TV Home Forum

Should BBC One become... just BBC?

It works for ITV (January 2021)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SC
Si-Co
The TV listings in many of the newspapers used to use the region names for ITV apart from “Midlands” and “London” - I believe this was still the case well into the 90s. I assume it was originally done that way to avoid having to name two companies (ATV/ABC and Rediffusion/ATV etc) and/or to avoid the confusion of ABC North and ABC Midlands. I expect that prior to 1968 the newspaper listings also referred to a “North” region (Granada/ABC) - but it seems strange that “Midlands” remained 20 or so years after the weekday/weekend split was abolished, and the company name had changed too.
VM
VMPhil
It would be interesting to hear how forum members compare this to Sky One, which has never made much sense to me. There was a very short lived Sky Two, but are they using the One moniker simply to denote entertainment and position it as a general viewing channel agains BBC One? Quite possibly.

I think it was really to denote it as the flagship entertainment channel, given it was originally called Sky Channel. Arguably that position has been weakened significantly over the last decade by Sky Atlantic.
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MA
Markymark
So it was. I could have sworn it was the Sunday People!


Wasn't there an ATV regional show, at 5:15 on Fridays, called Friday's People, Chris Tarrant and Wendy Nelson?
IJ
IanJRedman
I think it would be confusing, as there are so many established BBC brands.
"Next on BBC, it's Eastenders."
"Next on the BBC, it's Eastenders."

I agree with Brekkie that rebranding iPlayer to strengthen the BBC branding may be a better way forward.

Interestingly, the idea of just calling it "BBC" reminds me of the channel called BBC HD, which we receive when I am at work on cruise ships (in normal times). It shows episodes of Eastenders and other programmes just a couple of days after their BBC One airing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_HD_(international)
It uses the original idents from the old BBC HD UK channel, which are very good.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1e1hk5xF9Q

Slightly off topic, but OMG! I'd forgotten there was still an international channel called BBC HD, and how lovely that those old UK idents are still in use. I had no idea!
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MA
Meridian AM
I think it would be confusing, as there are so many established BBC brands.
"Next on BBC, it's Eastenders."
"Next on the BBC, it's Eastenders."

I agree with Brekkie that rebranding iPlayer to strengthen the BBC branding may be a better way forward.

Interestingly, the idea of just calling it "BBC" reminds me of the channel called BBC HD, which we receive when I am at work on cruise ships (in normal times). It shows episodes of Eastenders and other programmes just a couple of days after their BBC One airing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_HD_(international)
It uses the original idents from the old BBC HD UK channel, which are very good.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1e1hk5xF9Q

Slightly off topic, but OMG! I'd forgotten there was still an international channel called BBC HD, and how lovely that those old UK idents are still in use. I had no idea!


It is one of the channels in the line-up provided to my and other companys' ships via MTN and Global Eagle (along with BBC World News, MSNBC and others - though not CNN International unfortunately).

Presentation-wise, BBC HD doesn't have continuity announcers. They just play the idents clean. But they put up a 'now, next, later' graphic at the top of the screen within the first minute or so of the start and end of each programme.
They have 1 or 2 trailers between each programme, including a lot of promotion of BBC World News.
Shame BBC HD isn't available in this country, as it would be a good ''4seven''-type channel.
RI
Rijowhi
The only way ‘BBC’ would work in my opinion is if you added ‘Television’ at the end and BBC2/BBC4 were closed (along with the online BBC3 service being renamed). ‘‘You’re watching BBC Television’’.

With the way the Licence Fee is being debated along with streaming taking over the industry, this might happen...
RI
Richard
Si-Co posted:
The TV listings in many of the newspapers used to use the region names for ITV apart from “Midlands” and “London” - I believe this was still the case well into the 90s. I assume it was originally done that way to avoid having to name two companies (ATV/ABC and Rediffusion/ATV etc) and/or to avoid the confusion of ABC North and ABC Midlands. I expect that prior to 1968 the newspaper listings also referred to a “North” region (Granada/ABC) - but it seems strange that “Midlands” remained 20 or so years after the weekday/weekend split was abolished, and the company name had changed too.


UTV was referred to as “Ulster” for many years after the rebrand. The Radio Times referred to it as “ITV Ulster” and “ITV1 Ulster” for a long time. Maybe they still do, not sure. I also remember “Carlton Central” used for quite a whiley some papers after its demise.
MA
Meridian AM
Yes, my local paper said "Carlton Central". We used to think that "Carlton Central" sounded more like a train station than a TV channel Very Happy
In the early to mid 90s, we used to verbally always call it "Central", never really referred to it as "ITV".
SW
Steve Williams
UTV was referred to as “Ulster” for many years after the rebrand. The Radio Times referred to it as “ITV Ulster” and “ITV1 Ulster” for a long time. Maybe they still do, not sure. I also remember “Carlton Central” used for quite a whiley some papers after its demise.


The other general point is that, despite officially being renamed 24 years ago (and still being published by the BBC for much of that time), the Radio Times still refers to BBC1 and BBC2, with the numerals.
MA
Markymark
UTV was referred to as “Ulster” for many years after the rebrand. The Radio Times referred to it as “ITV Ulster” and “ITV1 Ulster” for a long time. Maybe they still do, not sure. I also remember “Carlton Central” used for quite a whiley some papers after its demise.


The other general point is that, despite officially being renamed 24 years ago (and still being published by the BBC for much of that time), the Radio Times still refers to BBC1 and BBC2, with the numerals.


As do 99% of the population when they jot down, or type out the channel names
RI
Rijowhi
Yes, my local paper said "Carlton Central". We used to think that "Carlton Central" sounded more like a train station than a TV channel Very Happy
In the early to mid 90s, we used to verbally always call it "Central", never really referred to it as "ITV".


To think people complained when Central took over from ATV about it sounding more like a Train Station than a TV station...
IT
itvblocks
Yes, my local paper said "Carlton Central". We used to think that "Carlton Central" sounded more like a train station than a TV channel Very Happy
In the early to mid 90s, we used to verbally always call it "Central", never really referred to it as "ITV".


Where I am, everyone just referred it as "ITV" or "ITV1".

From memory, some people even referred ITV as Meridian, which of course is understandable from a regional aspect.

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