Tag: East Anglia

ITV’s Regional Pattern

London: The ITA’s transmitter at Croydon was opened on 22nd September 1955. It serves a population of 13 million in and around London. Programmes are provided by Associated-Rediffusion Ltd. (A-R) from Mondays to Fridays and by Associated TeleVision Ltd. (ATV) on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Midlands: The ITA’s transmitter at Lichfield was opened on 17th February 1956. It serves a population of 8¾ million. Programmes are provided by Associated TeleVision Ltd. (ATV) from Mondays to Fridays and by ABC Television Ltd. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The North: A population of 12½ million in Lancashire and Yorkshire is served by the ITA’s transmitters at Winter Hill and Emley Moor, opened in 1956. Programmes are provided by Granada TV Network Ltd. from Mondays to Fridays and by ABC Television Ltd. on Saturdays and Sundays. ITA Regional Officer: S. D. Murphy, Astley House, Quay Street, Manchester 3. Manchester Blackfriars 2707.

Scotland: THE ITA SCOTTISH COMMITTEE: Professor David Talbot Rice, M.B.E. (Chairman); Mr. Frank Donachy, O.B.E. 3 Mr. ]ohh Fergus, F.I.P.A.; The Rev. Arthur H. Gray; Dr. H. Stewart Mackintosh, C.B.E.; Sir William MacTaggart, P.R.S.A.; Mrs. T. N. Morgan; Miss Barbara L. Napier, J.P.; The Rev. Dr. W. A. Smellie.

Scotland is served by five of the ITA’s transmitters. A population of 4 million in Central Scotland is reached by the Black Hill station opened in 1957, the first after the three main areas had been covered. Programmes are provided by Scottish Television Ltd. (STV). North-East Scotland, with a population of 1.4 million, is served by the transmitters at Durris and Mounteagle, opened in 1961. Programmes are provided by Grampian Television Ltd. The southern borders of Scotland are served by the Caldbeck and Selkirk transmitters with programmes provided by Border Television Ltd. ITA Regional Officer for Scotland: John Lindsay, 147 West Regent Street, Glasgow C.2. Glasgow City 3130. (The Regional Officer for North-East England deals with the Border area.)

Wales and the West of England: THE ITA WELSH COMMITTEE: Mr. Jenkin Alban Davies, J.P. (Chairman); Dr. Ivor Davies; Miss Norah Isaac; Mrs. Enid Watkin ]ones; Mr. Thomas Ieuan Jeffrys Jones, M.A.; Major General Lewis Owain Pugh; Mr. Leslie Richards; The Rev. D. R. Thomas, M.A.

Two companies, TWW Ltd. and Wales (West & North) Ltd. (WWN), provide programmes for the Authority to broadcast to Welsh viewers. In addition to its responsibilities in South Wales, TWW also covers a wide area in the West of England; it provides programmes for the ITA’s transmitter at St. Hilary, opened in 1958, serving a population of 3.3 million. The technical difficulties of the area covered by Wales (West & North) Ltd. are indicated by the fact that three transmitters are needed in South-West, North-West and North-East Wales to broadcast its programmes to a population of about 1 million. These transmitters opened during 1962-63. ITA Regional Officer: L. J. Evans, Arlbee House, Greyfriars Place, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. Cardiff 28759.

Southern England: Southern Television Ltd. provides programmes for Southern England from Kent to Dorset, an area which is not easily defined geographically or technically. The ITA’s transmitters at Chillerton Down on the Isle of Wight (opened in 1958) and at Dover (opened in 196O) serve a population of 4.3 million. ITA Regional Officer: Cmdr. G. W. Alcock, O.B.E., R.N. (Rtd.), 3o Portland Street, Southampton. Southampton 29115.

North-East England and Border Regions: The North-East of England, with programmes provided by Tyne Tees Television Ltd., is geographically, technically and socially well defined, consisting basically of the main part of the counties of Northumberland, Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire. A population of 2.7 million is served from the ITAs transmitter at Burnhope, opened in 1959. Border Television Ltd. serves two nationalities as its area straddles the Anglo-Scottish border, its programmes being broadcast by one transmitter at Caldbeck and another at Selkirk in Scotland (opened 1961) to a population of nearly half a million. ITA Regional Officer: R. J. F. Larimer 32-4 Mosley Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Newcastle 61-0148.

East Anglia: This was the first predominantly rural area in which the Independent Television Authority appointed a programme contractor, Anglia Television Ltd. This area is again both historically and geographically well defined. The topography of the area necessitated the first 1,000 ft. mast erected for the Authority, to serve a population of 2½ million. Programme operation commenced in 1959. ITA Regional Officer: Major General D. A. L. Wade, C.B., O.B.E., M.C., Century Insurance Building, 24 Castle Meadow, Norwich. Norwich 23533.

Northern Ireland: THE ITA ULSTER COMMITTEE: Sir Lucius O’Brien (Chairman); Mr. John G. Colhoun; Rev. Dr. C. B. Daly; Mr. G. B. Newe, O.B.E.; Mrs. G. Seth; Professor C. L. Wilson; The Rev. J. H. Withers.

The Province of Northern Ireland is served by two transmitters. The major one near the principal centre of population, the Belfast area, opened in 1959. The second, at Strabane in the west of the Province, opened early in 1963. Programmes are provided by Ulster Television Ltd. The population served is 1.4 million. ITA Regional Officer: W. H. Wilson, 5 Donegall Square South, Belfast. Belfast 3o818.

South-West England and the Channel Islands: Another geographically well-defined area is the South-West of England, consisting of the peninsula of Cornwall, Devon and parts of Somerset and Dorset. Westward Television Ltd. serves a population of 1.6 million from the ITA’s transmitters at Caradon Hill and Stockland Hill (opened in 1961). Programmes for the Channel Islands are provided by the smallest of all the fifteen ITV programme companies, Channel Television Ltd. Programme operation commenced during 1962. ITA Regional Officer: W. A. C. Collingwood, O.B.E., Royal London House, Armada Way, Plymouth. Plymouth 63031.

Anglia Television

East Anglia

itv1963part3 3
Anglia House, in the heart of the City of Norwich

Under agreement with the Independent Television Authority, Anglia Television provides television programmes in East Anglia throughout the week.

comp-angliaHead Office: Anglia House, Norwich, NOR 07A, Norfolk
NORWICH 28366
London Office: Brook House, 113 Park Lane, W.1.
HYDe Park 8331
Northern Sales Office: 132 Royal Exchange, Manchester 2
BLACKFRIARS 8575


    ITA      Channel   Vision     Sound    Opening Date   Population  ITA Homes
Transmitter          Frequency  Frequency                   000's       000's
                        Mc/s       Mc/s

Mendlesham      11    204.74325   201.23   27th Oct 1959    2,550        460
Directors

The Marquess Townshend of Raynham (Chairman); A Buxton, MC, L Scott, J Woolf (Executive Directors); D Albery; Sir Robert Bignold DL, JP; WO Copeman CBE, JP; G Daniel; Sir Peter Greenwell, Bt; Miss A Richards CBE

Officers

M Norman (Chief Executive); AJ Gorard (Company Secretary/Chief Accountant); TAH Marshall (Technical Controller); A Clifford (Controller of Local Programmes); P Holmans (Controller of Programme Planning); J Margetson (Sales Controller)

Religious Advisers

Rev AR Freeman (Church of England); Rev AR Manley (Roman Catholic); Rev EF Jones (Free Church)

Education Advisers

Glyn Daniel MA, PhD, FSA; Miss Audrey Richards CBE, MA, PhD

School Liaison Officer

Paul Johnson MA

Staff

Anglia Television employs a staff of just under 340, with many more under contract for particular programmes.

Visits to Studios

A limited number of tickets are available for audiences at certain shows, the maximum capacity of Studio A being 200. Applications, enclosing stamped addressed envelopes, should be made to: “Audiences”, Public Relations Department, Anglia Television, Anglia House, Norwich, NOR 07A, Norfolk. No audiences are admitted to drama productions or to “About Anglia”.

Enquiries

General enquiries from the public should be made to the Public Relations Department in Norwich; enquiries by artistes’ agents to the Contracts Department, Norwich. Press enquiries should be made to the “Press Officer” at either the Norwich or London offices.

Submission of Scripts

Material required: 30-, 60- and 90-minute plays in script form. Outlines of ideas are not acceptable unless submitted by authors who have had previous experience in television writing. All submissins should be addressed to: The Drama Department, which is located at the London office.

Programme Journal

TV Times publishes a separate edition for the Anglia Television Area which gives details of the available programmes.

Studios

ANGLIA HOUSE, Norwich, Norfolk (Norwich 28366). Anglia Television headquarters are situated in the centre of the City of Norwich and include Anglia House (the production and administrative centre), Cereal House (Accounts Department) and Golden Ball Yard (Storage Facilities). These premises comprise a total floor area of 63,000 sq. ft.

Anglia House contains four production studios as follows: Studio A, 52′ × 62′ (3,224 sq. ft.); Studio B, 25′ × 41′ (1,031 sq. ft.); Studio C, 18′ × 13′ (231 sq. ft.); Studio D, 9′ × 6′ (54 sq. ft.). The two main production studios are equipped with Pye 4½-in. Mark V Camera Channels and comprehensive sound and lighting equipment.

Telecine

Four channels of Rank Cintel Flying Spot Telecine, each capable of handling 16-mm. or 35-mm. material with all classes of married and unmarried sound. Two channels are also capable of handling slides.

Outside Broadcasts

An Outside Broadcast Unit is available equipped with two Pye 4½-in. Mark V Camera Channels and an Ampex VTR machine.

Videotape Recording

In addition to the Mobile VTR machine, which is also operable in conjunction with studio facilities at Anglia House, a further static Ampex VTR machine is in Anglia House, Norwich.

Film Department

The Anglia Television Film Department consists of one Feature Sound Film unit, one Feature Silent Film Unit, one News Sound Film Unit and one News Silent Film Unit.

The Anglia Television Natural History Film Unit

The Unit, which is based in London, was formed in 1959 to concentrate exclusively on the production of natural history programmes. It has travelled extensively obtaining information for Survival productions and has been associated with two of the World Wildlife Fund’s most important rescue operations.

Programmes

In addition to a wide variety of local programmes designed to cater for the interests of the East Anglian community, Anglia drama and natural history productions are transmitted on the ITV network. Anglia productions include: News and News Magazines: Anglia News, About Anglia, Town and Country Review, Anglia Weather Service. Talks, Discussions and Documentaries: Look To Tomorrow, Arena, Now You’re Talking, Cambridge Union Debates, Tavern Talk. The Arts: What? Where? When? Science and Natural History: Survival, Countryman, Living With Animals. Farming: Farming Diary. Religion: Food For Thought, Church Services, Epilogue. Children: Afternoon Club, Just The Job, Top of the Class. Adult Education: Cambridge Lectures (Once A Kingdom). Plays and Drama: contributions to the Play of the Week and Television Playhouse series, Thirty Minute Theatre. Light Entertainment and Music: Music Match, I Packed My Bag. Sport: Match of the Week.

News Coverage

Two permanently attached film units consisting of approximately 100 correspondents, 25 free-lance cameramen, news room production staff and copy takers present news coverage every night of the week, and, in addition, a regular late-night local news summary. Weather forecasts by Anglia’s own meteorologists are broadcast every night.

East Anglia

Anglia

  • Population within measured contours: Primary 1.22 mn, Secondary 0.96 mn, Fringe 0.37 mn. Total 2.55 mn.
  • Channel: Band III Channel 11 (horizontally polarised)
  • Vision Carrier Frequency: Nominal 204.75 Mc/s. Actual 204.74325 Mc/s
  • Sound Carrier Frequency: Nominal 201.25 Mc/s. Actual 201.23 Mc/s
  • Effective Radiated Power: Vision 200 kw maximum. Sound 50 kw maximum.
  • Power of Transmitters: Vision (peak white) 2 x 5 kW. Sound (carrier) 2 x 1.25 kW
  • Heights above sea level: Site 200 ft. Mean aerial 1,150 ft.
  • Location: 1° 6′ 32″ E, 52° 14′ 3″ N.

Mendlesham (Channel 11)

Company: Anglia Television

The geographically large but not densely populated area of East Anglia which this station is designed to serve is of unusual interest to the technical planner. It is largely flat and circular in shape, with a diameter of about eighty miles. At first sight it seems to present an almost ideal case for service by an uncomplicated high-power station located at the geographical centre, radiating its power omnidirectionally. As so often happens, the simple approach could not be applied. The possibility of causing interference to West German viewers in the established service area of the Langenberg station and to French viewers of the Amiens station demanded that the power radiated over a prescribed south-easterly arc must not exceed about 15 kW. Other complications included the need to prevent interference in the service area of Chillerton Down, which uses the same channel, and the need to observe the principle that ITA and BBC stations should be adjacently sited.

ill-mendelsham

Thus, to secure adequate service to the coastal areas of Suffolk and Essex, the site for the station had to be displaced well to the south-east of the geographical centre of the required service area and, incidentally, far from the BBC Norwich Band I station which serves much of the same general area. The Television Advisory Committee confirmed the Authority’s conclusion that adjacent siting could not be followed in this instance and that the best site for the ITA station was at Mendlesham, about fifteen miles north-west of Ipswich. The towns of Ipswich, Colchester, Felixstowe and Harwich would then be close enough to the station to be well served, despite the relatively low power radiated in their direction.

To compensate for the displacement of the station from the natural geographical centre it was necessary for the power radiated towards the west and north to approach 200 kW. Again, because of the very low height of the Mendlesham site, 210 ft. above sea level, a 1,ooo ft. mast was considered technically appropriate. This was the highest television mast to be constructed in Europe and the first of five of the same height subsequently used at other ITA stations. The building of the station began early in 1959, and after some corrective adjustments to the aerial power-feeding networks the station began programme service on 27th October 1959.