Networked ITV - 1990s and before...

UTV's management also did the same during one of their strikes in the 1980's - not as advanced as the Thames one though - seem to remember it was only for 5 hours a day in peak time.

Ever wondered what went out on ITV between 9.15 and 9.25am during TV-am's early days back in 1983....? Here's your answer....

Tuesday's was the IBA Engineering Annoucements though!

See I don't remember this stuff. It's possible that the reason I don't remember it was that I was at school but I don't think so.

At what point did the 9.25 start become mandatory? I'm sure Tyne Tees used to start at 9.00 or 9.15 after TV-am in the very early days.

EDIT: actually looking at this clip it seems Central did as well. Unless this has been cut, the actual schools programmes started at 9.25 with the startup at around 9.20!

The 9.25am switch over became automated probably a week or 2 after that clip had recorded.

But from when TV-am started in February all ITV stations could only broadcast from 9.25am or so, with the first programme always being at 9.30. 9.00/9.15am start-ups were common before TV-am started.

From the description:
This meant TV-am had to go off-air at 0915 to allow British Telecommunications a 10 minute gap to switch control back from London to the individual transmitters. We've edited that interlude down,

I remember that until 1983 Tyne Tees used to show a Bible reading (The Good Word) and news headlines after their startup, but in January 1983 the news stopped being shown (although it was billed) and from the TVam launch date the news was reinstated but The Good Word was dropped. The Three Rivers Fantasy stopped being played around this time too, but I can't recall if startup was at precisely 09.25, only that it was later than previously.

What I do recall, and this is borne out by this clip and others, is that from late 1982 to mid 1983, there was no networked schools standby slide at 09.28 - all regions joined Central at 09.29 at the start of the countdown clock. I think the regions had a dirty feed of Central to opt into, as occasionally snippets of local Central pres was seen on TTT on joining schools at 09.28/09.29.

Yes, a few of the BT NSCs could only manually patch, so there was a 10 minuite gap with that caption nationally shown, until BT upgraded all of the NSCs with the necessary routing equipment that allowed instant switching.

I can't remember what happened with the IBA's Engineering Announcements prog during that period ?

They started simulcasting it on ITV and C4 from 1983, and eventually it ended up at 05:45hrs. The simulcast on ITV and 4 lasted quite a while, because the programme obviously broadcast notices of the C4 expansion project, so dealers outside of C4's transmission areas still required to see the programme !

I think it transferred to C4 only around 86, (still a year or so before the last relays were equipped for the channel).

Did there just say Merry christmas in that clip? meaning that this longer switch-over period happened for all of 1983? some people said it only lasted a few months.

I think that was just David Rappaport being 'ironic'.

So when in 1984 did there electronic switch-over take place? late 84 after BT sell off?

Also, did the TVam Eggcups endboard not arrive until the 9.25 switchover? I thought they came in right from the beginning, yet they're absent from that clip.