[720p/50p] ITV Thames | closedown and transmitter shutdown | 26th July 1982

[@johnking5174]

Can you imagine ITV1 now in 2023 placing a US import into their 8pm prime time slot. Unthinkable now, but the norm back in the 70s, 80s and even 90s.

[@Debsy25]

Early hours of Tuesday 27th July 1982

[@Scatscar1985]

Seeing "The Streets Of San Francisco"' on the Tuesday night schedule makes me visualise little Catherine Zeta Jones staying up for this on HTV (whatever day they ran it) and thinking "I'm going to marry Keller when I grow up!"

[@Jozman2005]

Night Birds I believe, easy mistake to make Tom, but a great tune… I think this is likely first half of 1982…

[@johnking5174]

Either the great Tom Edwards was back from a summer holiday or he had been in the tanning salon. He looks like a certain former US President here.

[@markroberts7303]

Monday 26th July 1982

[@butzee]

We live in a different world today? This was a world before the internet or mobile phones or mass communication? I was 18 and wish I was back in a kinder more innocent UK!!

[@chriswaring5565]

HE GOT THAT WRONG IT NIGHT BIRDS NOT LIGHT BIRDS

[@andynarain672]

So I assume you're from Castle Hill Farm?

[@stickytapenrust6869]

No

[@naysmith5272]

Sticky tape, I have just uploaded a pleasant Central closedown from I think December 1985.

[@MirkoMazzoni2000]

Wikipedia: Just prior to the transmitter being switched off Reality: ½ hour before they actually switch the transmitter off (did Channel Four go on until like 0120?) Idk anymore if switching off the transmitters would have happened ONLY after all channels linked to the transmitter completed their broadcast day. Having said that, Happy birthday Wikipedia! (no lies but the website I use to know what time it's says *Wikipedia's birthday* so I plug that)

[@johnking5174]

Channel 4 was not even launched when this was recorded, Channel 4 would not launch until November 2nd 1982. And when they did, they had a strict budget, which meant a 4.45pm start each weekday with an end time of around midnight. At weekends they stayed on air slightly longer until around 2am on Saturday morning for example which was rare.

[@johnking5174]

You have to remember, the old style of ITV back then had individual companies controlling each region, such as Thames here controlling London weekdays. Once they had finished their programmes, it was up to the IBA engineers at the transmitters in the Thames region to shut down the ITV frequencies, for example at Crystal Palace transmitter in London. This would be the same for the other regions across the country. Each region had different close downs, as unlike the BBC, ITV was not a properly linked network like BBC 1. Very different structure.

[@christopherwilliams2093]

@@johnking5174 Test transmissions actually started for Channel 4 in May from Hannington and then tests began on 75% of the transmitters by August 1982, so a week later!!!!

[@johnking5174]

@@christopherwilliams2093 But no full programme service was on air.

[@christopherwilliams2093]

@@johnking5174 True, but I do remember as a five-year-old tuning hoping to find BBC2 when it should have come on at 3.20pm but got Channel 4 instead...