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A question about ITV pre 1968 (March 2019)

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WH
Whataday Founding member
I remember Greg Dyke saying that Newsroom Southeast's other name was 'F**k Off Kent'


I'm pretty sure that was London Plus.
IS
Inspector Sands
I remember Greg Dyke saying that Newsroom Southeast's other name was 'F**k Off Kent'


I'm pretty sure that was London Plus.

Maybe it was said about that programme too. But Dyke said it about Newsroom Southeast. He was DG when it was split up and replaced
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 27 March 2019 10:04am
NL
Ne1L C
https://www.desandmick.co.uk/television/bbcsoutheast/
BC
Blake Connolly Founding member

Maybe this came in with widespread introduction of computed assisted scheduling and transmission? Where I worked the schedule, which was manually executed, always reverted to 00.00.00 at midnight. This would have been pre-1993.

The only place I've seen it is on paperwork from scheduling. It never made it as far as the computers doing the actual playout out of the channel as they were off the shelf products that worked in normal 24 hour clock, nor the schedule that went to the public

I suspect it was/is just a BBC thing


It's more of a schedulers' thing, really, I've seen it in emails from schedulers and ad sales from a variety of channels. It is useful though, eliminates any ambiguity - no doubt what 26:00 on Tuesday means, where 02:00 on Tuesday could mean what it does in the real world or it could mean 02:00 on Tuesday's schedule, which is 24 hours later.

Mind you, it's not always great having to work out what 27:30 means when you're approaching the end of a very long shift and you've lost the ability to perform the most basic sums.

Many thanks for the replies. This may cause a ruckus. Regarding the Thames/LWT split. To me the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. ABC and ATV pre '68 followed that. I know why LWT had a 7.00/5.15 start for revenue reasons but does a few hours on a Friday night have much difference?


Funny really, all these years since LWT ceased to exist, if you asked me when the weekend starts I'd still say quarter past five on a Friday. Am sure I'm not the only one who grew up in London in the 80s who feels like that.
MA
Markymark

Funny really, all these years since LWT ceased to exist, if you asked me when the weekend starts I'd still say quarter past five on a Friday. Am sure I'm not the only one who grew up in London in the 80s who feels like that.


.....and anyone who has ever used the A303 westbound after about 4pm on a Friday !
NL
Ne1L C
I remember Greg Dyke saying that Newsroom Southeast's other name was 'F**k Off Kent'


I'm pretty sure that was London Plus.


Jeremy Paxman said that the other name was "Sod Off Kent"
JA
james-2001
Isn't that actually what numerous people have said to him over the years?

Hurr hurr
JK
JKDerry
I remember Greg Dyke saying that Newsroom Southeast's other name was 'F**k Off Kent'


I'm pretty sure that was London Plus.

Maybe it was said about that programme too. But Dyke said it about Newsroom Southeast. He was DG when it was split up and replaced

The BBC's attitude to London and the South East region still amazes me. They just did not bother considering the capital city and its environs a proper region, which ITV felt the same way too.


"BBC London and Whatever" was the attitude. I saw a London and South East Nationwide programme from 1981, and it is literally the national presenters for the London/SE opt out. No summaries or weekend news until around 1985/86.
WO
Woodpecker
I suppose a lot of it comes down to the view that “London news is national news”, which perhaps isn’t particularly surprising when you consider how London-centric much of our media is.
MA
Markymark


"BBC London and Whatever" was the attitude. I saw a London and South East Nationwide programme from 1981, and it is literally the national presenters for the London/SE opt out.


I suppose the logic of that was if any region failed to opt, or had to opt back early, then it looked relatively seamless and normal.

Unlike today where they randomly crash ( and out) of the News Channel

There was nothing wrong in my opinion having the main presenters doing the London portion
NL
Ne1L C
I remember on a couple of occasions where Look North had a technical problem and we got either London Plus or East Midlands Today.
IS
Inspector Sands

There was nothing wrong in my opinion having the main presenters doing the London portion

ITV News do that now of course. I don't see a problem with shorter bulletins but for the early evening bulletins they do need to prepare, especially if there's a few interviews in them

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