Earliest regional TV memories

Pre or post March 1991 ? I think the default RT for Oxfordshire changed to the Midlands issue once
it started carrying ITV listings. Better to have the (then) significant Central variations, with the 'wrong' BBC 1 listings.

Although we went to Wales a lot, the first time I was old enough to take notice of such things was when we went to Cornwall in 1990 and saw that TSW was on number three instead of Granada. As a 7 year old, it was a revelation to me. I remember telling kids in school about it who either didn't find it that interesting or thought I was making it up for some reason. We went to Devon the two years following (91 ,92) and so TSW became 'holiday TV' to me. This was reinforced by the fact they were using seasons idents by this time and the summer one was very summary and very different to the cold, urban blue of Granada. This is probably what pipped my interest in TV presentation. We started holidaying elsewhere from 1993, including abroad, so I was unaware that TSW was living out its last months. Only some years later did I learn of the change to Westcountry.

I soon realised that my grandmother, who lived in Toxteth and therefore Storeton territory, could get Welsh TV (as Storeton was in the same line of site as Meol-y-Parc). S4C was fascinating as Channel 4 didn't change anywhere else. I remember watching cartoons on summer holiday mornings on Channel 4 and flicking between it and S4C who were following the exact same schedule but inserting their own very different presentation. I remember seeing the Next caption for the Mario Bros. 3 cartoon being broadcast on both stations at the same time. The still frame of the cartoon was the same on both but S4C's background 'tile' was totally different as was the person talking over it.

Other memories include going to Scarborough and being able to get Tyne Tees but not Yorkshire for some reason. The next year I went with school and the place we stayed had Yorkshire. Also remember staying in Somerset and only being able to get Welsh TV and so no Channel 4, nor Channel 5 (presumably from Wenvoe). This was disappointing as I wanted to see how different HTV West was from Wales.

Parts of the Black Country west of Dudley, could receive Central, Granada loud and clear and HTV Wales/S4C (usually when there was big 'lift' atmospheric conditions).
My mate was one who could pick up that treasure trove.
He's ariel had clear line of sight to a relay of Central at the Wrekin, and the most southwesterly of Granada. Pictures were always pretty clear from Granada - with only a minor bit of static and ghosting every now and then.

I'm not sure his Mum ever quite worked out why I always seemed to go around at 6, and never stay for tea (if invited) when they had theirs around 7pm.

Mostly the E&S printed Granadaland listings for those north of Stafford - where the signal in some parts was as clear as Central.

The best I ever got was an evening of perfectly watchable HTV Wales and S4C over the air. Knowing we were in 'high lift' territory with the signals, headed upstairs tuned around with the FM radio and despite being the other side of Birmingham, I could quite clearly pick up Kiss FM London from the tx at Croydon - some 125miles away.

Ah the art of DX - distant reception (? Is that right? Why DX? Like RX stands for reception and TX stands for Transmission?). Analogue television carried a hell of a long way when the atmospheric conditions were right. I could easily get Central and Granada where I lived in Cheshire, and Welsh television at a push. Anything further afield I never managed to get, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been impossible with a different aerial. There used to be a French (?) website with British TV DX from the 60s and 70s. I'll see if I can still find it...

EDIT
yup - here it is:
http://francoisf.wixsite.com/dxtv/english

Well, Reading is in Berkshire.🤓 I was there in 1992. I think they carried three versions due to the commuters passing through as you didn't have to go far to be in a different region.

I don't understand the beginning of that sentence. "E&S"?

I assume the local newspaper, Express and Star or similar.

Yeah, E&S = Express & Star. Very long running regional newspaper in the West Midlands, dates back to the late Victorian years I believe. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson did his work experience at the paper apparently in the 1980s.

Oh, I know, obviously for commuters. Goring and Streatly are just a few miles out of Reading, and most homes there use the Oxford transmitter.

My patents lived in the middle of the triangle formed by Reading, Basingstoke and Newbury.
We had three aerials, Hannington (Southern) Crystal P (London) and Oxford (ATV)

Most people in that area had CP and Hannington aerials, but we were the only house I was aware of that had Oxford too. I was watching Tiswas way before my school friends !