Mounteagle Archives - ITV 1963 | Transdiffusion presentation

North-East Scotland

itv1963part3 13 — Grampian’s popular series “Calum’s Ceilidh”

Grampian Television is the company which, under agreement with the Independent Television Authority, provides the television programmes in North-East Scotland during the whole week.

Queen’s Cross, Aberdeen.
ABERDEEN 53553
Nuffield House, 41 Piccadilly, London W.1.
REGend 7090


    ITA    Channel   Vision     Sound    Opening Date   Population ITA Homes
Transmitter        Frequency  Frequency                    000's      000's
                      Mc/s       Mc/s
Durris          9    194.75675  191.266  30th Sept 1961   }
                                                          } 1,416      145
Mounteagle     12    209.75     206.25   30th Sept 1961   }

Directors

Sir Alexander B King, CBE, LL.D, DL, JP (Chairman); Captain Iain M Tennant, DL, JP (Deputy Chairman); GE Ward Thomas, DFC (Managing); The Dowager Viscountess Colville of Culross, OBE; The Lord Forbes, KBE, DL, JP; Rt Hon Thomas Johnston, PC, CH, LL.D, FEIS; John N Milne, MA, LL.B, B.COM, LL.D; Edward O’Donnell, BL; Hon Angus Ogilvy, MA (Oxon); Neil Paterson, MA; Major Michael Crichton Stuart, MC, DL, JP; David L Urquhart, CA JP; Robert Wotherspoon, JP.

Officers

James Buchan (Production Controller); Alex Mair (Company Secretary); Brian Davies (Chief Engineer); RM Edie (Scottish Sales Manager); K Bellini (Head of Presentation); Iain Macdonald (Press and Public Relations Officer); HC Hemus (London Sales Manager).

Religious Adviser

George TH Reid, MC, BD.

School Liaison Officer

Iain Macdonald.

Staff

Total members of staff: 142 (Aberdeen 117; London 25).

Studio Visits

A limited number of visits to the Aberdeen studios can be arranged for individuals and parties not exceeding 30 in number. Applications should be made to The Public Relations Officer, Grampian Television, Queen’s Cross, Aberdeen.

Enquiries

Enquiries about artistes and programmes should be made to The Public Relations Officer, Grampian Television, Queen’s Cross, Aberdeen.

Programme Journal

TV Times publishes a special edition for the Grampian viewing-area and has a local correspondent based at the Aberdeen studios.

Awards made by the Company

Silver cuach (cup) for competition at annual National Gaelic Mod (Gaelic Festival); silver Shinty trophy to be competed for in special Highland championship series; “Top Town” silver trophy – to be competed for by amateur music and drama groups in Grampian’s area; motoring trophy to be competed for by the Highland Car and Motor Cycle Club; Grampian Golf Trophy to be competed for annually by amateur golfers throughout the Gramian area. Special awards in connection with National Productivity Year (1963) to outstanding industrial apprentices and management trainees in the Grampian area.

Studios

Grampian’s Aberdeen studios occupy an area of 40,599 sq. ft.; they were the first to be built in Scotland specially for television and are regarded as the finest of their size in Britain. The building combines traditional Aberdeen granite construction with ultra-modern functional design. There are two main studios in the building, one of 1,100 sq. ft. and another of 600 sq. ft. These are divided by a “sound lock” which can be adjusted so that both studios can be used simultaneously for the same production. The control-rooms incorporate three Vidicon camera channels and comprehensive sound-mixing facilities. The building also houses extensive administrative offices, workshops, dressing-rooms, a restaurant and covered-in car park.

Videotape Recording

A multi-standard videotape recorder is used to record most locally produced programmes.

Programmes

Grampian’s programming caters for an audience which – although exclusively Scottish – divides into several distinct economic, ethnic and cultural groups with vividly contrasting tastes and traditions. The main division is that between the Lowland (Nordic) and Highland (Gaelic). In addition to presenting the best of the networked items, Grampian produce in their own studios the following programmes: News and News Magazines: Grampian News (nightly, Monday to Friday), a local newscast and news-reel; Grampian Week (weekly), a topical news-magazine covering the entire Grampian area; Country Focus (weekly), a special news-magazine for the farming and rural community; Sportscope (weekly), a local and topical sports magazine. Discussions: Points North (weekly), general and specialised subjects discussed by selected panels; Scotland ’63 (monthly), investigations into various aspects of the Scottish economy by teams of specialists; View-Finder (weekly), interviews with famous people, especially Scots. Light Entertainment: Calum’s Ceilidh (weekly), a musical series featuring the songs and dances of the Scottish Highlands and starring the well-known Gaelic singer Calum Kennedy; Bothy Nichts and Ingle Neuk (weekly), “fireside” series featuring the traditional music and folklore of the Nor’-East Lowlands; Pick o’ the North (weekly), a contest series aimed at discovering and presenting the best of local talent; Top Team (weekly), presenting prize-winning music and drama groups from the Grampian area; Come Aboard! (weekly), a series based on sailors’ songs and dances; Sounds New (weekly), a programme of novel musical arrangements; A’ the Airts (weekly), a quiz-programme (cash prizes up to £500) based on contestants’ knowledge of Scottish history, geography, art and traditions. Religious: Evening Worship (nightly); Studio Service (fortnightly).

DURRIS
Population within measured contours: Primary 0.403 mn, Secondary 0.566 mn, Fringe 0.304 mn. Total 1.273 mn.
Channel: Band III Channel 9 (horizontally polarised)
Vision Carrier Frequency: Nominal 194.75 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 maximum. Sound 100 kw maximum.
Power of Transmitters: Vision (peak white) 2 x 4 kW. Sound (carrier) 2 x 1 kW
Heights above sea level: Site 1,050 ft. Mean aerial 2,000 ft.
Location: 2° 23′ 22″ W, 57° 0′ 0″ N.

MOUNTEAGLE
Population within measured contours: Primary 0.096 mn, Secondary 0.042 mn, Fringe 0.005 mn. Total 0.143 mn.
Channel: Band III Channel 12 (horizontally polarised)
Vision Carrier Frequency: Actual 209.75 Mc/s
Sound Carrier Frequency: Actual 206.25 Mc/s
Effective Radiated Power: Vision 50 kw maximum. Sound 12.5 kw maximum.
Power of Transmitters: Vision (peak white) 2 kW. Sound (carrier) 0.5 kW
Heights above sea level: Site 730 ft. Mean aerial 1,480 ft.
Location: 4° 16′ 33″ W, 57° 53′ 33″ N.

Durris (Channel 9) and Mounteagle (Channel 12)

Company: Grampian Television

Two stations were necessary to cover North-East Scotland, one of medium power to serve the Inverness area and another of high power to cover Aberdeenshire and as much of Angus as possible. The main problem was to find the best site for the high-power station, which was not necessarily that of the existing BBC Band I station at Meldrum, north-west of Aberdeen.

For the Inverness area, a site was found at Mounteagle 730 ft. above sea level, on the Black Isle, about eight miles north of Inverness and close to the Band I station at Rosemarkie. An 800 ft. mast was used, and the maximum power of 5o kW was radiated in two directions, slightly east of north and east of south respectively. 35 kW is radiated in the direction of Lossiemouth eastwards along the Morayshire coast. Only 10 kW is radiated to the west, over the uninhabited mountainous areas of Ross and Cromarty.

Choosing the site for the high-power station to serve Aberdeen/Angus was more difficult because it was decided to try to cover the whole coastal area from Peterhead on the Moray Firth in the north to Arbroath on the Firth of Tay in the south, a distance of some 100 miles, and to include those parts of Dundee which did not receive a satisfactory service from Black Hill. A site at Durris, 1,o5o ft. above sea level, exposed, difficult of access and some 15 miles South of Aberdeen was selected. A 1,ooo ft. mast was used. Once again this choice involved a departure from the principle of adjacent siting with existing Band I stations.

The Durris station beams its power in two main lobes, each of 400 kW, one directed to the north and the other to the south-west, towards Dundee. Both stations went into service on 30th September 1961, and together cover satisfactorily the large area they were planned to serve.