RO
I believe ITN were one of the bidders. Had they won the franchise, I imagine they may have, not in the early days, but later on, made provisions for regional news. One thing that TV-am did have was, the star names. The channel, and thus the programme, is no longer on youtube, but Terminus81 I think, uploaded a video of World in Action from 1988, looking at TV-am and the strike. It spoke to the former director of programmes at the IBA, who said the TV-am consortium swept the board, with their star names.
The reporter asked the person from the IBA what he thought. He said that he had doubts as to whether the stars could pull it off, and he expresses those doubts, but the IBA, as it was entitled to do, awarded TV-am the franchise.
The reporter asked the person from the IBA what he thought. He said that he had doubts as to whether the stars could pull it off, and he expresses those doubts, but the IBA, as it was entitled to do, awarded TV-am the franchise.
JA
Considering how quickly most of those stars, apart from Frost and Parky, were gone from the station, they weren't wrong. And even they were palmed off from the main show onto weekends. As we know Anna Ford was gone within weeks and threw wine over one of the executives in revenge.
He said that he had doubts as to whether the stars could pull it off
Considering how quickly most of those stars, apart from Frost and Parky, were gone from the station, they weren't wrong. And even they were palmed off from the main show onto weekends. As we know Anna Ford was gone within weeks and threw wine over one of the executives in revenge.
NL
IIRC Morning Glory said that the Daily Express was behind one of the bids and either they or another applicant had David Dimbleby as a presenter.
Another book (who's name I can't remember) claimed that Tim Rice was part of a bid.
I believe ITN were one of the bidders. Had they won the franchise, I imagine they may have, not in the early days, but later on, made provisions for regional news. One thing that TV-am did have was, the star names. The channel, and thus the programme, is no longer on youtube, but Terminus81 I think, uploaded a video of World in Action from 1988, looking at TV-am and the strike. It spoke to the former director of programmes at the IBA, who said the TV-am consortium swept the board, with their star names.
The reporter asked the person from the IBA what he thought. He said that he had doubts as to whether the stars could pull it off, and he expresses those doubts, but the IBA, as it was entitled to do, awarded TV-am the franchise.
The reporter asked the person from the IBA what he thought. He said that he had doubts as to whether the stars could pull it off, and he expresses those doubts, but the IBA, as it was entitled to do, awarded TV-am the franchise.
IIRC Morning Glory said that the Daily Express was behind one of the bids and either they or another applicant had David Dimbleby as a presenter.
Another book (who's name I can't remember) claimed that Tim Rice was part of a bid.
NL
Hmm. It would have been interesting if ATV had won the licence. How would the change to Central have worked?
Weren't ATV one of the applicants too, running a service from Elstree?
Hmm. It would have been interesting if ATV had won the licence. How would the change to Central have worked?
HC
No. The IBA don't, as that's the job of the bidders to prove to them in the bid documents.
As well as business plans, forecast revenue they also have to show that they have done the research, testing, surveys and focus groups and what they are proposing in terms of programming plans and schedules, once on air is based on that research feedback.
TV-am's was based on attracting the 'middle ground' of viewer in the morning, with a television version of The Daily Mirror, letting the BBC (as they incorrectly assumed) go with a 'Newsnight with pastel colours' type of morning show - which of course, we all know, they did the exact opposite and grabbed the audience away.
Didn't help that Peter Jay admitted he came up with TV-am's 'Mission to Explain' statement of intent, on the way in to the meeting all prospective bidders had with the IBA, as he thought that's what they'd like to hear - and they brought into it, hook, line and sinker.
As well as business plans, forecast revenue they also have to show that they have done the research, testing, surveys and focus groups and what they are proposing in terms of programming plans and schedules, once on air is based on that research feedback.
TV-am's was based on attracting the 'middle ground' of viewer in the morning, with a television version of The Daily Mirror, letting the BBC (as they incorrectly assumed) go with a 'Newsnight with pastel colours' type of morning show - which of course, we all know, they did the exact opposite and grabbed the audience away.
Didn't help that Peter Jay admitted he came up with TV-am's 'Mission to Explain' statement of intent, on the way in to the meeting all prospective bidders had with the IBA, as he thought that's what they'd like to hear - and they brought into it, hook, line and sinker.
NL
That is a good question. Its worth re-iterating here that aside from a few noteworthy exception such as Good Morning Calendar/North and the election specials the whole notion of Breakfast commercial Television was something of an unknown entity. More than that it was "foreign". The USA had had breakfast tv since the 1950's and that fell between two stools. You had NBC's Today which when it was launched in 1952 was ostensibly a news show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4_iv3UbGg
Then you had ABC's Good Morning America which launched in 1975 and was far more cosy. Again to refer to Morning Glory ABC's entertainment department not the news team made GMA and yes of course there was news the show was sofa driven not desk driven:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9f7XBVFoZI
There was also the one-off occasion when BBC Radio Scotland simulcasted Good Morning Scotland on TV (I believe it was some anniversary). I can't find it on youtube
Taking those examples and applying them to the wider context I think the IBA in 1979/80 really had no clue about what the licence should be. I believe that the launch of BBC Breakfast Time to be curt ballsed up TV-AM.
(PS Thanks for all the replies
The big question is what did the public want from breakfast time TV? Mallett's Mallet?!
There is the news and kids get their cartoon fix before heading off to school, but did the IBA have in mind what the public had in mind when it came to awarding the franchise?
There is the news and kids get their cartoon fix before heading off to school, but did the IBA have in mind what the public had in mind when it came to awarding the franchise?
That is a good question. Its worth re-iterating here that aside from a few noteworthy exception such as Good Morning Calendar/North and the election specials the whole notion of Breakfast commercial Television was something of an unknown entity. More than that it was "foreign". The USA had had breakfast tv since the 1950's and that fell between two stools. You had NBC's Today which when it was launched in 1952 was ostensibly a news show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4_iv3UbGg
Then you had ABC's Good Morning America which launched in 1975 and was far more cosy. Again to refer to Morning Glory ABC's entertainment department not the news team made GMA and yes of course there was news the show was sofa driven not desk driven:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9f7XBVFoZI
There was also the one-off occasion when BBC Radio Scotland simulcasted Good Morning Scotland on TV (I believe it was some anniversary). I can't find it on youtube
Taking those examples and applying them to the wider context I think the IBA in 1979/80 really had no clue about what the licence should be. I believe that the launch of BBC Breakfast Time to be curt ballsed up TV-AM.
(PS Thanks for all the replies
Last edited by Ne1L C on 5 July 2020 1:01pm
RI
I have wondered if teletext had any impact on breakfast time TV as a news delivery service as teletext provided a 24 hour continuously updated news service. It also failed to take off in the US which had both breakfast TV and 24 hour news channels before Britain had them.
At the time of the 1980 franchise round (and possibly the launch date of TV-AM as well) TVs with teletext were the exception, and also plenty of viewers want real video footage rather than just text, but did applicants for the breakfast time franchise ever factor teletext into their plans?
At the time of the 1980 franchise round (and possibly the launch date of TV-AM as well) TVs with teletext were the exception, and also plenty of viewers want real video footage rather than just text, but did applicants for the breakfast time franchise ever factor teletext into their plans?
MA
Before breakfast TV came along, the ITV and C4 transmitters used to appear at about 8:30am, so there was obviously no Oracle teletext until then.
The BBC were often up from about 06:15 with OU progs starting at 06:40, so Ceefax was available.
I don't recall it was big deal either way ?
I have wondered if teletext had any impact on breakfast time TV as a news delivery service as teletext provided a 24 hour continuously updated news service. It also failed to take off in the US which had both breakfast TV and 24 hour news channels before Britain had them.
At the time of the 1980 franchise round (and possibly the launch date of TV-AM as well) TVs with teletext were the exception, and also plenty of viewers want real video footage rather than just text, but did applicants for the breakfast time franchise ever factor teletext into their plans?
At the time of the 1980 franchise round (and possibly the launch date of TV-AM as well) TVs with teletext were the exception, and also plenty of viewers want real video footage rather than just text, but did applicants for the breakfast time franchise ever factor teletext into their plans?
Before breakfast TV came along, the ITV and C4 transmitters used to appear at about 8:30am, so there was obviously no Oracle teletext until then.
The BBC were often up from about 06:15 with OU progs starting at 06:40, so Ceefax was available.
I don't recall it was big deal either way ?
IS
The only '24 hour news service' in those days was presumably the hourly bulletins on Radio 2 and IRN as well as the World Service if you could get it
The number of teletext sets being used must have been very small in 1983
The number of teletext sets being used must have been very small in 1983