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26th Anniversary of the biggest shake up in ITV

Formerly 25th Anniversary (December 2017)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
NG
noggin Founding member
Back to Granada and the perceived Manchester bias was the idea of a dual region ever considered with one half centred in Liverpool. Obviously they're off the same transmitter generally but we've seen with local TV the signal could be split.


Nothing ever serious, I don't think. You could have separate directionally beamed PBS muxes from Winter Hill with relays merely repeating the appropriate version, if the frequencies could be found. Indeed, Storeton carries the Wales PBS muxes as well as the Granada ones. It'd cost money, of course but probably more useful to Liverpool than the local TV experiment has been.

I doubt ITV would care for it these days. The BBC might set up a sub-opt within the existing North West region but probably only if politically bounced into it.


It won't happen, it's tight enough now with 700 MHz clearance removing even more spectrum.

Ironically, the best and most effective way to regionally target the right viewers is postcode mapping on D-Sat.


Or via IP...
Ne1L C, UKnews and Markymark gave kudos
RI
Riaz
Well Remeber 25% of all itv programmes from 1993 had to be from independent companies. So there was no need for lots and lots of its studios around the UK...


Did the ITC have any ideas about the types of programmes that the indies should create for ITV?

In the early 1990s C4 showed the world that indies could succeed in producing pleasing and enjoyable programmes that were also novel and original including material that would not traditionally be found in the BBC and ITV stables, so this presumably provided a benchmark for the ITC as to what could be achieved. Did the policy of a minimum of 25% of ITV programmes from indies live up to the expectations from the early 1990s in terms of quality and variety?
WH
Whataday Founding member
Riaz posted:
Did the policy of a minimum of 25% of ITV programmes from indies live up to the expectations from the early 1990s in terms of quality and variety?


Well the biggest television hit of the 90s was produced by an indie for ITV, got sold around the world and redefined a whole genre so it can't have gone that badly.
Steve Williams and Jon gave kudos
MC
mccanmat
Please reveal which programme you mean
:-(
A former member
its about to come back again with an ex top gear pearson..
NL
Ne1L C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crcmSjbIx1k
SP
Spencer
Please reveal which programme you mean


Is it...?
A. Bobby Davro’s Rock With Laughter
B. North East Tonight with Mike Neville
C. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
D. Heil Honey I’m Home

You can phone a friend.
RO
robertclark125
Just a thought, with regards to the question of the North west. Could the ITC have possibly changed the franchise regions for the 1991 bidding? As an example, could Cumbria have moved into North West, along with the Isle of Man? If so, could the ITC have also stipulated that separate news services for the north and south of the region had to be provided?

If the answer to the first question is yes, then I guess South Scotland could've moved into Central Scotland, but possibly split as it is now. I wonder also how viable a sort of Tees Valley franchise would've been. Have the whole of Northumberland in Tyne Tees, but what was Network North, which covered the south of the Tyne Tees region, being a proper franchise, covering both the South of the Tyne Tees region, and the north of the Yorkshire TV region.

Obviously, back in 1991, no one could've forseen what was going to happen in the television medium, with such advances in technology, and the increase in the number of channels, and digital tv. However, back then, I just wonder if such boundary changes would've been a lot better. For one thing, having watched ITV News Tyne Tees, since the abolition of the split news service, to me the south of the Tyne Tees region hardly warrants much mention.
WH
Whataday Founding member
its about to come back again with an ex top gear pearson..


Richard Hammond's Talking Telephone Numbers.
WH
Whataday Founding member
Obviously, back in 1991, no one could've forseen what was going to happen in the television medium, with such advances in technology, and the increase in the number of channels, and digital tv.


Yes they could. Everyone foresaw it. The future of technology and the prospect of multi-channel was one of the main talking points when the bill was discussed.

RI
Riaz
Obviously, back in 1991, no one could've forseen what was going to happen in the television medium, with such advances in technology, and the increase in the number of channels, and digital tv.


Internet and on-demand TV was some way off but digital TV was just around the corner and satellite TV was now ready for large scale consumer uptake. Cable TV was a very mature technology but Britain had to wait a few years for McNicholas to rip up the tarmac.

81 days later

RI
Riaz
It might have been interesting if there was a separate ITV franchise for children's programmes back in 1991 although, with hindsight, it would almost certainly have been swallowed up by the Granada Carlton empire.

Did Central have the rights to the CITV brand at the time of the franchise round? If so, then what would have happened to children's programmes in 1993 if Central had opponents and lost?

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