From the Very North- The History of Grampian Television

[@gordonbeattie4864]

I have lived all my life in the old Grampian Television areas and I'd like to bring to your attention two slight errors. Grampian Today, the local news programme, was rebranded as North Tonight in 1979, when Grampian did indeed up its nightly news programme to five nights a week. As for Grampian ending up more like STV, well it did, but not through choice as when STV bought out Grampian Television in June 1997 it instantly started axing all of Grampian's very popular local programming. Two of the biggest casualties were 'Top Club', a quiz for local clubs and organisations which had ran since 1980 and 'The Way It Was', a programme devoted to archive film from around Scotland. Indeed it was partly through this programme that the National Library of Scotland gained hundreds of old films which had lain undiscovered for decades and had been sent in by viewers. The final nail in Grampian's coffin was in 2003 when they moved from their original studio complex at Queen's Cross in Aberdeen to a vastly smaller building in West Tullos in Aberdeen, which only had a small studio for North Tonight. North Tonight was itself axed and rebranded as 'STV News at Six' in 2009. Previous to this 'North Tonight' had a five-minute opt-out where more local specific news was broadcast from the Inverness and Dundee studios, but this too disappeared when the Grampian name and North Tonight disappeared in 2009. Grampian even opened studios in Stornoway, Western Isles in 1990 for the production of and broadcasting of daily Gaelic news but this was closed in 2000 due to any Gaelic production STV hadn't axed being moved to Glasgow. The final ignominy was when Grampian relocated to its smaller studios in 2003 nearly all of Grampian's archive which still existed, with the exception of some of its news footage, was destroyed or junked. Even now many people in the North of Scotland still refer to our ITV output as Grampian and not STV North.

[@soundmanroo]

STV News at Six, broadcast nightly from Aberdeen has always had a 5ish minute split. Viewers is Perthshire, tayside, angus and north Fife receive a different version of the the show to the rest of the region. This continues to be the case, although it is presented from Aberdeen, and seamlessly switches to the different versions for approx 5 mins each night.

[@SuperSpazYT]

Ooooo please keep it up you really have a passion and a knack for making videos and you’ve already established a style and aesthetic to your channel. I look forward to seeing what you make

[@jkex388]

I don't live anywhere near this ITV region, but it was an interesting video.

[@brucedanton3669]

Thank you for this of course, which is most interesting too-well done!

[@MistaMendip]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kennedyhopkins19]

Awesome video

[@jonkasonic]

This is a brilliant video! Thank you for making it and keep up the great work :)

[@Horizions]

This is a awesome video man.

[@glassowlie]

Will you do Granada

[@MistaMendip]

I'm not sure as of now. Given Granadas long history, it would probably be a longer than usual video. Probably longer for me as I've gotta edit it lol. Jokes aside, it's a big maybe

[@glassowlie]

@@MistaMendip I'll be patient...

[@RadioSix]

Not a bad piece of work although the pictures really have to match the audio if you're making television rather than a radio script with disconnected video. But a few little points: Grampian didn't go colour late because of its size, but because the IBA couldn't build the transmitters quickly enough and the Post Office couldn't get colour links to Durris and Rosemarkie quickly. When you say ITV decided on uniform branding, there was, of course, no actual ITV but a conglomerate of individual programme contractors who liasied via the ITCA. Not all companies used the network branding - STV for example. I'd certainly dispute the assertion that "for Northern areas the primary language was Scots Gaelic". All my family are Gaelic speakers, but come from the central belt. There are more Gaelic speakers in Glasgow than the highlands. And the big problem Grampian had was that most of its original franchise area - the north-east - had practically no Gaelic speakers at all, which is why STV had Gaelic programmes but Grampian did not. But when the Eitshal transmitter opened, serving Lewis and Harris, there was a sudden obligation to include Gaelic programming - something STV had been doing for some time. Small points, however, and the factual accuracy of the video was pretty spot on!

[@kimmajkosaveukraineroadto1127]

Hello Mr Mendip, are you Male (a member of the Boys Everybody organization) or a female?

[@MistaMendip]

Once a bloke, always a bloke 😆

[@blairwhitaker3078]

☹️ 'Promo sm'!!

[@LaggardlySort]

why did i get this recommended. disliked

[@MistaMendip]

Good for you :)