The online campaign has been started by Carlisle solicitor Cheryl Broad, and has attracted more than 250 supporters in its first few days.
They are being asked to write to the Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw and the Minister for Digital Britain Stephen Timms, asking them to make the region a trial for
Independently Financed News Consortia, a move which will restore the nightly 30-minute news programme lost eight months ago when ITV Border was amalgamated with ITV
Tyne Tees. Three trial areas are to be set up using money from the licence fee.
Cheryl organised a campaign last year against the Border merger. She said, “It is now vital that we show there is still a demand for local news, so we can get our own
programme back.
“As it is, Cumbria and the south of Scotland are now getting only token news coverage, and much of what happens in this area is being ignored.
“Our fear is that, if we don’t get chosen for one of the trials, by the time the plan is rolled out across the rest of the country the idea of the Border region seen
as a separate news area will have been forgotten. We are urging everyone to join our Facebook group now and make their views heard.”
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