ITV Regions Timeline

A visual history of the UK's Independent Television network told primarily through the on-screen identities of its regional franchise holders

[@rajnirvan3336]

So miss regional ITV. Living in London I always looked forward to Friday when Thames would handover to LWT as the weekend officially starts

[@tvradiotimelines]

Totally agree!

[@julianaylor4351]

Every time I hear the LWT opening I think of The Professionals on Saturday night.

[@rajnirvan3336]

@@julianaylor4351 each region had a programme we would always remember

[@dvidclapperton]

Friday @ 5.15pm.

[@evonneokafor]

@@dvidclapperton Only from 1982...

[@revinhatol]

6:30 _"And now, from Norwich, it's the Quiz of the Week!"_

[@tvradiotimelines]

Happy days!!! 🙂

[@gentsw13]

... and I certainly remember being paid to add my voice either side of most of these ITV Idents as i made my way to the various Televisions Contractors around the United Kingdom as a Freelance Announcer - and during the years when announcer/presenters were seen as well as heard, Yours faithfully, Keith Martin

[@gentsw13]

No ABC Television ident? How could that be left on the shelf? ps I was there too:)!

[@gentsw13]

Been told to add - "This as ABC your weekend Television in the North" or "Midlands" depending upon where i was on-duty sitting at the time - Manchester, (Didsbury) or Birmingham (Aston)

[@tvradiotimelines]

Hi Keith. Good to hear from you! Good question about ABC Television - I probably just thought the ABC Network one was a little more visually dynamic! A great shame that these idents and the in-vision continuity has gone - sadly probably forever!

[@2008giles]

Hi Keith. So tell us which stations you served!

[@davepoole9520]

​@@2008giles Here's his Wikipedia page: "Keith Martin (broadcaster) - Wikipedia" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Martin_(broadcaster)

[@KoHoSo65]

Not only is this video beautifully executed, as an American, it finally gave me a good sense of what areas these channels served. We got to see a very few of these ID's, mostly on our non-commercial PBS network. The one exception is Thames which, upon most people over 30 in the States hearing its musical fanfare, immediately assume it's time for The Benny Hill Show. 😄

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words - much appreciated!

[@davepoole9520]

Thames Television even got a nod on The Simpsons as the (fictional) producers of Do Shut Up on one episode.

[@davepoole9520]

In Britain although Thames was associated with great comedy dramas like Minder I'm sure most people outside London remember its ident associated with kids show Rainbow.

[@moramento22]

Exactly the same for me, I was raised in Poland and the Thames ident always meant Benny Hill show

[@jackcrawford3921]

​@@davepoole9520I'm 26 and I remember Nick Jr playing the Thames logo and theme when it showed repeats of Rainbow in the mid-late 00s

[@whatamalike]

By far the best video I've seen on the subject of its franchise timelines. Clean, crisp and clear. Lucky Scotland with its own franchise. Even Utv is virtually identical to the rest of itv presentation wise with the exception of the letter 'U'

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thank you! You are very kind!

[@othernine]

UTV is virtually identical because the current UTV logo was only introduced in 2016 after ITV purchased the franchise but agreed to keep some local branding. However the logo is really only used for branding of local UTV Live news bulletins now. Local on air continuity announcements ended in 2020 (not sure if that was pandemic related) so now all the announcements and idents are the standard ITV ones anyway, doubt it will be long before they just rename it ITV.

[@Vinnytv7679]

​@@othernine ITV have decided initially to get over local continuity in September 2020, but with the arrival of the pandemic they have cut in March and since then they call ITV (UTV region)

[@KevinM913]

Wow! What a lot of work went into that. Much appreciated. Thank you for the reminder of some good days of British television.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thank you! Greatly appreciated!

[@KaleunMaender77]

And imagine this: everything that has been outlined in this video, occurred during ONE SINGLE MONARCH'S REIGN. Plus many, many, many things that have occurred with the advent and spread of Independent Local Radio, plus digital TV and radio, plus online services including streaming platforms... All within the span of one single woman's reign as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. God Rest the Queen! God Save the King!

[@davidnarbett]

Born and raised in Birmingham, ATV ident spanned my childhood through the 1970’s, introducing Tiswas, Crossroads & ATV Today. When I hear LWT it is always followed by ‘Upstairs Downstairs’, Southern by ‘How’ (with Bunty James), Anglia by ‘from Norwich it’s the Quiz of the Week’, Yorkshire by ‘3-2-1’ and Thames by ‘Man about the House’ and ‘Kenny Everett’ (until I got to see it for myself I thought that London was laid out as in the Thames ident!)

[@tvradiotimelines]

I lived in Wolverhampton for a while in the mid 1970s so I share your affection for ATV and, indeed, all the various local idents. VERY sadly missed!

[@davepoole9520]

Yes. I'm the same. ATV is forever associated (no pun intended) in my mind with Crossroads, Thames - Rainbow, Anglia - Sale of the Century (I doubt if anyone differs), Yorkshire - Emmerdale, Granada - Coronation Street, Border and HTV - Mr and Mrs with different presenters to go with the regions for some reason, LWT - On the Buses and Southern - Worzel Gummidge although for some reason the Southern ident was a still as opposed to animated.

[@Candolad]

The Yorkshire TV ident/jingle initiates the sit com "Rising Damp" for me. Granada = "World In Action".

[@Candolad]

@@tvradiotimelines We were so spoiled in the Midlands to be able to enjoy ATV with its dominant and charismatic director Lou Grade giving us great programming and amusing local news output using Chris Tarrant and John Swallow to entertain us. We also had the amazing early days of Beacon Radio 303 (1976 to 1979) which had the strong personality of American director Jay Oliver giving us a rebellious radio station breaking the rules of the regulator the IBA. ATV and Beacon were the naughty mischievous kids of commercial broadcasters in the UK in the 1970s. We were lucky to have them in our region 😀

[@tonymartin9118]

You missed Yorkshire TV taking over Anglia TV Belmont transmitter in 1974. Parts of North Norfolk, North Cambridgeshire suddenly found they needed to rotate there aerial south to Sandy Heath to pick up Anglia. This hurt Anglia TVs profits for several years but they quickly recovered.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the information - if/when I update this video, I will certainly take that into account!

[@scimitaredgebooks]

That's probably why growing up in Peterborough we had 3 ITV channels we could tune into!

[@warweezil2802]

A small note. The HTV logo also carried an additional area branding HTV West or HTV Cymru/Wales as there were differences in scheduling between the two areas before S4C was formed (that seems to be missing but happily the day of its arrival on screens marked my escape home to London)

[@tvradiotimelines]

Yes indeed - I was born and brought up in West Wales so had the exact same experience although I left for London far earlier. I did toy with the idea of putting the localised HTV logos in the video, but, as they both also used the more generic one, too, I decided to plump for that. (Incidentally, S4C is deliberately not there as, technically, it is/was not an "ITV region". Channel 4 is not there either).

[@onionpoo]

Amazing how some music and indents can transport me back to easier and happier times

[@tvradiotimelines]

Yes indeed - it all seemed so innocent back then!

[@errolnicholson5632]

WE MISS THOSE LONG TIME LOGOS SO MUCH☹

[@tvradiotimelines]

Totally agree!

[@rich_rich90]

As an early 90s kid from the South, those Meridian idents bring back SOOOOO many memories!

[@JTXPstudios]

Holy Sweet Baby Jesus! ITV Made So Many Channels back then! It floods the whole entire UK!

[@locutus155]

TSW actually started broadcasting about 6 months prior to the actual changeover, but retained Westward TV's branding due to the original owners apparently selling up because they lost the franchise in the 1981 round of bidding. The new company bought everything, including the Derry's Cross studio in Plymouth. When the actual changeover happened, all the presenters had to do at midnight was remove their suit jackets to reveal TSW branded shirts underneath. To be honest, there was no real difference as the new firm retained Westward staff and presenters, they even kept the true Star of the Station, Gus Honeybun.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Loved Gus! Recently saw a video where he was released back into the wild at the end of broadcasts and it was weirdly emotional.....

[@mikewebster5597]

When I lived in Basildon (South Essex), we could pick up 3 regions. London, Southern ( and it's following companies),and Anglia. When Bluebell Hill switched from London we had local news for our area from 2 regions. The London stations usually concentrated on the capital.

[@tvradiotimelines]

I grew up in West Wales and - once 625 line broadcasts began - we had the option of the Harlech/HTV or Westward emanating from the West Country.

[@ashfaq1999]

Brilliant. Thanks for posting these classic tv idents past & present.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks - much appreciated!

[@ashfaq1999]

@@tvradiotimelines You’re Welcome 😊

[@eelsemaj99]

I was born just too late for all this to have nostalgia for me. Born 2 months after Carlton took over the franchise in the South West and too young to notice when it all changed over to ITV branding. One of the first to grow up assuming it had always been this way

[@tvradiotimelines]

You REALLY don't know what you missed! LOL!!!!

[@traeyboy529]

I was born literally roughly *two weeks* after the England & Wales identities were all robbed for the ITV1 branding.

[@Ginger_Dalek]

When I was a kid, the ident I always liked (and still do) was Thames TV. I also remember Jim Bowen on Bullseye introducing contestants from their TV region, "Please welcome Frank & John all the way from Tyne Tees" etc. Though my favourite from Jim was "Granadaland".

[@mirna6558]

The Thames tv station ident has a special present

[@theplaylistmaker1846]

Honestly props to Utv for living so long. They had a region and stayed to it.

[@Irisey274]

Yeah, but basically They are itv now They just Still keep. The name

[@MPsNewswatch]

I forgot to mention at the time that Anglia lost Belmont to YTV in 1974, so their coverage area expanded to cover East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the info. IF I ever update this I will factor that in!

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I still hear some people call it HTV, so there's obviously some love still around amongst the general public.

[@lukegreen5341]

1:37 Awesome ITV Timelines. Thanks Mate. X

[@tvradiotimelines]

You're very welcome!

[@LA90598]

I could pick up Anglia TV in Grantham only when there was a heatwave. Used to fascinate me. It had that really modern and cool flag ident. Could usually only pick up Central East and Yorkshire, both had cheap branding in my opinion.

[@sophie_drachen]

My region is supposed to be ITV Wales, but bizarrely, when I'm staying with my grandparents (I live in North Wales, and so do they, not really far from Wrexham), they manage to pick up ITV North West/Granada. Might be due to the way that the transmitters/our aerials might be positioned, or our closeness to Cheshire. Great video by the way!

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words! When I was a kid many years ago in South West Wales, we all used to watch Westward rather than Harlech just because the signal was stronger and, frankly, the regional programmes were a lot better!

[@sophie_drachen]

@@tvradiotimelines It's weird, there's only like two or three stories that come from North Wales, and the rest are like South Wales, for the Welsh news, not helped by the fact that it comes from Cardiff either.

[@mwooldri]

The fact that a lot of people were watching Granada led to Teledu Cymru's downfall and eventual assumption into TWW, which effectively became HTV and now ITV Wales.

[@martinhughes2549]

Or the direction their aerial is pointed? Before the Wrexham Rhos relay was opened in 1977, it was impossible to get a signal from Moel Y Parc ( North East Wales main VHF/UHF transmitter nr Caerwys) to Wrexham town due to Hope mountain. However Wrexham could get signals from Winter Hill or the Wrekin transmitters for ATV or Granada. I guess some people never bothered to readjust their aerials. Generally Moel Y Parc can be picked up by the Vale of Clwyd, from Rhyl to Ruthin, Mold, Caerwys & parts of Eastern Deeside . Prestatyn, Fflint,Holywell,Llanddulas, Colwyn Bay,,Corwen,Llangollen,and Wrexham, cannot get a direct signal. 19 Relays extend the signal to these areas from Moel Y Parc.(Bizarrely,the Prestatyn relay just 7 miles from Moel Y Parc is fed by the Llandonna transmitter in Ynys Mon!) However many parts of England, as far away as Lancaster get a good signal from Moel Y Parc. Fflint, Holywell and Bagillt had relays opened in 1996 to give people who wanted it access to Welsh services. However after 40+years of relying on English transmitters meant few people chose to alter their aerials and retune.

[@1L6E6VHF]

I didn't realize just how long that late 1970s strike lasted. BBC also went through "Industrial Action" (US: Strike) later on. BBC1 was running an episode of "High Chapparral" as fill-in on 2nd December 1979. Thanks to some of the highest solar activity ever, I heard the sound portion of the broadcast in Detroit.

[@tvradiotimelines]

That's wonderful. I strongly recall a period f solar activity in the very late 1960s when - my parents not being in the house - I had the back off the TV set and was ecstatic when I managed by twiddling internal bits and pieces to pick up Thames from London in west Wales. On reflection, I could probably easily have electrocuted myself..... 😱

[@1L6E6VHF]

@@tvradiotimelines I've been a TV DXer for fifty years! If you were getting distant stations from within the UK, that would be tropospheric refraction. Solar activity allowed a few people to see and hear 405-line television during sunspot peaks, though the low band BBC1 transmitters were shut down in the early 1980s.

[@TumbleTower]

@@tvradiotimelines Why would you need to twiddle internal bits to tune a TV? I'd have thought the tuning knob would have been on the front.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@1L6E6VHF I, of course, had no idea what I was doing at the time - I just wanted to see inside!

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@TumbleTower The tuning knob was indeed on the front but, in those days, the set generally had to be engineer-installed and, as I remember it (and it was a LONG time ago!) the "fine-tuning" stiff was inside the set. Of course, in reality, as am inquisitive child, I just wanted to see what was inside the "magic box"! I really had no idea what I was doing!

[@eastridingbusspotter]

I was born in 2009 so all I remember is itv and itv1

[@donpenny2823]

As an American, I understand how these channels affected the British. My favorite has to be Anglia.

[@simonbullimore1807]

Beautifully put together, interesting and informative. Undoubtedly the best representation of ITV regions ever.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thank you - that is very kind!

[@stickytapenrust6869]

For the 1982 franchise changes, you forgot to take a chunk off the south east corner of the London region as Bluebell Hill transmitter switched from London ITV to TVS.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the feedback. If/when I ever update this, I will take that not account.

[@Sk11ngM1ke]

Great to see the regional idents again

[@tvradiotimelines]

Sad that they are gone - but, judging from the reaction, definitely not forgotten!

[@thejobinterviewcoach9901]

The best days of ITV . We need to go back to regional broadcasting

[@tvradiotimelines]

If only...!

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

This is amazing thank you for this

[@bryanlaguna]

Nice of you to say so. It really is great to get positive comments!

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

@@bryanlaguna The ITV regions in the North of England which were brought by Granada plc in 1998 are fantastic and they were responsible for all ITV's northern regions.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Glad you like it!

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

@@tvradiotimelines I do Yorkshire is my home region so I am very familiar with the idents and continuity of Yorkshire Television.

[@Haybalemelonhead]

I think it would be cool to have regional tv again, I’ve never experienced it before

[@tvradiotimelines]

It really is sorely missed!

[@grahamnancledra7036]

Don't know where you found the music for the TSW logo - nothing like the original. BTW There are some people who still refer to ITV as Westward in the South West - A sign of just how fondly remembered the station was.

[@philiphodgson4474]

Thank you so much this is great! You have missed the Bilsdale and Belmont switches in 1974 though unfortuntely

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words and feedback - I will bear it in mind if/when I do an update.

[@johnrider5701]

I miss Thames television especially the Friday night hangover to LWT at 7pm.

[@brucedanton3669]

and later on at 5.15pm of course too.

[@warweezil2802]

@@brucedanton3669 ah... Micheal Aspel and the Six o'clock show... Happy memories

[@brucedanton3669]

@@warweezil2802 Thank you of course!!

[@jackcrawford3921]

I'm only 26 and have lived in the Yorkshire region all my life. However at my house, we could get both Yorkshire (from Emley Moor) and Tyne Tees (from Bilsdale). Yorkshire Television made sone great programmes for ITV and Channel 4 , from soaps (such as Emmerdale) to game shows (such as Countdown) to dramas (such as A Touch of Frost and Heartbeat) to children's programmes (such as Jungle Run - funnily enough the hosts of that show were all ex-CBBC presenters - and My Parents are Aliens)

[@tvradiotimelines]

When I was a kid in South West Wales, we could get both HTV and Westward TV; I used to know MUCH more about what was happening in Devon and Cornwall than in Wales!

[@dariqaa]

The beginning of a legend.

[@mwooldri]

Not the only region to have a transmitter swap. Bluebell Hill TX had carried Thames/LWT when it was built in 1974, but with the 1981 franchise changes Bluebell Hill went to TVS for a larger South East sub region, Previously Southern had done a local opt out from Dover.

[@idelsagil9129]

Granada 1:21 Scottish Television 1:37 Tyne Tees 2:01 Anglia Television 2:10 Ulster Television 2:22 Border Television 2:50 Grampian Television 2:57 Channel Television 3:03 Harlech Television 3:48 Yorkshire Television 4:20 Thames Television 4:29 Cartlon (Central Independent Television, Westcountry Television & Meridian Television) 7:37 8:25 8:36 8:45 Breakfast Broadcasting: TV-am & GMTV 8:13 8:57

[@trevordance5181]

The London area map should have changed showing the loss of the north Kent area to TVS when the Bluebell Hill transmitter switched from London to South East, and the ATV, ABC midlands area used to extend much further south into parts of Berkshire, Wiltshire, and even bits of Surrey and Hampshire when the Membury transmitter began operation.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated!

[@trevordance5181]

@@tvradiotimelines Despite my niggardly comment above I thought that was an excellent bit of work. Being born in 1955 just prior to the ITA, as it was called then, beginning from the Croydon transmitter which I can still clearly see from my house about 10 miles south of it, I remember all of these stations and their idents appearing on my screen over the years.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@trevordance5181 Thanks for the kind words - I am about your age (born 1954) and had the same fascination - although being born and brought up in West Wales, it probably started quite some time later.....

[@julianaylor4351]

Who remembers the full Thames Television opening theme? 🎶❤️

[@tvradiotimelines]

I certainly do and LOVED it! My favourite, however, was Westward and the startup film showing parts of the West Country that went with it. The whole thing is on KZbin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHTQkJWvrp6Fmq8 If anyone has this in better quality, please let me know!

[@davepoole9520]

I loved Southern Rhapsody on Southern Television. New Forest (aka the TVS gallop) was pretty good as well. I never found out the name of the slightly shorter composition they used for Coast to Coast after the rebrand.

[@marcostandy]

great vid. but the map shows Hull having yorkshire television from its beginning. it didn't up until 1974/5 we had Anglia television via the Belmont transmitter.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the info. If/when I update the video, I will certainly take that into account.

[@robalexander8065]

Good video. Tyne Tees was rebranded in 1996 as Channel 3 North East.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words - and for the feedback. I was in two minds about the Channel 3 TTTV e=rebrand but then decided against including it. If/when I ever do an update I will give that further thought!

[@tadc345fan]

Tyne Tees (first era)

[@oinker1695]

Random note here but the mad thing i just noticed is that my ma most likely saw UTV switch from colour! She was born in the mid 60s so she would've seen the strike of 1979 and most rebrands! Holy shit thats mad.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for making me feel old! 😱 LOL!

[@oinker1695]

@@tvradiotimelines oh! Sorry!!!

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@oinker1695 Not an issue! Made me laugh!

[@davepoole9520]

Well I was born in 1962 but when colour was introduced most of us couldn't afford colour TV sets (they were about £200 back then) and the only way we knew it was colour broadcasting was by the fact that the channels added the word 'Colour' to their idents. It struck me that when my nan was born there was no television, when mum was born there was one channel, when I was born there were two channels, when my girlfriend was born there was three, when her eldest daughter was born there were four, five when her eldest son was born and hundreds by the time her youngest was born.

[@joshuabrophy4585]

Some of the regions did not just work for itv, they also worked for BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5

[@tvradiotimelines]

That's true - but only after the introduction of Channel 4 which introduced the possibility of companies being commissioned by other broadcasters.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

I love Yorkshire which is broadcast to viewers in the North of England

[@MPsNewswatch]

The London region actually reduced in 1982. TVS took over the Bluebell Hill tx and covered more of Kent leaving London with NW Kent.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the feedback. If/when I update this, I will factor that in!

[@brucedanton3669]

I live in north west Kent and do remember this in 1982 also too.

[@daveyboy19761]

Yorshire TV was in Lincolnshire so map didnt look right but brought back some mmories!

[@j0hnf_uk]

Indeed. They were initially Anglian Television, but changed to Yorkshire, (from the Belmont transmitter), in 1969.

[@krisstarring]

Great work! Though what is up with the TSW ident? Looks like someone's attempt at a re-creation, which is well done, but why not use the real thing?

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words. You are not the first to mention the TSW ident but the video WAS taken from footage on KZbin - I guess somehow the eduction in size and processing of the background has made it look a little ....different!

[@rlnarayanan72]

congratulations to Ulster television for surviving. and also a lot of station like west country. also where is that TSW footage from 1982

[@Tinny10_]

Nobody Itv at 2002: i said we merge today

[@MarkAJAgi]

I'm surprised Granada is channel 9 (04:10) as channel 9 was also used for London TV. (BBC in London was channel 1, Thames/London weekend etc channel 9) With VHF covering a bigger area than UHF, two channels using the same frequency would suffer from co-channel interference.

[@tvradiotimelines]

I guess the decision was taken the they were far enough apart for it to work in the early days.

[@nurulafser6473]

9:20 The day TV was killed.

[@tadc345fan]

Nope, the station has its lost identity on October 2002 and some former logos are known as ITV1 at all Times.

[@danwoodhouse9290]

Very sad ending And to think that the whole nationwide network is really ITV, They give Scotland and N. Ireland different names just to keep them happy while England has no regions Even if they just put ITV London or South or Tyne Tees or Westward on screen it'd be something

[@tvradiotimelines]

They still DO have local news in the evenings and regional opt-outs in shows like "Good Morning Britain" but it is nothing like it used to be. And if you want to watch your local news in HD in England, you have no chance; the London news is carried wherever you are.

[@sophie_drachen]

There is still (albeit very vaguely) regional programming, but it's mostly all news and the occasional news opt-outs on Good Morning Britain. However, if you want to watch the news in England in HD, you're stuck with the London feed, luckily they do have HD (I think), on the Wales feed, but unless there's a burning building or the rare occasion that there's an event anywhere outside of Swansea, Cardiff or Newport, we never get a lot of news specifically for North Wales, it's always South Wales (anything north of Cardiff doesn't get the time of day).

[@Eurobazz]

I think you omitted the change from Associated-Rediffusion to Rediffusion in the timeline. It's a great compilation. Also, wasn't UTV absorbed into ITV leaving just STV as a separate entity?

[@tvradiotimelines]

Hi Barry. Thanks again for the very helpful feedback. I did not include the change of name to Rediffusion because this was essentially a rebranding exercise and the company structure did not change at that time (and I know I have been a bit inconsistent about such things!). Also, as I understand it (and I might well be wrong here), when ITV bought UTV, it intended to fully retain the UTV brand in Northern Ireland, and not re-brand it "ITV Northern Ireland". It is not clear how they will proceed once the pandemic is at an end. It is still branded as UTV with the logo I used on the ITV website.

[@Eurobazz]

@@tvradiotimelines Was it re-branding though,? Associated Newspapers decided to withdraw support for the company leaving Rediffusion as the sole owner.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@Eurobazz Fair point - if/when I do an update I will certainly take this on board!

[@Eurobazz]

@@tvradiotimelines I would like to say that you have given me so much pleasure with your videos. It's like re-living my childhood in the ARTV/RTV (weekdays)/ATV (weekends)/Thames (weekdays)/LWT (weekend) ITV region.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@Eurobazz That's very kind! My own childhood memories are of TWW/Teledu Cymru and then HTV in Wales and (because many like me in South and West Wales could not speak - and were never taught - Welsh) of that wonderful Westward galleon when 625-line TV came along and we got a stronger reception from the West Country (still my all-time favourite ident!)

[@almostfm]

OK, I understand the idea of having regional networks, but I wonder why you'd have two providers in the same region at different times/days (like Thames and LWT). Was it that there were more groups that wanted to broadcast than transmission facilities, so they'd split the airtime?

[@tvradiotimelines]

I may well be wrong here but my understanding has always been that the regulatory authority at the time - the ITA - felt that the level of advertising income in the regions concerned might be too much for one company so they split the franchises. Crazy I agree but it was always fun as a TV geek to watch the handovers.

[@brucedanton3669]

I remember reading in the IBA Yearbook in about 1982 that they felt that London at the time would be too large to be served by one company and that also that would put pressure in turn on the rest of the ITV network for some odd reason, which was why London was served by Thames and LWT, a nd later of course by the lamentable Carlton and LWT, before becoming the ITV London it is today I guess.

[@warweezil2802]

@@brucedanton3669 * Becoming the depressing dumbed down mess that persists to this day - fixed that for you

[@mwooldri]

Your assumption is pretty accurate. Initially the ITA wanted more stations than facilities, so timesharing was the solution. If there was the bandwidth available the ITA certainly would have wanted a second station with a different point of view - especially in London. A fourth channel was designed in the UHF spectrum in the 1960s but it wasn't used til the early 80s that Channel 4 launched and it was as a national network, not local. Channel 5 used what space was left and it didn't start til 1997. With digital TV there's now plenty of space for competing voices, but media consolidation has put paid to that and commercial TV just wants to get as big of a bang for its buck as it can, while meeting what public service broadcasting obligations it may have.

[@brucedanton3669]

@@mwooldri Thank you for that of course. You are so right indeed really. As I say, I saw that in one of the now old IBA Television and Radio Guides. I had the ones between 1978 to 1985, although I later put them out as they had become fairly brownish. However, it did say in one of them about the London area/region being too large to have only one company at the time, unlike now of course really.

[@kwoktaichan7938]

I know the beginning is ITV generic theme in 1989 what is the music in the end

[@tvradiotimelines]

I think it is the Seven Seas March used for the TWW startup sequence

[@LovelyYT]

2:21 I have Ulster Television

[@steveskinner6861]

Very well put together but it's a shame you've used a poor remake of the HTV ident. Otherwise 👍

[@PanosDCC]

That was a bad rendition of the TSW logo though, both visually and audibly.

[@jimmcd9988]

Tyne Tees Television what channel

[@jimmcd9988]

Tyne Tees Television channel 8

[@peter0010]

Ah good old Yorkshire Television, the first purpose built television studios to be built in Europe

[@holeefuk420]

3:40 Isn’t that the temporary channel for wales when TWW shut down due to bankruptcy?

[@tvradiotimelines]

Yes - It was the interim service. TWW lost its franchise in the 1967 franchise review, in favour of the Harlech Consortium and quit early; full story here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_Wales_and_the_West#Closure

[@Jakelemon875]

2:37 pure Northern Ireland I don’t know after 2010 utv had rubbish intros I like this one feels nice and spooky and brilliant

[@oakwood6922]

Good video although it’s worth noting the the Anglia and Yorkshire areas changed in 1974…. Following the ITV region reorganisation plan in 1972, Anglia TV lost the Belmont transmitter in Lincolnshire to Yorkshire TV, and so coverage to that area and North Norfolk changed on January 1st, 1974 when the switch over took place. In viewing terms, this caused Yorkshire TV to gain an extra 5% of the viewing population and Anglia to lose 25%.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the feedback. If/when I ever update this video, I will factor in the changes. Much appreciated!

[@logiebogieboo_curr]

Why does 1982 TVSW look like a food dish?

[@whatamalike]

BTW just curious, what itv regions have served the Isle of Mann?

[@tvradiotimelines]

This Wikipedia article will probably give you the information you were looking for: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_Isle_of_Man

[@sophie_drachen]

It would've made more sense for Granada to have served them with their proximity to Liverpool, you could practically have boarded a ferry from Douglas to Liverpool, but due to where the transmitters are placed, the Isle of Man would have been served by Border, I believe. This all depended on how your aerial was positioned to, if it pointed in a certain position you could pick up Granada or Border, and similar situation in North Wales, hell... I'm from Wrexham and when I stay at my grandmother's, she can pick up BBC One North West and ITV North West, it's probably because of how close you were to a border between Wales and England or any region of England, or how close you were to any transmitter. (EX; Wrexham picks up programming from both Moel Y Parc and Winter Hill transmitters, through different relays). Some people would turn their aerials in such a way to avoid picking up their region and they'd pick up another one. Hope that helps! (NB: Just looked up, looks as if the IoM had been switched to pick up Granada as of 2009, but only certain parts as the northernmost parts of the island are still covered by Border for the most part).

[@jackcrawford3921]

Border served it from 1961 until 2009, then Granada took over in July 2009

[@arneldesembrana2595]

If you included westward becoming TSW and ATV becoming Central, then why didn't you include Ulster becoming UTV? (all three had simply had their names changed,)

[@tvradiotimelines]

It's a fair question - but I do think there is a big difference between Westward becoming TSW and ATV becoming Central (completely different brands) and Ulster just deciding to go with its initials instead of its full name.

[@arneldesembrana2595]

@@tvradiotimelines ok

[@IrishKeshiHead]

Surprised this hadn’t updated to have UTV Ireland

[@tvradiotimelines]

I thought long and hard about UTV Ireland and dventually came to the decision that - as UTV Ireland was considered to be a sister station to UTV's Northern Ireland service broadcasting to the Republic - it fell outside the scope of this particular video which focused on the UK only.

[@minerbloxer6471]

Utv is under ITV’s banter, but at least they are still- oh. They use the itv creates idents, plus weird utv things

[@tvradiotimelines]

Yes - they seem to have - just about - managed to retain some form of local identity even though I believe that they essentially use slight;y amended ITV branding.

[@fingienali0daz54]

Sorshire Televizion STV 1965

[@laotian12innumberverse6]

Do the same but with Das Erste/ARD

[@tvradiotimelines]

I'll add it to the list! 😇

[@NelvanaFan1971]

Can you do ilr Stations by year 1973-1990

[@tvradiotimelines]

I actually really like that idea. Maybe sometime in the future; you would be surprised how long a short video takes what with the research, graphics, movies, etc.... It IS tempting though...

[@NelvanaFan1971]

There are off air jingles and on transdiffusion's soundcloud

[@danielgreen4601]

At around 1:45, I saw a cursor scroll really fast on TWW channel 1958. Bet y'all guys didn't see that!

[@robertcomer2767]

ITV should have left the UTV logo the way it was.

[@wailinsnorty3859]

Great vid....TSW doesn't sound quite right mind. Carlton and Cameron were a special match for sure.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the kind words. The comment re TSW has been made before. No idea what has happened to the sound there as it was taken from what appeared to be an original video of the ident. Oh well.....

[@THEACTUALLDL123]

what is image effect used for the intro?

[@tvradiotimelines]

Do you mean the blurring transition between the station logos? If so, it is the "Directional" transition built in to Apple's Final Cut Pro X.

[@THEACTUALLDL123]

worng,the logo white

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@THEACTUALLDL123 The background effect is taken from the 1989 generic ITV logo - is that what you mean???? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJnRqqKeqqeSbNU

[@THEACTUALLDL123]

@@tvradiotimelines I MEAN THE LOGO WHITE WITH THE GRAY LINE (shades)

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@THEACTUALLDL123 First of all, I converted the individual station logos to white using Affinity Photo (including a 3D effect). Then I used an extract from the ITV generic ident video for the background. The individual white logos were then superimposed on the ITV video extract and the "Directional" transition built into Apple's Final Cut Pro X was used for the transitions between the individual logos. Read more

[@arthurvasey]

7:00 CHNNEL ISLANDS?

[@tvradiotimelines]

Did you have a question about that?

[@arthurvasey]

@@tvradiotimelinesLeft the A off!

[@tvradiotimelines]

OOPS! Thanks for letting me know! Didn't even spot it even when you highlighted it. If/when I do an update I will certainly amend that! Much appreciated!

[@chetapace79]

The Isle of Man was pushed into the Granada region for no reason

[@danielsauers7783]

What about the United States TV Timelines?

[@tvradiotimelines]

It's a thought but that might prove to be a lifetime's work! As I have said elsewhere, part of the attraction of doing these videos is to recall my own youth and so the emphasis tends to be UK-centric. I WILL give it some thought, though!

[@davidmatthewvinotjr8396]

5:43 Scottish Television changed it's on air name to STV right after they introduced Color Broadcasts. other than that, I really can't spot any other errors.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the information. I had been under the impression that the STV "rebrand" took place in early 1970 soon after colour was introduced; there is quite a bit of colour footage of the original "lion rampant" ident - white on a blue background - being used for a very brief period prior to that.

[@yorkshireball_animations]

I’ve seen a colour variant of the lion logo though.

[@EdgyNumber1]

5:03 ATV Colour is the BEST one 👌

[@tvradiotimelines]

No argument from me - even though I do have a soft spot for Westward...

[@EdgyNumber1]

@@tvradiotimelines 5:55 The points scored for freakiness goes to Harlech Television.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@EdgyNumber1 It does indeed - as my local ITV provider at the time, it was seen by me A LOT! Theirsubseuent "TV aerial" update was a classic though!

[@steves427]

And the Anglia colour knight the shiniest, glitziest one.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@steves427 Apart from maybe the shiny, glitzy colour Westward ship maybe (I DID mention that was my favourite!) LOL!!!!

[@fingienali0daz54]

Associeteesdju Ferussion Telebihsein AFT 1960-2009

[@Coddlebean]

can you do a video about china's cctv😃

[@tvradiotimelines]

I'm really not sure where I'd begin.....

[@papacash3730]

Where Is ITV 1989

[@loretolaurenceaguilar]

What happens when technicians organize a strike? Why there is a strike? We never experience that one here in the Philippines. However, when the press did organize strike, there were directives coming from the owners of the television stations to shut off their transmitters for the rest of the evening or days depending on the directive.

[@tvradiotimelines]

It basically means that the workers withdraw their labour and refuse to work. We are experiencing that here in the UK now with rail and postal workers. In the context of the ITV strikes a few decades ago, the result was very few - or no - programmes.

[@loretolaurenceaguilar]

@@tvradiotimelines I understand. Here, workers strike may sometimes result to unemployment or termination.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@loretolaurenceaguilar There are lots of rules about the way in which strikes can be held and the notice period that has to be given before a strike takes place.

[@loretolaurenceaguilar]

@@tvradiotimelines Here despite the notice, termination will (somehow) follow. However, sometimes the management of the broadcasting company would take their side of the issue (sometimes, against a government policy) that they will induce a strike. When it happens, the station will air documentaries to prove their stand or totally no programs at all except an advisory or appeal to join their strike.

[@whatzyouruser10]

I WANT TELL What song in 0:03?

[@tvradiotimelines]

It is the generic ITV UK theme written, I think, by David Dundas that was adopted in 1989 (and then dropped a little while later). Take a look here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3qlZ5aeirqoa6s

[@whatzyouruser10]

@@tvradiotimelines Is that instrumental?

[@BenKirb]

There is a version with singing somewhere.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@whatzyouruser10 The version linked in my rely above is instrumental but - as BenKirb AUTTP mentions below - there are other versions too. All three versions can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gafIgZmlmNSXf8U

[@fingienali0daz54]

Meridentaniaen Televiseeh MTH 1981

[@fingienali0daz54]

Hunssmorhft

[@stickytapenrust6869]

Anglia actually went colour on 3rd October 1970, not the 1st.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the feedback. If/when I ever update this, I will take that not account.

[@343Floridamain]

regional local ITV was peak British television i am not even from the uk and i am also interested A LOT in these logos. would be pretty awesome to see them come back! here in the states we have national tv channels like PBS or NBC but we still managed to have local regional programming so maybe someday regional local itv can come back! BTW FUCK CARLTON

[@tvradiotimelines]

It would be great but I cannot see it happening somehow!

[@BridgeToGantry]

7:52 TSW theme appears in stereo - surely 1982 was years before NICAM broadcasts?

[@tvradiotimelines]

That is a good point - I merely used the audio from the source video that I probably found somewhere on KZbin but, as the first UK NICAM stereo broadcast was made in May 1986 on BBC2, TSW definitely seems "ahead of its time". The channel was on air until 1992, though, so maybe the audio was re-recorded in stereo at some point later in its franchise period????

[@BridgeToGantry]

@@tvradiotimelines Thanks for that. In a pub quiz I would probably said NICAM started around '91, so never knew it was far back as 1986! Everyday's a schoolday.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@BridgeToGantry I DO remember the hassle of having to link up the TV and the radio to get stereo sound on my Live Aid VHS tapes in 1985

[@johnrhodez6829]

Mono/ Stereo.... I was setting up the audio channels on Marconi MR2 VTR and being very careful with the stereo phasing. "Why are you doing that? TV sound is mono!" "Maybe," I said" but during the lifetime of these machines it will go stereo...." And I was right.

[@richardsharpe2966]

I have to inform you that Belmont went from Anglia to Yorkshire in 1974

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks, Richard - I will bear that in mind if/when I do an update. Feedback greatly appreciated!

[@billpg]

STV doesn't cover all of Scotland?

[@tvradiotimelines]

I'm not entirely sure what the ownership of the former Grampian and Border franchises now is but I think they are owned by "STV plc". STV was originally the franchise holder for "Central Scotland". I THINK it is the only former "regional ITV" company that is not actually owned by "ITV plc".

[@billpg]

@@tvradiotimelines It looks like ITV franchise for the Scottish border area is owned by the ITV company that covers the English and Welsh regions. I'm a little bit surprised that the two companies haven't done a deal so that STV covers all of Scotland. Instead, ITV have a special Scotland service covering the bit of Scotland they serve while STV cover the bulk of Scotland. If Scotland does go independent, I'm sure they'll work something out.

[@tvradiotimelines]

@@billpg Thanks - I must admit I thought STV had bought the former Grampian and Border to make it 'Scotland-wide" and that the rest of the UK franchises (including UTV in Ulster) had all been gobbled up by the corporate ITV plc mega-beast.

[@rtc9063]

They should have left the UTV logo the way it was. The one in operation prior to the itv buyout was much better

[@tvradiotimelines]

Totally agree - but that could also probably apply to all of the other separate ITV companies way back when too!

[@rtc9063]

@@tvradiotimelines Too tight

[@davepoole9520]

I thought all of Ulster's idents through time always looked a bit naff.

[@philiphenderson9183]

South Cumbria didn’t have Border Television but we did have Granada Television.

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for the info. If/when I update this video I will certainly take it into account.

[@StefanTCTS]

They should switch back to regional branding.

[@womeruk]

BTW your map is wrong from 1974 Lincolnshire and North Norfolk was transferred to Yorkshire Television

[@tvradiotimelines]

Thanks for this - I do make the point in the notes at the end that the maps may be inaccurate. If I ever do an update of this, I will bear it in mind. Appreciated!

[@Eurobazz]

Absolutely crazy. You can be living in King's Lynn and receive ITV Yorkshire and BBC Look North local news.

[@womeruk]

The reason was Yorkshire was a big 5 ITV broadcaster, formed to dilute Granada, The region was too small to really make a lot of money so after Yorkshire, Anglia and Tyne Tees, (another loss maker) were refused a merger, the ITA have Belmont to YTV

[@Eurobazz]

@@womeruk Wasn't there also a merger between YTV and TTTV under the umbrella of Trident TV?

[@womeruk]

@@Eurobazz Yes Barry there was, Trident Television was TTTV and YTV as TTTV was on its last legs and had a massive overlap due to Bilsdale with YTV, the Anglia merger was stopped by the IBA, but the name had been already been registered. It was said many in Lincolnshire watched the overspill from Anglia and Central rather than YTV output

[@markgenner937]

ITV West Midlands.