How does it all work? Where are certain regions 'played out' from? And how is it actually done - I know programming is transmitted 'down the line', but what does this actually mean? Is it as simple as the Televisual equivalent of a telephone line or are things far more complex?
Also, in terms of programmes which are shown across the whole network not needing special treatment in terms of regions, where is all this played out from? Do the likes of Corrie and Emmerdale, although produced up north, still get played out from the South Bank simply because that's the 'playout centre' if you like? Or have I got it completely wrong?
Central, YTV, Tyne Tees, Border and Granada are played out from YTV in Leeds. STV (both areas) are Glasgow, and UTV/Channel are independent, with all other stations played out from the South Bank. The YTV stations still have London continuity but Leeds is the designated backup site, and commercial breaks for these regions are played out from there.
All networked programming is played out direct from London, although I'm not 100% sure what happens in the case of programmes produced by STV, UTV or Channel (not that there are too many of these any more).
How does it all work? Where are certain regions 'played out' from? And how is it actually done - I know programming is transmitted 'down the line', but what does this actually mean? Is it as simple as the Televisual equivalent of a telephone line or are things far more complex?
Most regions are either played out by London or Leeds, with exceptions to the independent regions which are played out locally.
Method of distribution is essentially fibre optic line (same sort of technology as telephone lines but a lot more expensive and a lot more reliable) but I understand this is being upgraded anyway and there's always the option of satellites if needs must.
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Also, in terms of programmes which are shown across the whole network not needing special treatment in terms of regions, where is all this played out from? Do the likes of Corrie and Emmerdale, although produced up north, still get played out from the South Bank simply because that's the 'playout centre' if you like? Or have I got it completely wrong?
Most stuff is played from the South Bank, goes off to another division in the same area to feed the areas handled there and also goes off to Leeds and is then piped to the areas that Leeds feeds. A clean feed goes to the independent stations (except Channel which is effectively a relay for Meridian). Regional opts (adverts for example) handled at Leeds or London accordingly.
So, basically, London South Bank and Leeds handle almost all of the ITV regions and when they cross for local news, say to Anglia in Norwich for instance, it is just like handing over to any other live programme transmission?
It's much the same system as various ITV groupings have implemented for around a decade now (more so in the case of YTV/Tyne Tees and HTV Wales/Westcountry, who were the first to implement joint-continuity arrangements in 1993), just on a grander scale. Anglia, Meridian and HTV West for example pooled continuity from around 1996 (played out from Southampton); Granada joined the Leeds bloc in 1998, followed by Border in 1999. Central's continuity department was closed and moved to Leeds sometime around 2004 I believe, and the Meridian bloc and HTV/Westcountry closed around the same time and were moved to London. STV and Grampian of course were separately merged in 1998.
Local programming continuity is also played out from Leeds where applicable. The whole thing has been streamlined in the intervening years since 2002, and very little non-news/non-adbreak material is played out from the regions, or even Leeds. I don't recall the last time I even saw a local trailer, such is ITV's "commitment" to the regions....
TBH, Am I the only one who questions the logic of keeping YTV's expensive-but-underused presentation department intact? Would it not be far cheaper to simply sub-contract a backup, single output to someone like Red Bee and close the Leeds operation down completely? Seems an awful waste of money to me, given the other developments that have happened over the years.
When is playout leaving the South Bank and moving to Chiswick?
Is this a ploy to confuse me some more?
I think it was early this year/late last year, there was discussions that ITV were planning on contracting Thompson Technicolor <sp?> to playout their channels.
TBH, Am I the only one who questions the logic of keeping YTV's expensive-but-underused presentation department intact? Would it not be far cheaper to simply sub-contract a backup, single output to someone like Red Bee and close the Leeds operation down completely? Seems an awful waste of money to me, given the other developments that have happened over the years.
I suspect longer term Leeds will be wound down completely. It's probably only being kept going in the short term to make all the years of overinvestment that were put in to getting the joint system actually running smoothly look worth it.
I think it was early this year/late last year, there was discussions that ITV were planning on contracting Thompson Technicolor <sp?> to playout their channels.
Technicolour have already taken over, but don't think they're in Chiswick yet
Target for complete transfer to Chiswick is summer 2008 I'm told...
The important thing about Leeds is that it's a backup, should anything disastrous happen in London. There's also the fact that London is already outputting something like a dozen (or more, I can't remember exactly) different versions of ITV1 (when you take into account the sub-regions), I would say at least two transmission centres are necessary purely operationally as there's already quite a lot to keep an eye on in London!
Central is an odd one as the south of the region (Oxford transmitter) has now transferred to London playout, because of Thames Valley, so you have the odd situation of the same programme being played from both TX centres during local slots in the Central region!
Don't forget Leeds also plays out all the ads for the northern regions so is hardly dormant (except perhaps during the night). They also have backups of all programme running at the same time as network so should there be a problem they can easily switch to NTC.
As to the person who asked where STV programmes are played out from - all from London, the whole network is co-ordinated from there as it's been like that for a good few years at least. Even Tonight with Trev - about the only network prog that is played out/live from outside of London regularly (Soapstar Superstar being the other) - is routed via London and then back out to the TX centres. Even most regional programmes are transmitted from the two TX centres, apart from the regional news the only others than now come "live" or as live from the regions themselves are the Thursday night political/soccer shows, or any others made close to transmission.
And local promotions were axed at the end of 2005 (although Wales still get some, and I noticed Yorkshire had knocked their own up the other day - although they have to play it within their own news on air time).
