Back in the early 1990s, or it could've been the late 1980s, when my parents got the Daily Record newspaper, I was looking at the TV listings, and under the regional variations, it had, for Ulster Television, no programmes until 17:30 due to industrial action. I seem to recall this went on for a few days, possibly a few weeks.
Can anyone recall this strike, what it was about, how long it lasted, and when exactly it occurred? And, why did it mean UTv was off air until 17:30, and unable to show any other pre recorded programming?
The Transmission Controllers would have been members of ACTT and whatever the dispute was about, they would have been out. I'd guess (although it's only a guess) that UTV were using management to transmit programmes and they couldn't summon enough competent people to cover daytime, so abandoned that and concentrated on the evenings.
If memory serves me right, this strike occurred in 1987. During daytime hours, we had the standard white text on blue background IBA apology caption. Programmes did typically start around the 6pm mark - preceded by about 10 minutes of the station clock. I do seem to recall that they weren't able to show 'Coronation Street' at the same time as the rest of the ITV network; I think it was shown 30 minutes or 1 hour later. The station also closed down quite early - around 11.30pm-ish, with the last programme of the evening being something like 'Magnum PI' or 'Benson'.
Just after closedown, the ETP-1 testcard would appear, featuring a generic 'IBA' caption - the only time I ever recall this testcard making an appearance on Ulster Television/UTV back in the days when it closed down.
:-(
A former member
Is there nothing on corrie wiki? which has been rather good at listing this type of thing?
I vaguely remember this as well. The Irish Sunday World would have the TV listings on the Back Page in the 1980's. Didn't get UTV in Cork/Waterford at the time. UTV's Sunday schedule looked odd for a week or two, but it was the Sunday World (a terrible paper) and an explanation was never given.
From www.thebigpizza.com: "Earlier that year [1987], Ulster Television were yet again affected by industrial actions by trade unions. For two weeks in April, members of the Association of Cinematographic, Television and Allied Technicians, called a strike, leaving UTV to maintain a management-run television service. Although a news service was maintained, most of UTV's evening schedule was replaced by showings of country and western films. After arbitration was sought, UTV began to change its employment structures and hierarchies, and the station has not seen any strike action since, and no doubt made UTV a stronger company for the imminent new decade."
Couldn't the management or the IBA have just switched another region to the TXes? Or would that involve ACTT members at said region in order to set it up?
I think Tony Currie mentioned something like this in the thread oin the 1979 ITV strike. Even in 1987, there were some strict union rules. In the 1979 strike, if an ITV region that was networking a programme couldn't show it due to a strike, then other ITv regions couldn't show replacement programming. The example was a film that Yorkshire were due to network, and as it couldn't go ahead because of a strike, the ACTT blacked any replacement programming. So STV went off air until 5.15pm.
In this instance, I would imagine that the ACTT at other regions would black any assistance by their members towards UTV management during the dispute.
That said, in 1984, when the Brighton bomb occurred, TVS, the then ITV contractor for the south of England, couldn't provide cover for TV-am, as union rules then prevented staff at one ITV firm from providing cover to another. So if that rule was still in force, that would be another region.
I think Tony Currie mentioned something like this in the thread oin the 1979 ITV strike. Even in 1987, there were some strict union rules. In the 1979 strike, if an ITV region that was networking a programme couldn't show it due to a strike, then other ITv regions couldn't show replacement programming. The example was a film that Yorkshire were due to network, and as it couldn't go ahead because of a strike, the ACTT blacked any replacement programming. So STV went off air until 5.15pm.
What was the situation regarding a serious technical failure at the local ITV station - was it permissible to have another ITV contractor's output inserted?
I recall various bomb scares at UTV, where a static programme listing or apology was left on screen for a lengthy period. Their BBC colleagues would've had a network feed to fall back on. On other occasions (these would have been early-1990s), they would leave a recording of a locally-produced programme running (complete with countdown clocks at the start and end of each part, where the ads would normally have been inserted).
On another occasion - I can't recall the date (but I think it was early-1990s) - UTV's Saturday morning output was replaced by a feed from STV, complete with their ads. Normal service was resumed by lunchtime.
The only bomb scare at Havelock House I remember was in late 1992 - they had switched to the network feed, so programmes went out without adverts, but there was no regional bulletin after News at Ten. I remember seeing the end of Border News clipped, the ad break played out from Harrowby which followed, and then a UTV programme menu with an apology for the disruption to programmes - I can't remember exactly if they referred to a bomb scare, but I'm certain it was mentioned in the press the following day.
I think I read somewhere there was a bomb scare one Friday evening while "Kelly" was on the air, but I can't confirm whether that happened or not.