The Coverage

The programmes provided by the programme companies are transmitted from the Authority’s stations. The system of 22 transmitters which now covers about 96 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom had to be developed by using a group of six channels in the frequency Band III, allocated to the Authority by the Postmaster-General. No direct experience of operating programme services in Band III in this country was available to guide the Authority’s engineers in the development of Band III, and they and the manufacturers had to start virtually from scratch. None-the-less, within three years, three-quarters of the population had been given access to Independent Television programmes. The extension of coverage is traced in the maps and tables which follow. The story of this engineering achievement is told more fully in the chapter “Technical Achievements”.

The Growth of Coverage

End of year Cumulative population coverage (thousands) Percentage of total UK population %
1955 12,290 24
1956 30,116 59
1957 33,666 66
1958 38,900 76
1959 44,366 86
1960 45,016 88
1961 48,587 94
1962 estd. 50,981 96

itv1963front-please credit Transdiffusion

THE SPREAD OF INDEPENDENT TELEVISION is progressively traced in these nine maps. The Television Act was passed in July 1954 and the Authority first met in August. The service began from Croydon on 22nd September 1955. The service areas shown in the final map include about 96 per cent of the population.

The Growth of I.T.A. Homes

End of year Cumulative ITA homes (thousands) Percentage of all TV homes Percentage of all homes
1955 495 30.8 12.5
1956 2,656 53.3 25.8
1957 4,684 69.2 39.6
1958 6,540 75.9 46.6
1959 8,605 80.8 55.2
1960 10,292 87.0 65.4
1961 11,282 88.3 68.9
1962 estd. 12,300 90.0 73.0

Viewing of Some Serious Programmes
(two weeks ended 21st October 1962)

Producer Per Cent of Homes Viewing
1 Once A Kingdom Anglia 53 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
2 Disneyland Scottish 47 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
3 Focus about the House Border 45 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
4 Your Heritage – The River Tees Tyne Tees 44 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  All Our Yesterdays Granada 44 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
6 James Watt Commemoration Scottish 42 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Time to Remember Border 42 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Time Out of Doors Border 42 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Countryman Anglia 42 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Main News (weekdays) ITN 42 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
11 Arena Anglia 41 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
12 Out of Town Southern 40 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Country Focus Grampian 40 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
14 Come on to Larne Ulster 39 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Scots report on Conservative Party conference Scottish 39 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
16 Main News (weekdays) BBC 38 ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
17 On Safari BBC 37 ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
18 Scottish/Norwegian Relations Scottish 36 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
19 Midland Profile ATV 35 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
20 This Week A-R 34 ▓▓▓▓▓▓
  Soldiers of the Queen Southern 34 ▓▓▓▓▓▓
22 Here and Now A-R 33 ▓▓▓▓▓
23 Panorama BBC 33 ▒▒▒▒▒
24 Pattern of Prosperity BBC 32 ▒▒▒▒
25 Look Around ATV 31 ▓▓▓
26 Safari to Africa BBC 29 ▒▒
  N. Ireland Problem BBC 29 ▒▒
  Points North Grampian 29 ▓▓
29 Roving Report ITN 28
  Midland Farming ATV 28
  Midland Montage ATV 28

Note – News magazines are excluded. Also excluded are programmes of under 15 minutes. For regular programmes, averages are given. Disneyland is an informative series, not a cartoon. These percentages do not include homes not yet receiving ITV – about 10 per cent of all TV homes in ITA areas.

The popularity of many of Independent Television’s light entertainment programmes is well known. Less widely recognised is the popularity of Independent Television’s more serious output. The diagram on this page shows the extent to which serious programmes are viewed in dual channel homes. It is noticeable that two-thirds of the programmes attracting the largest number of viewers in the areas in which they are shown are produced by the regional companies of Independent Television and are related in some particular way to the interests of viewers in their areas.