How ITV works

Do STV and UTV get a clean feed again? I thought there was a period after the rationalisation of ITV plc's playout that they had to work from a dirty feed.

Channel work with a dirty feed of Meridian because it suits them to - I don't think they don't flog enough adverts themselves to fill each break, but have an arrangement with Meridian to take their ads. It also means they don't have to be staffed all day, they can just rebroadcast Meridian at off-peak hours.

It's "semi-clean" isn't it (sounds like a shopping channel toilet cleaner )

I.e. the ECPs and announcers are missing but trailers and idents are intact....

I remember that, it was an utter mess, never seen so many near missing.

Male voice from London: "Stay with ITV1 for You've Been Framed, that's
coming up next."
Female voice from Glasgow: "Actually, ignore that ponce with the English accent, next here in Scotland, it's Postcode Challenge."

You do occasionally get a quick glance at ITV1 branding on STV, so they can't have a completely clean feed as such.

Yes, essentially the feed to STV and UTV does not have ECPs and voice overs but includes trailers. Occasionally there is the odd subliminal glimpse, presumably because of automation errrors.

I'm guessing the reason the feed includes trails is so STV and UTV can get the network trails they want - eg the last minute/live trails for News at Ten, This Morning and so on.

Been a while since I watched UTV overnight, but it certainly used to be the case that ITV1 trailers and idents went out overnight on the channel. The idents had voiceovers originally, but after the clean feed came about they no longer did, so UTV had ITV1 idents with no voiceover overnight.

How do STV and UTV know when to opt-in/out of the clean feed for there own promo's/idents?

Is there some sort of electronic running order shared by ITV/UTV/STV?

Thanks a mil for the explanation.

And I've just realised the answer was probably also somewhere in that 38-page thread but thanks for saving me the bother.

BBCME

Essentially STV and UTV would have compiled what used to be known as their master routine sheets knowing the exact durations and starting times of network programmes. From this, they'd have scheduled their ads, promos, idents etc and compiled a full running order down to the second.

eg 18:59:15 PROMO - POPSTAR TO OPERASTAR (SHORT)
18:59:35 IDENT + VO
18:59:43 EMMERDALE SPONSOR BUMPER
18:59:53 EMMERDALE PART 1

There will be some modern equivalent of the old "red phone" system so STV and UTV know what to do in the event of the news being extended, a newsflash, a live programme agreeing to over-run or some other last minute change. Of course, cue dots are still used during live programmes to alert all the C3 transmission centres to the timing of a break. However the duration of the break itself will have been fixed as will the number of breaks within the programme and its overall duration.

Thanks aberdeenboy.

Are the timings decided by the ITV Network Centre or by ITV plc?

I think the distinction between the ITV Network Centre and ITV plc is increasingly blurred - nowadays it appears to be much more like ITV plc provide a schedule and the STV, UTV and Channel opt in and out as they see fit.