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.

ABC Television

Midlands and North (Saturdays and Sundays)

ABC Television's Teddington Studios
ABC Television’s Teddington Studios

ABC is the company which, under agreement with the Independent Television Authority, provides the television programmes in the North and Midlands on Saturdays and Sundays.

comp-abc1 Hanover Square, London W.1.
HYDe Park 7222
City Centre House, 30 Union Street, Birmingham 2
MIDLANDS 6083
Television House, 12 Mount Street, Manchester 2
DEANSGATE 4597


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

Midlands  Lichfield       8     189.75    186.25   17th Feb 1956     8,850    1,765

North     Winter Hill     9     194.75    181.25    3rd May 1956  }
          Emley Moor     10     199.7372  196.2605  3rd Nov 1956  } 12,452    3,282
Directors

Sir Philip Warter (Chairman); E G M Fletcher LL.D, MP (Deputy Chairman); Howard Thomas (Managing Director); C J Latta; R Clark, LL.B; D J Goodlatte; G A Cooper.

Officers

C J Orr, FCA (Secretary); B R Greenhead (Technical Controller); R H Norris (Advertisement Controller); B Tesler (Programme Controller); D Southwood (Northern Executive and Chief of Outside Broadcasts); E G Harris (Midlands Executive); L Shirley (Features Supervisor); R Taylor (Light Entertainment Supervisor); Penry Jones (Religious Adviser).

Staff

Total members of staff 957 (excluding Alpha Television).

Visits to Studios

A limited number of tickets are available for audiences at certain shows. Applications, enclosing stamped addressed envelopes, should be made to the Ticket Controller at the address of the studio from which the programme originates. The minimum age is sixteen.

Enquiries

Enquiries about artistes and programmes should be addressed to Viewers’ Correspondence, ABC Television, Broom Road, Teddington, Middlesex.

Submission of Scripts

Present requirements are for 60-minute plays, 30-minute children’s serials and 60- or 45-minute series scripts. But programmes change, and authors should contact story editors for the appropriate category to learn of future trends before submitting outlines or scripts.

Programme Journal

TV Times publishes separate editions for the North and Midlands areas giving details of the available programmes.

Studios

DIDSBURY STUDIO CENTRE, Manchester (Didsbury 8181). Winter Hill and Emley Moor transmitters receive their weekend programmes via the ABC master control rooms at Didsbury. Here too is based the Outside Broadcast fleet. The main studio has a stage area of 5,000 sq. ft. and has seating for an audience of 600. The second studio has an area of approximately 1,000 sq. ft., and there is a presentation studio attached to the dual master control rooms, plus an announcer’s booth for sound only.

BIRMINGHAM. Alpha Television Studios, Aston, Birmingham (Aston Cross 3091), are jointly owned by ABC and Associated TeleVision Limited. There are three studios of 3,000, 1,200 and 380 sq. ft., and master control and technical areas which were housed in a new building during 1962.

TEDDINGTON STUDIO CENTRE, Broom Road, Teddington (Teddington Lock 3252). This modern studio centre has been established close to London, where the main body of artistes is available. It specialises in the recording of drama, light entertainment and feature programmes. Studio 1 has an area of 7,500 sq. ft.; Studio 2, 4,750 sq. ft.; and Studio 3, 2,500 sq. ft. The technical equipment covers an area of 8,000 sq. ft. and is fully multi-standard with immediate switching between 405, 525 and 625 line standards. The new central block, opened in 1962, has in addition 13,000 sq. ft. of rehearsal rooms, an acoustically treated recording studio of 1,700 sq. ft., and scenery assembly and handling facilities.

Outside Broadcast Units

ABC have three Outside Broadcast units based at Didsbury, all with 4½” cameras and a smaller vidicon unit. In addition, the mobile videotape recorder can be equipped with one or two cameras, there being a total of twelve available between the units, There are seven microwave link units with portable power generators, and a hydraulic platform tower truck.

Videotape Recording

There are two machines based at Didsbury, together with the mobile unit. At Teddington there are four standards-switchable transistorised recorders together with standards converter equipment. At Alpha Studios, Birmingham, there are two machines.

Colour Television

One of the flying spot telecine channels at Teddington is equipped for the generation of colour signals, and programmes from Teddington have been experimentally radiated by the Croydon transmitter. In addition, numerous public demonstrations have been given over the GPO network, notably those using the continental SECAM system.

Technical Developments

A considerable amount of apparatus was specially developed for the Teddington Studio Centre in order to achieve full multi-standard operation. All this newly developed equipment is transistorised, and, in particular, vision switching matrices and pulse and vision distribution amplifiers have been used in considerable numbers.

Programmes

ABC productions include: News and News Magazines: ABC At Large. Talks, Discussions and Documentaries: The Other Man’s Farm, The Bookman. The Arts: Tempo. Science and Natural History: You’d Never Believe It! Religion: The Sunday Break, Living Your Life, Journey of a Lifetime, Sunday Morning Service, Epilogues. Adult Education: Headway. Sport: extensive outside broadcast coverage of all sporting events, including such minority sports as tenpin bowling, motor cycle scrambles, indoor soccer and amateur boxing. Children’s Programmes: Once Upon A Time. Drama Programmes: Armchair Theatre, The Avengers, Dimension of Fear (four-part thriller serial), Secret Beneath the Sea (six-part children’s serial), Ocean Liner series (untitled). Variety, Light Entertainment and Music: Thank Your Lucky Stars, Sing Along, The Best of Friends, Comedy Bandbox, Candid Camera, The Dave King Show, Life and Al Read. Entertainment Films: several film series produced in collaboration with ABC include The Human Jungle, Sir Francis Drake. Dramatised Documentaries: The Sword in the Web.

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.

Associated-Rediffusion

London (Weekdays)

The cast and production crew for a drama production in Studio 5
The cast and production crew for a drama production in Studio 5

Associated-Rediffusion Limited is the company which, under agreement with the Independent Television Authority, provides the television programmes in London from Monday to Friday.


comp-assred

Television House, Kingsway, London W.C.2.
HOLborn 7888
Norfolk House, Smallbrook Ringway, Birmingham 5.
MIDLAND 9151/2
Peter House, Oxford Street, Manchester 1.
CENTRAL 9867/8


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

Croydon         9    194.75675   191.266   22nd Sep 1955   12,910      3,023
Directors

John Spencer Wills, M.Inst.T. (Chairman); Sir Edwin S Herbert, KBE (Deputy Chairman); P Adorian, FCGI, MIEE (Managing Director); The RT Hon The Viscount Colville of Culross; JB Rickatson-Hatt; Sir Bracewell Smith, Bt, KCVO, LL.D, BSc.

Management

General Manager: TM Brownrigg, CBE, DSO, RN (Rtd). principal officers: John McMillan (Controller of Programmes); Guy Paine (Controller of Advertisements); AW Groocock, FCIS (Secretary); CF Elms (Business Manager); Brian Begg (Publicity Controller); JT Davey, FCA (Chief Accountant); executives: Five Assistant Controllers of Programmes: Ray Dicks (Production and Programme Services); Cyril Francis (Planning); Guthrie Moir (Religious, Education, Features, Children); GCF Whitaker (Technical Operations); Milton Shulman (Film Acquisition, Special Assignments).

Religious Advisory Panel

Rev. Austen Williams; Father Michael Hollings Rev. Derrick Greeves.

Education Advisory Council

Chairman: Sir Ifor Evans, D.Lit., Provost, university College, London.

Schools Liaison Officer

John Mackay.

Submission of Scripts

Material required: 60- or 90-minute plays, written for the medium and suitable for “live” production, are in constant demand. Shorter plays, fantasy, costume pieces and plays with a sordid or distasteful theme are not required.

Completed dialogue scripts should be submitted and we cannot give consideration to synopses and/or treatments unless from writers whose work we already know. Requirements for series and serials, light entertainment material, children’s and feature programmes vary considerably from time to time and a preliminary letter is advised. There is little requirement for panel games and quizzes. Address drama scripts and related correspondence to the Head of Drama. Other material and correspondence to Script Services Section. Leaflet outlining requirements available on request.

Visits to Studios

A limited number of tickets are available to the public for admission to Light Entertainment and Quiz Shows performed at Wembley Studios. Application should be made in writing to the programme concerned, care of the Ticket Office. For example: “Take Your Pick”, Ticket Office, Associated-Rediffusion Limited, Television House, Kingsway, W.C.2. The minimum age is 15 years.

Enquiries

Enquiries about artistes and programmes should be addressed to Miss Eileen Sands at Television House.

Programme Journal

TV Times publishes a London edition giving weekly details of the available programmes.

Studios

WEMBLEY STUDIOS, Wembley Park, Middlesex (WEM 8811). Senior Engineer: George Sherman. Studio 1: 80′ × 55′ (4,400 sq. ft.); Studio 2: 80′ × 41′ (3,280 sq. ft.); Studio 4: 74′ × 42′ (3,108 sq. ft.); Studio 5: 140′ × 100′ (14,000 sq. ft.); Studio 5a: 100′ × 67′ (6,700 sq. ft.); Studio 5b 100′ × 67′ (6,700 sq. ft.). Technical Facilities 4,928 sq. ft.; Maintenance Workshops 12,152 sq. ft.; Restaurant 2,826 sq. ft.; Property Store 7,488 sq. ft.; Scenery Bay 6,912 sq. ft.; Dressing Room and Make-up 7,000 sq. ft.; Car Park 12,800 sq. ft.; VTR: 4 Ampex Machines; Telecine: 1 RCA Vidicon; 1 Cintel Flying Spot; 2 EMI Flying Spot.

TELEVISION HOUSE STUDIOS. Studio 7: 33′ × 24′ (702 sq. ft.); Studio 8: 38′ × 25′ (950 sq. ft.); Studio 9: 64′ × 40′ (2,416 sq. ft.); Studio 10: 26′ × 12′ (312 sq. ft.). Master Control 900 sq. ft.; Maintenance Workshop 1,150 sq. ft.; VTR 2 Ampex machines, 320 sq. ft.; T/C, 2 Cintel, 1 RCA Vidicon, 1 EMI Flying Spot, 1,150 sq. ft.; Six Rehearsal Rooms 7,500 sq. ft.; Three Projector Theatres; Fifteen Film Cutting Rooms; 1 Dubbing Theatre.

Outside Broadcasts

Associated-Rediffusion has three mobile control rooms each with four cameras.

Programmes

Drama: regular contributions to Television Playhouse and Play of the Week; No Hiding Place; Tales of Mystery; Boyd QC; It Happened Like This; Crane; Somerset Maugham Hour; When the Kissing Had to Stop; Electra. Features: This Week; Decision; Here and Now; Collector’s Piece; Challenge to the Editor; Looking Abroad With Brian Connell; Insight; Bridgehead; The ABC of Democracy; Birth; Watch on the Mekong; Article 237; and the Intertel exchange programmes. Light Entertainment: Dickie Henderson Show; Double Your Money; Take Your Pick; Close Up; Hippodrome; Kingsley Amis Goes Pop; Dan Farson Meets… Schools: The World Around Us; Notre Ville; Story Box; Romeo and Juliet; Science and Understanding; Theatres and Temples (The Greeks). Children: Tuesday Rendezvous; Small Time; Badger’s Bend; Animal Care; and several plays and light musical programmes in the Summer. Religion: Epilogues; Laudes Evangelii; Black Nativity. Sport: horse-racing, football, tennis, boxing, swimming, etc. Entertainment Films: many feature films and filmed television series.

Intertel

The company was a founder member of Intertel, the International Television Federation, whose other members are the Australian Broadcasting Commission; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; National Educational Television and Radio Center, USA; and Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. Inc., USA. A first series of twelve television documentaries has been completed and a further series is planned. Available programmes include The Quiet War, The Heartbeat of France, Postscript to Empire, Living with a Giant, America Abroad, 40 Million Shoes, Unfinished Revolution.

Associated TeleVision

London (weekends); Midlands (weekdays)

The producer's view of one of A.T.V.'s studios
The producer’s view of one of A.T.V.’s studios

ATV is a public company which, under agreement with the Independent Television Authority, provides the television programmes in London on Saturdays and Sundays and in the Midlands from Monday to Friday.


comp-atv

ATV House, 17 Great Cumberland Place, London W.1.
AMBassador 8040
ATV House, 150 Edmund Street, Birmingham.
BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL 5191



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

London     Croydon     9    194.75675   191.266   22nd Sep 1955   12,910     3,023
weekends

Midlands  Lichfield    8    189.75      186.25    17th Feb 1956    8,850     1,765
weekdays
Directors

Sir Robert Renwick, Bt, KBE (Chairman); Norman Collins (Deputy Chairman); Lew Grade (Managing Director); Edward J Roth (Deputy Managing Director); JAL Drummond (Finance); The Earl of Bessborough; Ellis S Birk; Hugh Cudlipp, OBE; RPT Gibson; Prince Littler, CBE; Val Parnell; Charles Orr Stanley, CBE, Ll.D

Officers

JM Barham, FCA (Secretary); B Bibby (Production Facilities Controller); P Dorté, OBE (Midlands Controller); JF Gill, FCA (Group Accountant and Treasurer); M Gumpel (Director of Business Affairs); PJ Henry (Sales Director); L Lewis (Administration Controller); TC Macnamara (Technical Controller); S Mitchell (Chief Press Officer); K Rogers (Operations Controller); W Ward (Productions Controller).

Religious Advisers

The Rev. John Bebb (Roman Catholic); The Rev. Stephan Hopkinson (Anglican); The Rev. Caryl Micklem (Free Church).

Education

Sir John Materman (Chairman, Education Advisory Committee); James Cochrane Wykes (Senior Education Officer); W Hemingway (Schools Liaison Officer).

Staff

Total members of staff 1,379 (excluding ATV’s subsidiary companies). Production 622, Administration 289, Engineering 213, Sales and Research 83, Operations (presentation and films) 89, Accounts 62, Press and Public Relations 21. In addition, ATV employs some 3,300 artistes each year, as well as musicians and scriptwriters.

Visits to Studios

A limited number of tickets are available for audience shows. Applications, enclosing stamped addressed envelopes, should be made to the Ticket Office Supervisor, ATV Studios, Elstree, Borehamwood, Herts. The minimum age is sixteen.

Enquiries

Enquiries about artistes and programmes should be addressed to Viewer’s Correspondence, at ATV’s London or Midlands offices.

Submission of Scripts

Material required: 60-minute plays. These should be complete dialogue script of first form. Six- or seven-part children’s serials: completed dialogue script of first episode and detailed synopses of the remainder must be submitted. Unless Associated TeleVision has knowledge or experience of the writer’s work, no other form of submission will be considered. 30-minute situation and domestic comedies and documentaries are also in demand. There is very little demand for short plays, musicals, quiz games, panel shows, short stories and talks. All submissions should be addressed to The Script Editor.

Programme Journal

TV Times publishes separate editions for the London and Midlands areas giving details of the available programmes.

Studios

ELSTREE STUDIO CENTRE, Borehamwood, Herts (Elstree 6100). This 340,000 sq. ft. development is one of the most up-to-date centres of television production, studio and technical facilities. The working floor area of the studios total 31,680 sq. ft. as follows: Studio A, 80′ × 80′; Studio B, 84′ × 80′; Studio C, 116′ × 80′; Studio D 116′ × 80′. The technical facilities directly associated with these four studios total 26,736 sq. ft. Other premises include Studio Facilities (75,790 sq. ft.), Technical Facilities (20,043 sq. ft.), Transport and Workshop Facilities (40,951 sq. ft.), Administration and Rehearsal Rooms (81,500 sq. ft.) and Restaurant (16,500 sq. ft.).

WOOD GREEN TELEVISION STUDIO, Wood Green Empire, N.22. Working floor area some 4,250 sq. ft. Particularly suitable for large-audience shows with seating for 600.

FOLEY STREET (Britallian House) London W.1, containing ATV’s Master Control centre and a small studio of 814 sq. ft. used for presentation and some discussion programmes.

ALPHA TELEVISION STUDIOS, Aston, Birmingham, are owned jointly by ATV and ABC Television Ltd. There are three studios of 3,000 sq. ft., 1,200 sq. ft. and 380 sq. ft.

Technical Development

A great deal of the equipment installed in ATV’s Studios is fully transistorised. This includes pulse and vision distributing equipment employing semi-conductors throughout, and fully transistorised sound equipment. The studios are equipped for 405, 525, and 625 line standards.

Outside Broadcasts

ATV has four mobile control rooms, each with four cameras, and an additional two-camera unit. One of these control rooms is used in conjunction with a video-recording vehicle to form the International Mobile Recording Unit.

Programmes

ATV Productions include: News and News Magazines: Midlands News; Midland Montage; On the Braden Beat. Talks, Discussions and Documentaries: The Warning Voice; Dinner Party; Midland Farming; Midland Profile; special documentaries; Meeting of Minds; Forum; Look Around the Midlands. The Arts: Sir Kenneth Clark series. Science and Natural History: Threshold; It Can Happen Tomorrow; The Wonder of Man. Religion: About Religion; Church Services; Epilogues; A Box of Birds (for children). Children: drama serials; Seeing Sport; I Am Going To Be… Schools: French from France, Ici la France, Summing It Up, Auf deutsch, Chemistry for Sixth Forms. Adult Education: Mesdames, Messieurs… Plays and Drama Series: Drama ’63; regular contributions to the Play of the Week and Television Playhouse series; Emergency Ward 10; Harpers West One; Deadline Midnight; The Plane Makers. Variety, Light Entertainment and Music: Sunday Night at the London Palladium; Bruce’s Show; Startime; Arthur Haynes Show; Hancock; The Morecambe and Wise Show; Tommy Steele Show; Roy Castle Show; A Golden Hour. Entertainment Films: many TV film series produced by or in collaboration with ATV. Sport: wide sports coverage, especially on Saturday afternoons.

London

Croydon

  • Population within predicted contours: Primary 10.52 mn, Secondary 1.72 mn, Fringe 0.67 mn. Total 12.91 mn.
  • Channel: Band III Channel 9 (vertically polarised)
  • Vision Carrier Frequency: Nominal 1974.75 Mc/s. Actual 194.75675 Mc/s
  • Sound Carrier Frequency: Nominal 191.25 Mc/s. Actual 191.266 Mc/s
  • Effective Radiated Power: Vision 400 kw. Sound 100 kw.
  • Power of Transmitters: Vision (peak white) 10 kW. Sound (carrier) 2½ kW
  • Heights above sea level: Site 375 ft. Mean aerial 825 ft.
  • Location: 0° 5′ 15″ W, 51° 24′ 35″ N.

Croydon (Channel 9)

Companies: Associated Rediffusion (weekdays), Associated TeleVision (weekends)

For the technical planner concerned with achieving national television coverage as economically as possible, London is the obvious point of departure. Within a radius of some forty miles from its heart live some twelve million people, almost one quarter of the total population of the United Kingdom. Topographically the London area presents no serious problem of propagation. It is relatively flat except for the North Downs some twenty-five miles to the south and the ridge of the Chiltern Hills some thirty miles to the west and north. Indeed, the difficulty is to find high ground close enough to the centre of London on which to construct a station. The choice rests between the 400 ft. ridges of Muswell Hill (Alexandra Palace) in North London and Sydenham (Crystal Palace) in South-East London.

Alexandra Palace was the BBC’s choice for their original Band I London station in 1935. Twenty years later, however, they were to move to a new station at Crystal Palace. In the interests of good planning the ITA decided to locate its first Band III station near this site, just a mile away on West Norwood Hill.

A suitable open space was found here for the construction of a small compact station which could be brought into operation with the least delay. The single 10 kW transmitter, the first Band III set constructed in this country, was a laboratory prototype and the aerial an experimental 8-stack omnidirectional vertically polarised array supported on a 200 ft. tower of virtually “stock” design. From this station on 22nd September 1955 the first programmes of Independent Television were transmitted. The effective radiated power was 60 kW (peak white vision), 15 kW (carrier sound). The potential population coverage was about 11 million people. After some months a second fully-engineered production 10 kW transmitter was installed as a standby. A little later, further equipment was installed to enable both sets of transmitters to be operated in parallel in order to double the station’s power.

It was realised that in due course the Croydon station must be given a higher tower and a new aerial system with directional characteristics tailored to give the optimum performance. Meanwhile, however, engineering effort was devoted to expanding the ITA network of stations to meet the fast-growing public demand for Independent Television programmes in other parts of the country. The completion of the BBC’s high tower at Crystal Palace allayed any fears that the mutual reflection of signals radiated from the two towers just a mile apart might be harmful to reception. Thus in February 1959 the Authority obtained Government approval to erect a higher tower and directional aerial at Croydon.

By the end of 1962 Croydon was transmitting from its slim new 500 ft. tower and radiating an effective power of about 400 kW directed to the north-west, with 5o to 100 kW e.r.p. in other directions, depending on the extent to which account had to be taken of the conflicting requirements of topography and co-channel interference with other ITA stations or with the television services of other countries. With its improved performance Croydon is bringing the programmes of Independent Television to a population of nearly 13 million in the London area, including some half a million viewers who have not before received any satisfactory ITV service.