Speaking in an interview with Television, the Royal Television Society magazine, ITV controller of news Steve Anderson said the favourite slot for the programme is 10.30pm. However, any changes need to be approved by the Independent Television Commission.
"Going head to head with the BBC's news programme is not a situation that we can handle," Anderson said.
ITV's 'News at Ten' has been a constantly itinerant programme for several years. Its troubles began when ITV moved it to a permanent 11pm slot in March 1999 to allow the channel to broadcast feature-length dramas and films without interruption.
The programme was forced back to 10pm for three nights of the week by the ITC in October 2000 after the regulator said ITV was failing its audience.
The BBC saw its opening and swooped on the once-coveted 10pm evening news slot. It moved its 'Nine O'Clock News' to the 10pm slot and, since then, ITV's evening news coverage has never recovered while the BBC has gone from strength to strength.
Anderson said ITV's news was losing out in the ratings battle when it is on at the same time as the BBC's news because the BBC's show starts dead on 10pm, while ITV has to wait for the commercial break to end.
ITV's evening news bulletin hit an eight-month low in March, with an audience of just 2.2m, compared with the BBC's 6.6m.
Carlton chairman Michael Green also confirmed today that the company, along with partner Granada, would buy NTL's share in the digital channel ITV News to give them full control of the channel.
At the same time, the ITV companies are also seeking to take full control of ITN, which produces 'News at Ten', if media ownership legislation is relaxed sufficiently in the communications bill.
ITN is currently owned by Carlton, Granada, Reuters, the Daily Mail & General Trust, and former ITV company and shareholder in TV station Five, United Business Media. Each hold the maximum 20% stake allowed by current regulations.
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