Timeline of Yorkshire Television

This is a timeline of the history of Yorkshore Television (now known as ITV Yorkshire).

1950s

1960s
  • 1967
    • 28 February – National and regional newspapers carried advertisements from the Independent Television Authority, requesting applicants for various new ITV contracts, one of which was Programme Contractor for Yorkshire Area (Contract D) – All Week. Ten formal bids were received by the closing date.[1][2].
    • 13 June – Telefusion Yorkshire Limited, created by the Blackpool-based TV rental chain Telefusion and led by Grampian TV Managing Director G E Ward Thomas, is selected as the winning bid. It was chosen on the condition that it 'merged' with another applicant Yorkshire Independent Television. The latter, backed by a consortium of Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd, other local newspaper groups such as the Huddersfield Examiner and the Scarborough Evening News, several Yorkshire-based Co-operative societies, trade unions and local universities, was deemed by the Authority to have the better talent but suffered a lack of funding, whereas Telefusion had the backing of a cash-rich parent. The new venture initially chose the name Yorkshire Television Network but decided to drop the word 'Network' before going on air.[3]
  • 1969
    • 19 March – The transmitter mast at Emley Moor collapses, leaving the major part of the region uncovered by Yorkshire Television. A temporary mast is quickly erected and television broadcasting resumed, albeit with reduced coverage.
    • 7 June – Yorkshire begins talks with Anglia Television about a cost-cutting exercise by sharing equipment and facilities. Neither company planned joint productions or a merger. The reason to form an association was purely down to the costs of the increased levy on the companies' advertising revenue by the government, and the cost of colour TV. The ITA stated there was no reason why the companies should not have talks about sensible economies that could be made, but would examine all details before any association were to be implemented.[4]
    • 15 November – Yorkshire Television begins broadcasting in colour.

1970s
  • 1970
    • 1 January – A warning is given that regionalism would be abandoned and that Yorkshire's forced merger with Anglia Television would happen unless the chancellor reduced the levy applied on advertising revenues,[5] which the government agreed to a few months later.
    • 21 August – Yorkshire and Tyne Tees Television announce plans to merge when the two are brought under the control of a new company, Trident Television Limited, which is formed to deal with the problem of effective usage of the Bilsdale transmitter and the allocation of airtime. [6]
  • 1971
  • 1972
    • 16 October – Following a law change which removed all restrictions on broadcasting hours, Yorkshire launches an afternoon service. As part of the new service the first edition of Yorkshire's new soap opera Emmerdale Farm is broadcast.
  • 1973
    • No events.
  • 1975
    • No events.
  • 1976
    • No events.
  • 1977
    • 28 March – Yorkshire begins a nine-week trial of breakfast television. The experiment ends on 27 May.
  • 1978
    • December – A strike forces Yorkshire Television off air throughout the entire Christmas period. Many of ITV's Christmas programmes were eventually shown in early 1979, after the dispute had ended.
  • 1979
    • 10 August – The ten week ITV strike forces Yorkshire Television off the air once again. The strike ends on 24 October.

1980s
  • 1980
    • 28 December – The Independent Broadcasting Authority announces the new contractors to commence on 1 January 1982 and Yorkshire Television is re-awarded its licence on the condition that it demerges with Tyne Tees Television.[7]
  • 1981
    • No events.
  • 1982
    • 1 January – Yorkshire extends its coverage on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border when transmitters covering Todmorden and Walsden are transferred from the Granada region.[8][9]
    • 2 November – Yorkshire Television has the honour of producing the first ever programme shown on Channel 4 - the gameshow Countdown which remains on the air to this day.
  • 1983
    • 1 February – ITV's breakfast television service TV-am launches. Consequently, Yorkshire Television's broadcast day now begins at 9:25 am.
  • 1984
    • No events.
  • 1985
    • 3 January – The last day of transmission using the 405-lines system.
  • 1986
    • 9 August – Yorkshire becomes the first ITV company to provide 24-hour broadcasting.[10] It fills the overnight hours by simulcasting the satellite station Music Box.[11]
  • 1987
    • 3 January – Closedowns reappear on Yorkshire Television when its experiment with 24-hour television is put on hiatus. [12]
    • 5 January – Yorkshire launches its “Liquid Gold” ident.[13]
    • 30 January – Yorkshire becomes the second ITV region to launch a Jobfinder service, broadcasting for an hour after closedown.[14]
    • Summer – Yorkshire extends broadcasting into the early hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights by introducing a Through Till Three strand.
    • 7 September – Following the transfer of ITV Schools to Channel 4, ITV provides a full morning programme schedule, with advertising, for the first time. The new service sees the launch of regular five-minute national and regional news bulletins.
  • 1988
    • 30 May – Yorkshire recommences 24-hour broadcasting.[15]
    • June – For the first time, regional news bulletins are broadcast at the weekend.
  • 1989
    • 1 September – ITV introduces its first official logo as part of an attempt to unify the network under one image whilst retaining regional identity. Yorkshire replaces its "Liquid Gold" ident with the generic ITV look.[16]

1990s
  • 1991
    • 16 October – The Independent Television Commission announces the results of the franchise round. Yorkshire Television is re-awarded its licence having bid £37.7 million to see off two rival bidders, Viking Television and White Rose Television.
  • 1992
    • June – Yorkshire and Tyne Tees Television merge, beginning a process that would see the consolidation of ITV over the next decade.
    • 5 October – Following the merger, Yorkshire simulcasts its overnight service on Tyne Tees and relaunches it as Nightshift.[17]
  • 1993
    • No events.
  • 1994
    • 5 September – Yorkshire refreshes its ident and abandons the 1989 generic ITV look.[18]
  • 1995
    • No events.
  • 1996
    • No events.
  • 1998
    • 15 November – The public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK takes place.

2000s
  • 2000
    • No events.
  • 2001
    • No events.
  • 2002
    • 28 October – On-air regional identities are dropped apart from when introducing regional programmes and Yorkshire is renamed ITV1 Yorkshire.
  • 2003
    • No events.
  • 2004
    • January – The final two remaining English ITV companies, Carlton and Granada, merge to create a single England and Wales ITV company called ITV plc.
    • 31 October – The famous chevron logo is seen by viewers for the final time.
  • 2005
    • No events.
  • 2006
    • November – The ITV1 Yorkshire branding, still seen before some regional programming, is discontinued.
  • 2007
    • 8 January – The Calendar East and Calendar South regions are merged to form a new Calendar South region covering central and east Lincolnshire, east Yorkshire, east Nottinghamshire and north Norfolk. The Calendar North region, broadcasting from the Emley Moor transmitter, continues as before.
  • 2008
    • No events.
  • 2009
    • February – ITV makes major cutbacks to its regional broadcasts in England. Yorkshire's separate sub-regional news programmes are merged into a pan-regional programme although more localised news continues to be broadcast as a brief opt-out during the early evening programme, and with the exception of a monthly political programme, all non-news regional programming in the English regions ends.
    • 4 March – ITV plc announces that The Leeds Studios will be largely closed in an effort to save costs.[20] However, seven months later ITV changed its mind, choosing instead to close the nearby studios dedicated to the production of Emmerdale and transferring production of this programme to Kirkstall Road which would be upgraded for HDTV production.[21]
    • All non-news regional programming ends, apart from a monthly political discussion show.

2010s
  • 2010
    • No events.
  • 2012
    • No events.
  • 2013
    • 16 September – Sub-regional news coverage is re-introduced and the weekday daytime, late evening and weekend bulletins as well as 20 minutes of the 6pm programme are once again more localised.

See also

References
  1. Baren, Maurice (2000). How It All Began in Yorkshire, Volume 2. Dalesman Publishing. ISBN 1-85568-183-8.
  2. ITV: who wants what. The Times, Tuesday, 30 May 1967
  3. New men in television. The Times, Tuesday, 13 June 1967; p. 3
  4. Yorkshire, Anglia in TV link talks.BY BROADCASTING CORRESPONDENT. The Times (London, England), Saturday, 7 June 1969
  5. TV crisis may force mergers.By DAVID WOOD The Times, Thursday, 1 January 1970;
  6. Yorkshire and Tyne Tees TV plan to merge. By ROSS DAVIES. The Times, Friday, 21 August 1970; p. 17;
  7. Guardian Monday, 29 December 1980 p. 1 TV axed by Plowman
  8. ITV's framework for survival in the eighties: Expectations of a harsh ... The Guardian (1959–2003); 25 January 1980;
  9. £5m for staff who seek TV franchise. By Kenneth Gosling. The Times, Monday, 12 May 1980;
  10. Regional Television Variations. The Times, Saturday, 9 August 1986; p. 32
  11. "TV Live – ITV Night Time". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  12. Ident Central - Yorkshire Night Time
  13. TV Live: Yorkshire
  14. Television and radio. The Times (London, England), Friday, 30 January 1987; pg. 43
  15. Ident Central - Yorkshire Night Time
  16. TV Live: Yorkshire
  17. Ident Central - Yorkshire Night Time
  18. TV Live: Yorkshire
  19. MAM unlikely to back Granada's YTTV offer.Eric Reguly. The Times (London, England), Thursday, 26 June 1997; p. 27
  20. "Troubled ITV cuts jobs and costs". BBC News Online. BBC. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  21. "ITV's Leeds base saved in £5m refurbishment". Yorkshire Post. 3 December 2009.
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