Rare ATV ident

Associated Television (ATV), a former British television company, was awarded the franchise by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide the Independent Television service at weekends for the London region. This service started on Saturday, 24 September 1955 and was extended until Sunday, 28 July 1968. ATV was also awarded the franchise to provide the weekdays Independent Television service for the Midlands region. This service started on Friday, 17 February 1956 and was extended until Monday, 29 July 1968.

Subsequent to the changes made by the ITA to the regional structure of the Independent Television service, ATV was awarded the franchise to provide a seven-day Independent Television service for the Midlands region which started on Tuesday, 30 July 1968 and was finally extended until 00:34 on Friday, 1 January 1982.

The company's most recognisable ident however is the one launched in 1969. Called Zoom 2, it was the ident that heralded colour to the region for the first time. Starting with three lightspots that combine to form six colours and the caption 'In Colour', the three lightspots fully merge forming a single cream dot which then animates out into the ATV shadowed eye, fully formed. The score for the ident featured brass, drums and vibraphone in a twelve beat fanfare for the station, by Jack Parnell and arranged by Wally Stott. In addition to this, a variation was produced which only featured a black and white version of the final animate into the shadowed eye for programmes still being shown in black and white. This ident was used from the introduction of colour in 1969 right until the ATV name ceased to be used in 1982.

The original ident:

In 1975 there were plans afoot to change it but, clearly it was dropped .

Transdiffusion article suggests it came in a few different variations:
http://www.transdiffusion.org/2004/05/24/atv-2

The "rare'" one sounds like a first draft before they finalised it and used it in Zoom 2. The version 623058 posted actually sounds quite nice.

It's the first few bars of their Start up music isn't it?

Midlands Montage? Sounds very much like it

I think it's a case that there were variations played throughout the 70s but the main one is the most famous as it was used before networked shows.

I think we all know that there were three versions of the ATV ident from 1968 - the first for black and white transmissions; the second (tinny) version was (according to various sources) disliked by Lew Grade for not being dynamic enough which led to the third (and most known) version used until 31 December 1981 - and well into 1982 on ATV schools' programmes with a filmed "Central Presents" cap crudely tagged on to the front.

The "alternate music" in the ident recreation shown above is one of a sample sting taken from one of two master tapes Johnny Pearson and the studio orchestra made for ATV's revised start-up, which became Midland Montage/Midland Parade in 1975. As far as I know, there were no plans to revise the Jack Parnell/Wally Stott [aka Angela Morley] Zoom 2 music - more likely it was done as a "just in case" or the orchestra tinkering about (there's plenty of that on the tape). There are also several samples of shorter versions of the start-up, like those used prior to 1972 for daytime closedown/start-ups of stations but in 1975, as we all know, the ITV network was happily showing programmes throughout the day until the Epilogue. I can provide links for the tapes if requested.

Yes, please. That would be very interesting.

Just a thought. Could any of those variations have been considered for use on export copies? Also, I know that the franchise renewal tendering was a wee while away, but possibly a new jingle for ATV if the name was kept after 31st December 1981?

There was a version used for international sales which had "In Color" rather than the British English version.

That wouldn't be a surprise. ISTR that ATV shot colour TV shows for the US market (on video not film) - at Elstree. There were always rumours (never sure I had them confirmed) that at one point Elstree could run in either PAL or NTSC (though I'm not really sure this is true?) to avoid standards conversion (did they make the show twice - or convert to PAL for UK audiences?)

Telegenic used to have a PAL/NTSC switchable OB truck ISTR though (or was it just NTSC?) - so maybe it was a dual-standard set-up at one point?