News At Ten rethink urged

ITV plans to restore News At Ten on some nights

The BBC has urged the Independent Television Commission to reconsider the planned move of ITV's Nightly News to10pm.

The Corporation's director of television, Mark Thompson, urged a rethink as he hailed the success of the BBC's newly installed 10pm news bulletin.

He said last month's switch from the old 9pm start time had already increased the overall news audience across both BBC One and ITV.

I believe they should have the courage to put the interests of viewers first and think again

Mark Thompson

But, Mr Thompson warned, that could be jeopardised if the proposal to screen ITN's 10pm news bulletin at least three nights a week went ahead.

In an address to the Royal Television Society he said the BBC's Ten O'Clock News had an average audience of 5.3m viewers in its first month.

That compared to 4.9m for the Nine O'Clock News the year before.

"Over the past four weeks far from damaging news audiences, the move has brought significant numbers of people back to our flagship news programme," the BBC executive said.

But he questioned the effect of the compromise agreed after the ITC - regulator of the commercial TV sector - demanded ITV move its 11pm news forward an hour to its old start time because of low ratings.

The BBC News At Ten O'Clock has been on air for a month

"Will an ITV Nightly News which runs some nights head-to-head with the BBC's Ten O'Clock News really deliver better cross-channel news audiences than we've seen in the past month?

"Unless the ITC is confident that it will, then despite the deal they've patched up - and despite the intense political pressure on them - I believe they should have the courage to put the interests of viewers first and think again."

The proposal also means ITV's late regional news will stay at 11.20pm, and the main 10pm bulletin will be extended from 20 to 30 minutes during the general election.

The changes, which begin in the New Year, do not effect ITV's 6.30pm news programme.

Mr Thompson also told his audience the new BBC One evening scheduling was not part of a conspiracy to pursue ratings at any cost.

Mark Thompson denied the BBC1 schedule changes were a ratings conspiracy

And he rejected suggestions that the BBC was deserting public service values.

"I've read that changes to the BBC One schedule and our wider plans for BBC television are part of a conspiracy - a conspiracy to pursue ratings at any cost, or to lower standards or to turn the British public into vegetables. To me that is just mad," he said.

"What works on BBC channels is not cynicism, but creative ambition and an obsession with quality.

"What BBC One needs right now is an increase in quality and originality in some programme areas - not a decrease.

"We know that BBC One can only succeed if it stays true to its public service mission."