Westcountry

In the 1991 franchise round, Westcountry Television emerged victorious to become the broadcaster for the South West region. Setting themselves apart from their predecessors, Westcountry established their own studios at Langage Science Park on the outskirts of Plymouth. The station prioritised regional content, broadcasting 11 hours of local programming, some of which also aired on ITV or Channel 4. To offer more localised news, Westcountry introduced an opt-out news bulletin during ‘Westcountry Live’ with studios strategically located in Barnstaple (North), Exeter (East), Truro (West), and Plymouth (South).

After a highly competitive bidding war involving Carlton, GWR Radio, HTV, and United News and Media, Westcountry was acquired by Carlton on November 25, 1996. The original Westcountry branding was phased out, and the station was rebranded as Carlton Westcountry in September 1999. In 2004, it was renamed ITV Westcountry and eventually merged with ITV West to form ITV West Country (West), leading to the closure of the Plymouth studios.