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ITV stations that lost their franchise

(October 2020)

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NG
noggin Founding member

Like just about any radio station, (with two or more studios !)


Apart from the main BBC Radio networks - who all have presentation operations with the exception of Five Live?


I did say just about Cool

I'm not sure Radio 1 and 2 do, they use the 'flip:flop/offer:accept operation between studios I think ? I'm pretty sure all the national and local commercial stations are the same ?

So it's probably just Radio 3 and 4 ?


When FiveLive started it was the first mainstream BBC network to do it I think (I think Radio 5 before it had presentation) - not sure if R1 and R2 have followed suit. Wouldn't surprise me.
RN
RNCYDodge
If I remember correctly, TWW threw a hissy fit by ending its broadcast operations early when they found out they lost out in the 1967 franchise round to Lord Harlech.
MA
Markymark

Apart from the main BBC Radio networks - who all have presentation operations with the exception of Five Live?


I did say just about Cool

I'm not sure Radio 1 and 2 do, they use the 'flip:flop/offer:accept operation between studios I think ? I'm pretty sure all the national and local commercial stations are the same ?

So it's probably just Radio 3 and 4 ?


When FiveLive started it was the first mainstream BBC network to do it I think (I think Radio 5 before it had presentation) - not sure if R1 and R2 have followed suit. Wouldn't surprise me.


I suppose as Radio 1 grew out of being an opt out service of Radio 2, their pres was historically intertwined.
It was complicated by the fact Radio 1 would 'borrow' Radio 2's FM network, when R2 was carrying sport on LW.
Other times you'd hear R1 (branded) progs on R2. R1 and 2 shared newsreaders in the 60s and 70s,
and R2's continuity announcers were from that newsreader pool. R1 only really had a continuity announcer (or announcements voiced by the 'outgoing' DJ) at the weekend. (For instance DLT would CA the documentary slot at 1pm on Saturday afternoons, you'd hear his voice after the pips at 1pm junction when R2 FM joined R1)

They probably simplified arrangements for both 1 and 2 from the early 90s, when R1 and 2 were completely separated, and R2 lost AM to R5, and therefore became a single output FM only station ?)
IS
Inspector Sands
Radio 2 was until fairly recently announcer based.

Someone I know did a newsreading shift overnight (must have been I the early 2000's) and he said that everything worked the wrong way round. Normally at a station the newsreader goes into the booth and is faded up by the on air studio, but at Radio 2 the newsreader faded out the on air studio, did the bulletin and then faded in the on air studio. It all went back to the old days when programmes were linked by announcers as they still are on Radio 4.

Its different now of course, it works just like any other station, including non-live programmes being played off the playout system
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I don't think Radio 1 ever had continuity working in the conventional sense (they have always flip flopped between a pair of studios that happened to be repurposed continuity studios).
MA
Markymark
I don't think Radio 1 ever had continuity working in the conventional sense (they have always flip flopped between a pair of studios that happened to be repurposed continuity studios).


Yes, I think that was probably the case. The nearest you got to an announcer was someone to link between pre-recorded shows (as happened Saturday afternoons) who also acted as a babysitter. Almost certainly someone sat in one of the 'Cont' studios, with a record cued up on standby.
I think it was Pete Drummond often on Saturdays, and it was him who jumped in when Live Aid feel off the air in the middle of The Who's set. I had my HiFi cranked up at the time. Nice loud 'thump' as every electrolytic capacitor in the sound truck suddenly discharged !
BL
bluecortina
The point about sharing playout in Birmingham in the 1950s and 60s is an interesting one.
Why could ATV and ABC do it there, but not Rediffusion and ATV in London or Granada and ABC in Manchester?

Was it down to the way those companies interacted with each other?
Was it that neither ATV (who were focused on the London franchise) or ABC (who were more focused on the North) regarded the Midlands as an area that was of secondary importance to them, so sharing facilities made more sense there?


I’m sure some of your questions would be answered in John Pettinger’s excellent ‘From Dawn till Dusk’ which substantially covers the complete history of ATV from start to end with a lot of history about the Alpha Studios. I read and then gave away my copy, but worth seeking out on the www if you’re interested in the detail - of which there is a lot including ATV’s private microwave link from Birmingham to London which I realise may be of particular interest you.
Markymark, commseng and sda| gave kudos
CO
commseng
Radio 2 was until fairly recently announcer based.

Someone I know did a newsreading shift overnight (must have been I the early 2000's) and he said that everything worked the wrong way round. Normally at a station the newsreader goes into the booth and is faded up by the on air studio, but at Radio 2 the newsreader faded out the on air studio, did the bulletin and then faded in the on air studio. It all went back to the old days when programmes were linked by announcers as they still are on Radio 4.

Its different now of course, it works just like any other station, including non-live programmes being played off the playout system

It has varied over time as to how Radio 2 handled continuity.
Working in the Control Room in the 1990s the network switcher showed the R2 studio when I started in there, whether it was 1G, 1H or 1J.
Later it always showed 3F (or it may have been 3H can't recall) where the news studio was.
R1 was eithe Egton 4 or 5 and later Egton 1.
R3 was generally always 1Q and R4 was 1M. R4 LF occasionally 1F, but sometimes R3 would move to a basement studio, R1 or R2 to Birmingham lines either to take a programme from Birmingham (R2 overnights) or Manchester (R1 Mark Radcliffe).
R5 had their new studios where all the cons had been when I started, and those (1A -1D) could handle con duties, R5 sat in one studio, but R5 Live as mentioned passed the network to where it needed to come from. I suppose the original network had a lot of recorded programmes, the live one didn't so much.
Nothing was set in stone, it changed as the channel controllers came and went and as the budgets ebbed and flowed.
CO
commseng
The point about sharing playout in Birmingham in the 1950s and 60s is an interesting one.
Why could ATV and ABC do it there, but not Rediffusion and ATV in London or Granada and ABC in Manchester?

Was it down to the way those companies interacted with each other?
Was it that neither ATV (who were focused on the London franchise) or ABC (who were more focused on the North) regarded the Midlands as an area that was of secondary importance to them, so sharing facilities made more sense there?


I’m sure some of your questions would be answered in John Pettinger’s excellent ‘From Dawn till Dusk’ which substantially covers the complete history of ATV from start to end with a lot of history about the Alpha Studios. I read and then gave away my copy, but worth seeking out on the www if you’re interested in the detail - of which there is a lot including ATV’s private microwave link from Birmingham to London which I realise may be of particular interest you.

Thanks, I have already ordered a copy!
MA
Markymark
The point about sharing playout in Birmingham in the 1950s and 60s is an interesting one.
Why could ATV and ABC do it there, but not Rediffusion and ATV in London or Granada and ABC in Manchester?

Was it down to the way those companies interacted with each other?
Was it that neither ATV (who were focused on the London franchise) or ABC (who were more focused on the North) regarded the Midlands as an area that was of secondary importance to them, so sharing facilities made more sense there?


I’m sure some of your questions would be answered in John Pettinger’s excellent ‘From Dawn till Dusk’ which substantially covers the complete history of ATV from start to end with a lot of history about the Alpha Studios. I read and then gave away my copy, but worth seeking out on the www if you’re interested in the detail - of which there is a lot including ATV’s private microwave link from Birmingham to London which I realise may be of particular interest you.

Thanks, I have already ordered a copy!


And me too !! (Be careful which version of the title you order Very Happy )

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