I will no longer be watching good old Fred and where is Debbie? Didn’t Meridian realise they had a very popular programe with great presenters presenting LOCAL news in a watchable manner.

The new format is uninteresting and boring , please Daily Echo campaign to bring back Debbie with Fred and their repartee to make a watchable LOCAL news programmes we all want.

Terry Wheeler.

IN response to your article about Meridian I have to say that after years of watching Meridian Tonight and I do mean years (going back to the Christopher Peacock days), that after just one show of the new format we changed channels to South Today.

We found the new lady to be too stern and the range of area too vast to be local news. we are very disappointed as we used to watch the ITV news at 6.30 as well and that has been lost because of the conflict of timings.

S Kendal, Southampton.

LIKE many we are not happy with the new format. Fred and Debbie have a great chemistry together. It was like having family in your home.

The new news is far from local some nights Southampton/Portsmouth doesn’t even get a mention. Fred’s new co presenter seems ill at ease on the sofa with Fred.

We are now considering changing channels so that we do get truly local news, the area now overed by the Meridian is now so vast it makes the term local worthless.

JENNY CHALK.

HOW I agree with the comments on Meridian Tonight. The programme now lacks charisma. Even Fred seems ill at ease. The old programme was comfortable, relevant, relaxed and enjoyable. What a shame.

We have already switched channels. Also the Southern News teletext service has very little relevance to our region. It is all now spread too thin.

maggie, Totton.

WE have now gone over to BBC SouthToday as we cannot stand the way it has been ruined.

We miss our local programes that we had each night. This is now not local.

Sylvia & Bob Snook.

WE have lost a good team of reporters, and I am not interested in what happens in Oxford or distant points west or east. If its not broken then why try to mend it?

I have gone to BBC. Bring back our Debbie the girl with the lovely smile.

F.G.S.