RB
Not odd at all, the reason Wales was tied to the West is technical. Viewers in SE Wales have
always been easily able to receive transmissions from, or beamed towards, the West of England.
Visit Cardiff or Newport and many (most ?) aerials there are directed at Mendip, rather than Wenvoe.
As most of SE Wales's population chose to avoid the Welsh language programming, by using English transmitters, separating the franchise would have been commercially disastrous.
S4C would have eased that situation, and increased HTV Wales viewing, but conversely only served to reinforce the use of English transmitters because they carried the 'proper' version of C4 !
As for the South Cumbria relays, it was always my understanding that it was a Border/IBA initiative, public opinion never came into it. Another change not mentioned in that article was the move of the Buxton relay from ATV to Granada ? (and in fact BBC 1 Midlands to NW)
Absolutely
And then there was the 405-line service. People old enough will remember the HTV General Service being listed in newspapers (apart from HTV West and HTV Cymru Wales).
It broadcast to both "regions" from the St Hilary transmitter, with news from the west at 6pm and Report Wales at 6.15pm.
It seems odd they didn't believe a Wales only region would be viable when it has a bigger population than many of the other regions,
Not odd at all, the reason Wales was tied to the West is technical. Viewers in SE Wales have
always been easily able to receive transmissions from, or beamed towards, the West of England.
Visit Cardiff or Newport and many (most ?) aerials there are directed at Mendip, rather than Wenvoe.
As most of SE Wales's population chose to avoid the Welsh language programming, by using English transmitters, separating the franchise would have been commercially disastrous.
S4C would have eased that situation, and increased HTV Wales viewing, but conversely only served to reinforce the use of English transmitters because they carried the 'proper' version of C4 !
As for the South Cumbria relays, it was always my understanding that it was a Border/IBA initiative, public opinion never came into it. Another change not mentioned in that article was the move of the Buxton relay from ATV to Granada ? (and in fact BBC 1 Midlands to NW)
Absolutely
And then there was the 405-line service. People old enough will remember the HTV General Service being listed in newspapers (apart from HTV West and HTV Cymru Wales).
It broadcast to both "regions" from the St Hilary transmitter, with news from the west at 6pm and Report Wales at 6.15pm.
:-(
A former member
What if there shot gun HTV West and Central south? would that have been possible?
:-(
A former member
New Details continue to be found about the state of some of the networking by ITV back in the late 80s and early 90s.
If you did live in one of the following ITV area, you were more prone to having to take a guess as to where some programmes would end up: Anglia Television, Grampian Television, Scottish Television, TVS and TSW.
In 1987 it was Ask no questions while eveyone had a nice run 27 March 1987 – 3 June 1987, the other station had real bother trying to found slots.
Scottish television broadcast the series at twice a week around 15.00/15.30 During May - August.
TVS broadcast the series weekly at 15.00.
Anglia Television, Unknown, Very high chance of not being broadcast.
Grampian Television, broadcast a few episodes during August at 17.15, disappeared.
By 1988 the crack really were appearing, yes Crossroads had been reduced to twice a week and moved to 18.30 along with Emmerdale, to cause issues with the above stations to found slot for there local shows. Scottish/Grampain had High road to slot in so that took up 19pm slot of course you had network slots at that time aswell... so out went emmerdale at 17.15, in come crossroads for 4 months,
Connections, the first two series, there were able to start broadcasting two months down the line after most companies Bar TSW, from May - August. Problem arose in 1988 when a peak time version started a week after most other ITV stations had finished day time run. Above station dropped the daytime version and went straight on to Winner takes all two weeks later then everyone else and of course the day after finishing Blockbuster.
So around 50 episodes were moved to 1989. of course there really was no room at tea time, plus another peak time series was made meant back loges started appearing. All companies did 10 run over the summer from Monday, 10 July - 1989 at 3pm.
That now mean less slots for Oz soaps for the 5 areas, and there started to get binged up with ozzy backloges. of course someone put out network showing of Richmond hill which also failed.
In come 1990, and a mess: in come Networked 3pm showing of connections, also networked showing of Families tues/thurs at 3.30. two showings of home and away. You wanted you local programmes on at 18.30 and 19pm
If you were scheduler, where on earth would you put everything? What about the missing episodes of the gameshows? I believe dumped.
Don't ask about the US dramas, again those 5 areas where had push to find slots, yet
If you did live in one of the following ITV area, you were more prone to having to take a guess as to where some programmes would end up: Anglia Television, Grampian Television, Scottish Television, TVS and TSW.
In 1987 it was Ask no questions while eveyone had a nice run 27 March 1987 – 3 June 1987, the other station had real bother trying to found slots.
Scottish television broadcast the series at twice a week around 15.00/15.30 During May - August.
TVS broadcast the series weekly at 15.00.
Anglia Television, Unknown, Very high chance of not being broadcast.
Grampian Television, broadcast a few episodes during August at 17.15, disappeared.
By 1988 the crack really were appearing, yes Crossroads had been reduced to twice a week and moved to 18.30 along with Emmerdale, to cause issues with the above stations to found slot for there local shows. Scottish/Grampain had High road to slot in so that took up 19pm slot of course you had network slots at that time aswell... so out went emmerdale at 17.15, in come crossroads for 4 months,
Connections, the first two series, there were able to start broadcasting two months down the line after most companies Bar TSW, from May - August. Problem arose in 1988 when a peak time version started a week after most other ITV stations had finished day time run. Above station dropped the daytime version and went straight on to Winner takes all two weeks later then everyone else and of course the day after finishing Blockbuster.
So around 50 episodes were moved to 1989. of course there really was no room at tea time, plus another peak time series was made meant back loges started appearing. All companies did 10 run over the summer from Monday, 10 July - 1989 at 3pm.
That now mean less slots for Oz soaps for the 5 areas, and there started to get binged up with ozzy backloges. of course someone put out network showing of Richmond hill which also failed.
In come 1990, and a mess: in come Networked 3pm showing of connections, also networked showing of Families tues/thurs at 3.30. two showings of home and away. You wanted you local programmes on at 18.30 and 19pm
If you were scheduler, where on earth would you put everything? What about the missing episodes of the gameshows? I believe dumped.
Don't ask about the US dramas, again those 5 areas where had push to find slots, yet
Last edited by A former member on 13 February 2013 4:30pm - 2 times in total
SO
Found this on my hard drive somewhere - it seems that Border's finances were still precarious in 1985:
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
:-(
A former member
Found this on my hard drive somewhere - it seems that Border's finances were still precarious in 1985:
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
Cheers for that, Do you know what paper and year this was for Ref?
SO
Cheers for that, Do you know what paper and year this was for Ref?
The Times, July 9th, 1985 (it's also in the filename if you look closely).
Found this on my hard drive somewhere - it seems that Border's finances were still precarious in 1985:
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
http://up.metropol247.co.uk/Steven_O/Border%20Television%20report%20-%20Times%2009_07_1985.png
Cheers for that, Do you know what paper and year this was for Ref?
The Times, July 9th, 1985 (it's also in the filename if you look closely).
:-(
A former member
I have to ask. Can anyone name some ytv and central "local' shows? I'm bit hard pushed. Thames had very little local programmes compard to lwt, who really did push the boat out.
SO
I have to ask why does he keep prefixing his queries with "I have to ask"?
You don't have to preface all your queries with "I have to ask".
I have to ask why does he keep prefixing his queries with "I have to ask"?
SW
I have to answer, Thames had loads of local programmes. Reporting London was in primetime for many years and was considered extremely influential. They had loads of local sport programmes as well, that World of Sport series on ITV4 showed footage from the Thames Snooker Classic. And they even did the Thames Telethon twice. If they appeared to do less local programming than the other regions, it was probably mostly because they had to provide the sustanining feed for the network and so many of their shows were so glamorous they looked like network shows anyway,
Central did a pile as well, Central Weekend was a massive institution in the Midlands, running for up to two hours on a Friday night and getting an enormous audience share. They even had a regional soap in Family Pride, the Asian soap, which got repeated on Channel Four. And Yorkshire had every possible variation on Calendar imaginable. I have to ask, have you heard of a programme called Countdown?
I have to ask. Can anyone name some ytv and central "local' shows? I'm bit hard pushed. Thames had very little local programmes compard to lwt, who really did push the boat out.
I have to answer, Thames had loads of local programmes. Reporting London was in primetime for many years and was considered extremely influential. They had loads of local sport programmes as well, that World of Sport series on ITV4 showed footage from the Thames Snooker Classic. And they even did the Thames Telethon twice. If they appeared to do less local programming than the other regions, it was probably mostly because they had to provide the sustanining feed for the network and so many of their shows were so glamorous they looked like network shows anyway,
Central did a pile as well, Central Weekend was a massive institution in the Midlands, running for up to two hours on a Friday night and getting an enormous audience share. They even had a regional soap in Family Pride, the Asian soap, which got repeated on Channel Four. And Yorkshire had every possible variation on Calendar imaginable. I have to ask, have you heard of a programme called Countdown?