Firstly, to Mods, if this should be in another section, please move.
Looking on mb.21.co.uk I had a look through the library section, and came across some old trade test slides. However, two slides caught my eye. Both were IBA branded. One read "The independent television service broadcasting on this channel now has to close down. It's independent radio service is not affected and continues as follows"
The second slide has frequencies for radio clyde.
Both are white lettering on light blue background, both are IBA branded. So, when would such slides have been used, as I would have thought the local contractors had their own slides or captions to promote ILR stations when the tv service was closing down?
Without a link, I'd suggest this might be early 1970's when the Government ordered TV closedown at 10.30pm during the power reductions caused by the Miner's Strike. Suggesting ILR as an alternative seems sensible.
Here's what happened. The Government-ordered closedown (2230, not a minute later) came at the same time as Radio Clyde went on air for the first time. STV, however, were reluctant (to say the least) to point their viewers to what was, in commercial terms, a rival broadcaster. So they refused to do any cross-promotion. However, Radio Clyde was licensed by the IBA, so the IBA decided that there was nothing to stop them doing the cross-promo themselves. Thus, STV would close down, say goodnight, and play the National Anthem, then the control room at Black Hill would switch STV out of circuit and put up the slides, with a pre-recorded announcement pointing viewers to Radio Clyde. No prizes for guessing whose voice it was.
Eventually, the IBA persuaded all its TV contractors to do this as routine, and ITV companies would point to the ILR stations in their transmission area at closedown. None were ever too keen to make much of it, though, and in STV's case, I seem to remember still doing the announcement (by now live) after the National Anthem and about ten seconds of black.
Here's what happened. The Government-ordered closedown (2230, not a minute later) came at the same time as Radio Clyde went on air for the first time. STV, however, were reluctant (to say the least) to point their viewers to what was, in commercial terms, a rival broadcaster. So they refused to do any cross-promotion. However, Radio Clyde was licensed by the IBA, so the IBA decided that there was nothing to stop them doing the cross-promo themselves. Thus, STV would close down, say goodnight, and play the National Anthem, then the control room at Black Hill would switch STV out of circuit and put up the slides, with a pre-recorded announcement pointing viewers to Radio Clyde. No prizes for guessing whose voice it was.
Eventually, the IBA persuaded all its TV contractors to do this as routine, and ITV companies would point to the ILR stations in their transmission area at closedown. None were ever too keen to make much of it, though, and in STV's case, I seem to remember still doing the announcement (by now live) after the National Anthem and about ten seconds of black.
Of course strictly speaking, the IBA was '
The Broadcaster
', and STV and Clyde (and all the other ITV and ILR companies) were the
'programme contractors
,
supplying programmes on the transmitters of the IBA
' so absolutely nothing dodgy (legally or morally) with the idea ?
It's interesting to look at the BBC TV schedules in January and February of 1974 from the Genome, seeing how things were shuffled. MOTD being moved to 9.30 for instance.
I think LWT and Capital Radio had a cross promotional arrangement that seemed to work to their mutual advantage, and I'm talking about during normal transmissions hours not strikes or anything like that. It wasn't in any sense 'blanket' promotion of each others programming, perhaps just one or two over the course of a weekend. I'm not sure how long it lasted.
CN
cnnfan1230
I think Central used own ILR slide until they went 24/7.
I think Central used own ILR slide until they went 24/7.
As did Granada, there's examples on You Tube. I don't ever recall Southern/TVS carrying any ILR promotions at closedown ?
Granada went down the STV route, they only promoted ILR once they had played out the Closedown routine in full and had ten seconds of black screen.
Of the limited Yorkshire TV closedown clips available online it does they show that they used to play ILR promos before the clock, but there's an example on TV Ark of an ILR promo being played before the ITN Morning News, well into 24 hour TV.
If you research the Grampian closedowns on YouTube they ran a joint ILR/TV-am promo at closedown.
:-(
A former member
Just to say at same point in the 80s STV swapped the ILR slide and NA around. So the that strange Orange slide would pop before the NA. I wonder why STV decided to switch it around? Im sure a few other companies did switch them around over the period.
Border it seems did not do ILR slides either. Nor it seems the NA ( along Central, Granada, Thames and Yorkshire)
:-(
A former member
Here is a strange one Anglia did a promo before the church programme and closedown...