Networked ITV - 1990s and before...

Ah - the lovely non-sync cuts on Friday between Thames and LWT... Happy memories.

LWT during the 1970s had network show at 7pm, So did there put it out or did there asked other contractor to wait a few mins?

They would have just scheduled the next programme to start a bit after 7, enough time for an announcement and a trail. I don't think they ever started spot on 7pm anyway.
There's an example here

Lwt seems to be more slick, modern while thames CA looks really dated. I don'tstv were that brash, Grampian come close.

Okay, may not be Networked ITV, but if you've got about half an hour to kill, it's worth a look on AidanLunn's channel on YouTube, he's uploaded several clips of Thames (mainly start-ups) during the 1984 strike and the service was run by management with no other network ITV programmes or ITN bulletins.

Great spot, some excellent stuff on there.

Although it has to be said, it really isn't surprising that LWT were so quick to get rid of its IVC. Especially when juxtaposed with the slick overall continuity, their in-vision stuff was intolerably awful. So wooden -- patently obvious that the scripts were written by someone else. Wing it, for pity's sake -- it always works better

That's my memory too, the network prog normally started at 19:01:00.

However, LWT did have a spell around the late 70s of having their own network programming offset by 60-90 seconds from the rest of the network (looking at Southern and ATV). Very odd, I don't know why. Either someone else, (ATV ?) were playing out for the network, and LWT were doing their own thing, or LWT were playing two VTR copies, one locally one for the network ?

Perhaps an experiment to help out the National Electricity Grid with load spreading, or another of those childish union directives that plagued that era ?

Fantastic stuff. Worth noting that the 'emergency' schedules listed were still more varied than some evenings these days on ITV 1 !!

It was not at all uncommon for 'simultaneous' networked programmes to be played out from two or more sources. There were many reasons for this. Some parts of the network would (for example) take 'Crossroads' and the start time of the next programme was determined by the length of the end break. Stations not taking "Crossroads" may have had a different break pattern. Depending on how the company spread the load of its commercials and what rates they charged (and whether they fell within our outwith the peak) the 7pm break might be anything from 2' 30 to 3' 40. This mnaterially affected the start time of the programme, hence the need sometimes for staggered starts. It's still a common opractice - nowadays, BBC TWO Scotland will often run all the afternoon network programmes 30 - 40 seconds early in order to fit a longer local programme in a later slot.

Thanks for that explanation, I dare say that also covered H&W during the mid 90s, I believe BBC two Scotland longer promos is for the news at 5.59pm, So Blockbusters, must have had the same treatment along with Crossroads.

Some places did the following:
* Birthdays at 5.15, quick break then blockbusters, ad break - News 5.45 with the likes of Grampians,
* Ad break, Blockbusters, quick break, the 30sec of CA, News at 5.45. - STV
* Ad break - Blockbusters, promo, ad, - clock itn 5.45 - TVS
Channel and Anglia was the other two companies on this patten.

I believe there just shorten the ad breaks down and one side, seems not now, must have been confusment sometimes,

Thames start-up 22nd October 1984 (at 6:00pm) BUT NO NEWS AT Ten; WHY?




Nice to see Falcon crest given a day time by London in early 80s

There's some background to the strike in this article http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/thames/strikeout.php

In these circumstances of Thames being on strike and the management were cobbling together an emergency service, would Central have taken over as Nominated Contractor?

Great bit of editing on that last clip.

'The body of Indria Gandhi (jump) has called for an enquiry' LOL