Wasn't it specified that Channel Four had to go on air simultaneously from at least one transmitter in all ITV regions because of it's unique initial financing structure, hence Fremont Point having to go on air on launch date.
Channel Television is also of course the only ITV region to still have kids' birthdays read out with Oscar Puffin in Puffin's Pla(i)ce.
Do they still do that, now that CITV has been blown-away on ITV-1 afternoons?
It's still shown on weekends. The few times that I've caught it over the Xmas period, they doesn't really read out birthday cards, they just waffle. I think Channels audience aren't young enough to have young kids now if you know what I mean.
It's still shown on weekends. The few times that I've caught it over the Xmas period, they doesn't really read out birthday cards, they just waffle. I think Channels audience aren't young enough to have young kids now if you know what I mean.
I don't think it's that so much, I remember seeing it when it was on after CITV and there were sometimes no birthdays. I suspect it's statistical - the population of the region is quite small, the number of children even smaller. Divide that number by 365 and you're going to get a very small number of kids with a birthday that day and a much smaller number of those who will be bothered to send a card in
I can imagine how difficult is must be with frequencies in the islands at the moment. I heard a long time ago that French signals could be received in Jersey so there could indeed be problems when digital is finally introduced to the islands.
Should be fine, DSO occurs there this November. Three out of four of Fremont Point's analogue frequencies (and all the relays) will be used for PSB 1/2/3. There will be no COM muxes.
Why don't they put all six muxes on Fremont Point, and just the three PSB muxes on its relays? Having just three muxes on the relays is fine, but Fremont Point ought to have all six.
Why don't they put all six muxes on Fremont Point, and just the three PSB muxes on its relays? Having just three muxes on the relays is fine, but Fremont Point ought to have all six.
Frequency planning is probably the principal reason. A good secondary reason would be that with no native DTT, the Channel Islands have the sort of D-SAT penetrations that would scare off the commercial DTT muxes when faced with the additional haulage costs.
Shortage of available frequencies, DTT transmitters along the Breton and Norman coastlines are potential interference sites. The acceptability of the Storeton and Ilfracombe interference within the UK simply wouldn't be tolerated if British DTT interfered with French TNT.
I'm surprised that they've actually advanced DSO by two years as it is.
Yep - I'd imagine that Arqiva (NGW as was, Crown Castle before that) would have little to no interest in paying to operate expensive transmitters to such a small region with such minimal advertising revenue... They would surely never pay for themselves? (After all, Arqiva aren't extending their 3 COM muxes past the current situation, and aren't funding relays/repeaters at the same level as the 3 PSB muxes are being extended)
However the frequency issue - avoiding interference with France and Southern England - is the main reason I'd imagine.
Fremont Point seemed to suffer in ITV Digital's collapse, IT WAS on the original list of Main transmitters to get DTT when ON/ITVD started. It was postponed, but I believe all was in hand just as the possible liquidation of the whole DTT project when ITVD folded, things were never picked up. Had the transmitter switched then it would have course have six muxes now.
Last edited by DVB Cornwall on 8 January 2010 7:08pm
In some ways it's probably going to be the trickiest place to switch over as very few people will already have a DTT reciever (only those with it a newish TV set, not that they'd have been able to use that function yet)... however they're starting it from scratch so there's no legacy equipment and so no incompatibility problems or issues with retunes
Channel Television is also of course the only ITV region to still have kids' birthdays read out with Oscar Puffin in Puffin's Pla(i)ce.
Do they still do that, now that CITV has been blown-away on ITV-1 afternoons?
It's still shown on weekends. The few times that I've caught it over the Xmas period, they doesn't really read out birthday cards, they just waffle. I think Channels audience aren't young enough to have young kids now if you know what I mean.
I'm pleased Oscar Puffin has been kept, Puffin's Pla(i)ce must be one of very few regional variations now. I am unsure if STV and UTV have many variaitions, with them also being separate to ITV plc.
Channel Television is also of course the only ITV region to still have kids' birthdays read out with Oscar Puffin in Puffin's Pla(i)ce.
Do they still do that, now that CITV has been blown-away on ITV-1 afternoons?
It's still shown on weekends. The few times that I've caught it over the Xmas period, they doesn't really read out birthday cards, they just waffle. I think Channels audience aren't young enough to have young kids now if you know what I mean.
I'm pleased Oscar Puffin has been kept, Puffin's Pla(i)ce must be one of very few regional variations now. I am unsure if STV and UTV have many variaitions, with them also being separate to ITV plc.
STV did have birthday call outs on WNKD, but that has now been killed off.