Letter: The news from ITN

Sir: I am happy to take up Michael Nicholson's challenge to defend the performance of news and current affairs on ITV ("Nicholson attacks ITN for showbiz approach", 20 September).

The new ITV news programmes are in fact performing very well. The ITV Evening News at 6.30pm was recently voted the most popular TV news bulletin in an NOP poll and it is securing an audience on a par with the old News At Ten. The Nightly News at 11pm is regularly gaining audiences of more than 3 million, compared to just 1.2 million for the BBC's Newsnight, and winning a bigger audience share than the old 5.40pm bulletin.

ITV's coverage of Kosovo and East Timor is clear evidence that there has been no decline in standards. The decision to extend weekend bulletins on the day Kosovo was liberated meant 3 million more people watched this major event on ITV than on BBC1.

Likewise the Tonight programme, for which Michael Nicholson has produced some brilliant reports, is beginning to establish itself. It has averaged audiences of 4.4 million, compared to an average of just 3.5 million for the BBC's Panorama. Last week's programme gained an audience of 5.8 million.

The decision to move the News At Ten was a difficult one. It was done because more than a quarter of ITV's viewers were turning off at 10pm. With hundreds of new television channels coming on stream, the decline had to be arrested. Thanks to the switch we are winning more viewers in the crucial peak time period. This will underwrite future investment in programming across the board - including news and current affairs.

DAVID LIDDIMENT

Director of Programmes

ITV Network Limited

London WC1