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Channel Television during the 1979 ITV Strike

How did it continue broadcasting? (June 2019)

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JK
JKDerry
robertclark125 posted:
If I remember correctly, Channel TV sent someone to London with a van, to collect videos and films from Thames TV and/or LWT, and brought these copies back to the Channel Islands, so they could broadcast them. In addition, every day, someone from the news department was sent in a car to the most northerly point on Jersey, from what I can remember reading, and they would use their car radio to pick up the radio signals from the mainland. They would then note down the main national and international news stories, and would later, return to the Channel TV studios, and the copy that they wrote down would form the basis for the national and international news.

The strike does lead me to ask this question; what happened with regards to advertising? In 1979, Channel took a dirty feed from Westward, and the latter showed the national adverts, such as for Saab cars, levis jeans, with Channel opting out only to screen local advertising. What sort of advertising did Channel show during the strike? Did they only screen adverts for local firms, or were ads for larger firms shown as well?

They could have just listened to the BBC radio news bulletins which were broadcast on the island from their own transmitters, and no one would really know, if they just re-edited them for reading? Could have saved a bit of effort?


With regards to advertising, I presume it was just local advertising that was on Channel Television, as there were no connection at all to the network through the strike.
JK
JKDerry
Channel Television did very well to provide an alternative schedule during this pointless strike which could have been settled much faster.

Remember back in December 1978, the BBC settled their strike after crippling strike action which happened on 21st and 22nd December 1978. Why the long wait for a compromise at ITV?

Also, was there no chance at all that a strike schedule such as Channel Television's could have been put together by management during the strike and aired throughout the rest of the UK?

1968 strike managed to put together a management run service, why could this not have happened 11 years later?
MA
Markymark
Whataday posted:
Markymark posted:
They did incredibly well, kind of puts the pathetic efforts of present day local TV into perspective.


I think that's a bit unfair. Very different circumstances.


Yes, I agree a very different environment, but 'the will' is timeless, there is no will to provide a useful or enjoyable service with the current stations, with Channel it's clear there was, (but of course they were fighting to retain advertising revenue)
Ne1L C and mannewskev gave kudos
MA
Markymark
JKDerry posted:
robertclark125 posted:
If I remember correctly, Channel TV sent someone to London with a van, to collect videos and films from Thames TV and/or LWT, and brought these copies back to the Channel Islands, so they could broadcast them. In addition, every day, someone from the news department was sent in a car to the most northerly point on Jersey, from what I can remember reading, and they would use their car radio to pick up the radio signals from the mainland. They would then note down the main national and international news stories, and would later, return to the Channel TV studios, and the copy that they wrote down would form the basis for the national and international news.

The strike does lead me to ask this question; what happened with regards to advertising? In 1979, Channel took a dirty feed from Westward, and the latter showed the national adverts, such as for Saab cars, levis jeans, with Channel opting out only to screen local advertising. What sort of advertising did Channel show during the strike? Did they only screen adverts for local firms, or were ads for larger firms shown as well?

They could have just listened to the BBC radio news bulletins which were broadcast on the island from their own transmitters, and no one would really know, if they just re-edited them for reading? Could have saved a bit of effort?


We've covered this a few times before. Tony Currie of this parish offered to work there that summer, and he says someone was despatched to a cliff top to note down the IRN news from Radio Victory in Portsmouth, so they probably came to an arrangement with LBC/IRN to do that, as 'casually' capturing the content.

I doubt IRN's unions would have allowed anything more formal (such as a telex feed of the copy), but maybe ?

Whatever, you can't just go nicking the news from someone else
MA
Markymark
JKDerry posted:


1968 strike managed to put together a management run service, why could this not have happened 11 years later?


The late 70s were the height of specialised knowledge required to operate and maintain broadcast equipment.
They probably just scrapped through in 1968, which was still b/w 405, and slightly 'lower tech'. Into the 80s and with 1 inch VTRs etc, it became easier, illustrated by Thames and TV-am who both managed a rudimentary service
NL
Ne1L C
On a side note Richard Whiteley wrote in his book "Himoff" about a period in 1979 when both ITV and the BBC were on strike. He recounted an article by I believe the TV critic of the Yorkshire Post who commented on not just the music played but also the hue of the blue screen and the messages themselves
NL
Ne1L C
Markymark posted:
Whataday posted:
Markymark posted:
They did incredibly well, kind of puts the pathetic efforts of present day local TV into perspective.


I think that's a bit unfair. Very different circumstances.


Yes, I agree a very different environment, but 'the will' is timeless, there is no will to provide a useful or enjoyable service with the current stations, with Channel it's clear there was, (but of course they were fighting to retain advertising revenue)



Very true. I recall and article from Transdiffusion where (I think) an American author wrote a chapter about Channel TV in a book. I think the Transdiffusion article said CTV was the closet thing the UK had to Community access television.

ITV in 2019 doesn't give a fig about its audience.
SW
Steve Williams
Ne1L C posted:
On a side note Richard Whiteley wrote in his book "Himoff" about a period in 1979 when both ITV and the BBC were on strike. He recounted an article by I believe the TV critic of the Yorkshire Post who commented on not just the music played but also the hue of the blue screen and the messages themselves


That was in December 1978, when YTV were off at the same time as the big Beeb pre-Christmas strike, but YTV managed to stay off throughout Christmas, meaning the Christmas 3-2-1 was networked on 27th January.
MA
Markymark
Steve Williams posted:
Ne1L C posted:
On a side note Richard Whiteley wrote in his book "Himoff" about a period in 1979 when both ITV and the BBC were on strike. He recounted an article by I believe the TV critic of the Yorkshire Post who commented on not just the music played but also the hue of the blue screen and the messages themselves


That was in December 1978, when YTV were off at the same time as the big Beeb pre-Christmas strike, but YTV managed to stay off throughout Christmas, meaning the Christmas 3-2-1 was networked on 27th January.


I assume YTV's apology card was the standard IBA blue screen of death caption generated at Emley ?

I recall the BBC's apology card was some Christmas tree baubles, with a caption generated by the Beeb's in house generator 'Anchor'. The font was very similar to the IBA's (also home brew kit)
SW
Steve Williams
Markymark posted:
I recall the BBC's apology card was some Christmas tree baubles, with a caption generated by the Beeb's in house generator 'Anchor'. The font was very similar to the IBA's (also home brew kit)


As seen, of course, in this brilliant article - https://www.transdiffusion.org/2018/12/24/almost-a-silent-night
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Markymark posted:
JKDerry posted:
robertclark125 posted:
If I remember correctly, Channel TV sent someone to London with a van, to collect videos and films from Thames TV and/or LWT, and brought these copies back to the Channel Islands, so they could broadcast them. In addition, every day, someone from the news department was sent in a car to the most northerly point on Jersey, from what I can remember reading, and they would use their car radio to pick up the radio signals from the mainland. They would then note down the main national and international news stories, and would later, return to the Channel TV studios, and the copy that they wrote down would form the basis for the national and international news.

The strike does lead me to ask this question; what happened with regards to advertising? In 1979, Channel took a dirty feed from Westward, and the latter showed the national adverts, such as for Saab cars, levis jeans, with Channel opting out only to screen local advertising. What sort of advertising did Channel show during the strike? Did they only screen adverts for local firms, or were ads for larger firms shown as well?

They could have just listened to the BBC radio news bulletins which were broadcast on the island from their own transmitters, and no one would really know, if they just re-edited them for reading? Could have saved a bit of effort?


We've covered this a few times before. Tony Currie of this parish offered to work there that summer, and he says someone was despatched to a cliff top to note down the IRN news from Radio Victory in Portsmouth, so they probably came to an arrangement with LBC/IRN to do that, as 'casually' capturing the content.

I doubt IRN's unions would have allowed anything more formal (such as a telex feed of the copy), but maybe ?

Whatever, you can't just go nicking the news from someone else

Would the unions have had an issue as Channel were not in dispute? It's a different scenario to a management run strike busting service.

In fact, were ITN on strike?
MA
Markymark
Steve in Pudsey posted:
Markymark posted:
JKDerry posted:
They could have just listened to the BBC radio news bulletins which were broadcast on the island from their own transmitters, and no one would really know, if they just re-edited them for reading? Could have saved a bit of effort?


We've covered this a few times before. Tony Currie of this parish offered to work there that summer, and he says someone was despatched to a cliff top to note down the IRN news from Radio Victory in Portsmouth, so they probably came to an arrangement with LBC/IRN to do that, as 'casually' capturing the content.

I doubt IRN's unions would have allowed anything more formal (such as a telex feed of the copy), but maybe ?

Whatever, you can't just go nicking the news from someone else


Would the unions have had an issue as Channel were not in dispute? It's a different scenario to a management run strike busting service.

In fact, were ITN on strike?


I'm not sure whether or not the NUJ (and the Sparks) at ITN (and the ITV companies) were on strike too, (in solidarity) with the ACTT ?

I think the sparks were, according to a couple of ex Thames TV engineers who frequent DS.

It was a very volatile period for industrial relations (and not just in broadcasting)

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