BBC2 - April 1964

Mixed experimental with popular programming

Reception required new set

Narrowcasting

BBC2 - VHF 625 line (not UHF 405)

Initially low audiences

Themed evening experiment - difficult to junction

July 1967 - Colour Transmission

Teething troubles - addressed by end '60s.

TV in 60s

TV demystified - inherently democratising

TW3 - first UK satire - fresh, informal

Historical significance - references relied upon audience knowledge of culture disseminated by television itself

Monty Python - similarly - took as material the grammar - forms, codes and conventions - of the TV form

Satellite Broadcasting

Sputnik 1957

Telstar 1962

Syncom 1963 - Geostationary orbit

Intelsat series - 1965 - 18 hours per day possible (Mexico Olypics, Moon Landing)

ITV Franchise '64 and '67

1964 - all contractors reappointed

1967 - 6(13) yea contracts

Changes

Granada (North) and Associated Television (Midlands) regions rolled back but broadcasting hours extended

Yorkshire fills gap

Rediffusion forced to join ABC Television to form Thames - London Weekday

LWT gets London weekends

Televison Wales and West - loses contract entirely

TV Times

Post '67 franchises, ITV struggles.

LWT in difficulties - prgramming strengths (current affairs,arts and childrens) unsuited to weekend viewing

Yorkshire - fifth major contractor - increased cost of whole system in terms of facilities - reducing role of existing four

General market issues

TV ownership saturated

ITV share of existing market falling against two competing channels

Faced increased capital expenditure - switch to VHF and colour

Leads ('70 & '71) to drop in government levy on ITV

Nonetheless - Scottish, Harlech and Tyne-Tees faced financiual collapse.

LWT bailed out by News of the World (Murdoch)

BBC also faced switch to VHF and colour costs - saturation of TV set ownership ended growth in licence fee income

Nonetheless medium itself v. healthy - Jan '72 - govt. lifts all broadcasting hours restrictions.

1970s

Decade of political upheaval

News developed to reflect this - use of satellite tech and switch to ENG

In drama - switch to international co-productions and away from single drama

Annan Cttee

Fourth channel allocation deferred through '60s

'70 Lord Annan appointed to head cttee exploring whole future of broadcasting.

Annan suspicious of commercial b'casting

1970 - Tory govt. elected. Sets Annan aside.

1974 - Labour back - so is Annan.

Context for report - left-wing distrust of commercial TV. Labour distrust of ITV and BBC (Yesterday's Men). Right-wing (Mary Whitehouse) critique of permissve prgramming.

In sum - b'casters were out of control. 4^th channel should not go to BBC or ITV

Annan and PSB

Reithian view - expose audience to best of everything. 1970s BBC still see PSB as offering full range of programming.

"Our society's culture is now multi-racial and pluralist: that is to say people adhere to different views of the nature and purpose of life and expect their own view to be expressed in some form or other. The structure of broadcasting should reflect this variety."

B'caster duty - reflect as many tastes as possible.

Rejects idea of b'casters as moral/cultural leaders

Annan report - 4^th channel to be:

- a network catering for interests/minorities ill served by TV hitherto.

- To be supervised by new Open Broadcasting Authority.

- Publisher broadcaster

- Funded by variety of sources.

1979 - Conservative govt sets Annan aside.

1980 - New ITV franchises

ATV disappears into Central

TV South Replaces Southern Televison

Television South West replaced Westward

Novelty - breakfast TV

TV-AM - mission to explain - over-intellectual?

Bailed out by Kerry Packer, Bruce Gyngell and Roland Rat

Est. breakfast TV as bland and trite

Channel 4

Takes element sof Annan

Publisher looking to indy sector

IBA proposed:

- 35-50% from ITV contractors

- 15-35% from indys

- 15% from ITN

- 5-14% from foreign sources

2/3 output special interest, rest broader appeal

Sell no ad - funded by ITV contractor subscriptions. Contractors would sell C4 ads in own territories.

IBA objectives with C4:

1. Ensure suitable proportion of special interest programmes. Serve following minorities a) high art lovers, b) special interest and c) ethnic

2. Educational

3. Innovative in form and content

4. Indy production.

C4 commissioned 50% of output from indys in year one.

Indys faced smaller overheads - price competitive with ITV contractors. Created financial/political pressure for ITV/BBC to look to indys.

Rise of indys aided by cheaper hardware - transformed TV production from labour-intensive to more cottage production.

C4 News - news in depth

Film on Four

TV heritage

US Football.