Regional Newsreaders and Reporters from the 70s and 80s
#1

I am new to the forums. I have always been interested in television history and I have recently read a book from 1980 called Who's Who on Television that was published by TV Times. As well as including actors, comedians, national newsreaders and reporters, sports commentators and presenters of the day, the book also had a lot of ITV and BBC regional newsreaders and reporters and I found their entries interesting.

I have been reading online about what happened to many of these regional newsreaders and reporters in more recent years.  One was Michael Gray who was a reporter and interviewer on Southern TV's Day by Day. Unlike many of the other presenters from across regional ITV and BBC, he seems to have disappeared since Southern lost its franchise.  Can any members from the Southern/TVS/Meridian region remember him?

No doubt many of the regional people's names meant nothing to many readers, unless they were in the broadcasting industry.
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#2

My wife used to work with Mike Gray. He was very professional and likeable. I believe he passed away quite a few years ago.
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#3

John Toye and Marion White were the mainstays at STV (“Scotland Today”) during the 70’s and very early 80’s.

John was somewhat of a legend on the channel.
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#4

(19-12-2022, 11:31 PM)Bluecortina Wrote:  My wife used to work with Mike Gray. He was very professional and likeable. I believe he passed away quite a few years ago.

After I had posted, I looked again and found a video with Mike Gray on TVS news in 1992. I hadn't seen at first that he'd gone over to TVS from Southern, I was searching for 'Michael Gray' instead of 'Mike Gray' at first. I know quite a few of the Southern newsreaders and reporters went to TVS, but I am not sure if many others apart from Fred Dinenage went to Meridian.  Sorry to hear Mike died a few years ago.
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#5

The same book I mentioned also has an entry on a David Haigh, who was a reporter and interviewer for Southern, but unlike Mike Gray he seems to have left the TV industry when Southern lost its franchise as I haven't found anything about him since 1981
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#6

I posted on here a few weeks ago about one or two regional newsreaders and reporters from the 70s who disappeared from the media in later years.  They were mentioned in a 1980 book called Who's Who on Television that I found a fascinating read.  I have looked up all newsreaders, reporters, presenters and other people online and although I found more recent information about most of them there were still a few who seemed to have disappeared without trace.  Does anyone remember these names? 

David Haigh (Southern TV reporter) He appears to have left Southern before the change to TVS and it seems he left the broadcasting/media industry as there's no mention since

Stephen Matthews (Westward TV reporter) He became TVS's news editor in late 1981 just before Westward finished, but no more mentions of him after 1981. 

Michael Oliver (ITN reporter, also a trained barrister) No mention after the 1980s

Hugh Owens (ATV reporter, Ulster TV news editor, later Central TV producer) He was last credited as a producer in 1993, but no more mentions after

David Rose (ITN Reporter) It was mentioned in 1989 news article that he might decide to become a writer, but no more mentions after

Edwina Tarpley (Yorkshire TV reporter) No mention after 1979

Alison Waters (HTV Reporter) A news article from 1981 said she was moving to Australia and hoping to get news work there, but no more mentions

Malcolm Wilson (Scottish TV/BBC Scotland newsreader/reporter) He was later a freelance producer, but no mention after 1997

I wonder if anyone knows what happened to any of them. It would be interesting to find out
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#7

David Haigh was latterly the manager of the Southern TV Dover studios as well as being an on screen news reporter and presenter. David Rose was also a news reporter at Southern, I think he was the political correspondent at Southern before leaving to join ITN.
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#8

(23-01-2023, 07:20 PM)Bluecortina Wrote:  David Haigh was latterly the manager of the Southern TV Dover studios as well as being an on screen news reporter and presenter. David Rose was also a news reporter at Southern, I think he was the political correspondent at Southern before leaving to join ITN.

I think I had read David Haigh went on to be the manager of Southern's Dover studio, but it appears he left after the change to TVS and it seems he left the media industry completely
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