On 1st January 1982, Central Independent Television took over from ATV as the ITV franchise holder in the Midlands.
It was essentially the same organisation under a different name. The change came about at the insistence of the IBA, which was critical of ATV’s obsession with national and international success and apparent lack of interest in serving its local audience.
The new branding would see a new focus on regional programming. The company planned to launch a new regional news service for the East Midlands. However, that service was kept off the air for two years due to a dispute with trade unions.
The early evening edition of ITV News Central on 31st December 2021 took a look back at Central’s launch:
RELATED ARTICLE: The 1982 ITV franchise changes.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Central News logo (1982). COPYRIGHT: ITV plc.
Oh, there’s the filmed version of the Central Cake ident from 1988 at the end during a lookback at Central’s 1982 launch on the early evening edition of ITV News Central from 31st December 2021. Happy 40th anniversary ITV Central.