Mid-80s BBC One: the benefits of one big relaunch over piecemeal changes
18th February 1985 was a red letter day for BBC One. A “new look” to the channel was heavily promoted. Leading the troops into action, Terry Wogan with his new chat show. The following night …
Casualties in the changing TV landscape
A raft of closures and mergers amongst minor digital channels has been announced in recent days but will more follow? The casualties include 5Spike, which is being merged with the Paramount channel, and Horse and …
Pres implications for ITV Daytime in the new year?
ITV’s new morning schedule starts on 6th January 2020 but will it mean changes to on-screen presentation? The main change concerns the scheduling of Lorraine and This Morning. Lorraine will run from 9am to 10am, …
General election treats for pres fans
General elections are big events for broadcasters. Huge efforts go into mounting the overnight programmes – reporters and crews need to be on hand at as many counts as possible and be placed close to …
Archive footage provides evidence of early use of STV branding
A great little find from the archives was recently shared on Twitter by STV Footage Sales. Better Viewing was made by STV in 1957 to help their viewers understand how to get the most from …
The BBC test card and in-vision teletext
TV Presentation has a cousin – trade test transmissions and in-vision teletext pages.
Regional ITV anniversaries: to celebrate or not to celebrate
Anniversaries are a funny time for media organisations. On the one hand, they can be an opportunity to celebrate genuine achievements or indulge in some harmless nostalgia. On the other, no forward-looking organisation wants to …
Grampian: destination extinction
Those who wondered whether UTV as a channel name is living on borrowed time may want to take a look over the North Channel to Scotland. Not so long ago, the idea of ditching the …
ITV daytime schedule changes and the breakfast franchise
Suggestions in some forums that the possible move of Lorraine Kelly’s show to a new slot could cause licensing problems are wide of the mark.
The continuing erosion of the UTV brand
Updated: 7th October 2019. If ITV is genuinely committed to fully preserving the UTV brand name in the long term then it needs to get its finger out.