ITV seeks go-ahead for 'News at 10.30'

ITV has reignited the long-running dispute about the timing of News at Ten by asking television regulators to allow it to move the beleaguered bulletin to a permanent 10.30pm berth.

It has applied to the Independent Television Commission for consent to reschedule the flagship show fronted by Sir Trevor McDonald in the hope of ending its stand-off with BBC1's Ten O'Clock News. Executives want to portray the proposed move as a way of offering a better deal to viewers, who currently face a nightly dilemma over which of the two peak-time bulletins to watch.

They also want to rid the ITN show of the unflattering nickname "News at When?" because of its fluctuating time slots. With overrunning advertising breaks, it regularly starts two or three minutes later than scheduled, allowing its rival to lure viewers. And one day a week it is shunted into a later slot, often 11pm, to accommodate films or major dramas. ITV hopes the 10.30pm slot will enable it to improve on its ratings, which earlier this year fell as low as 2.2 million viewers, compared with 6.6 million for the same night's BBC bulletin.

However, any such change will reopen the acrimonious debate of almost five years ago which was provoked by ITV's controversial decision to move the programme to 11pm. The move drew condemnation from Tony Blair and veterans of the bulletin, including Sir Alastair Burnet and Michael Brunson, and was eventually reversed.