TV Social Media Pres Gold - Printable Version

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Stooky Bill - 22-05-2023

That's a great clip, interesting stuff especially knowing all that has happened since.

Seems strange that there were doubts that a weekend only TV station would work, but it hadn't occurred to me that LWT was the first - before that the 3 weekend franchises all had another region to bolster their coffers

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Neil Jones - 22-05-2023

(22-05-2023, 06:15 PM)Stooky Bill Wrote:  Seems strange that there were doubts that a weekend only TV station would work, but it hadn't occurred to me that LWT was the first - before that the 3 weekend franchises all had another region to bolster their coffers

ABC was unique IIRC as it had two weekend regions and no weekday one, though it did have other non-TV interests and other sources of money, being a cinema chain in the first instance.

Of course it could all have been so different, as ABC did turn down a 7 day franchise they were offered, but later picked up the two licences that a collapsed consortium had won and left behind - and (it says here) ABC bought all the consortium's ordered production equipment at a knockdown bargain price too.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Humphrey Hacker - 30-05-2023

(22-05-2023, 10:58 PM)Neil Jones Wrote:  ABC was unique IIRC as it had two weekend regions and no weekday one, though it did have other non-TV interests and other sources of money, being a cinema chain in the first instance.

Of course it could all have been so different, as ABC did turn down a 7 day franchise they were offered, but later picked up the two licences that a collapsed consortium had won and  left behind - and (it says here) ABC bought all the consortium's ordered production equipment at a knockdown bargain price too.

I think ABC was treated poorly by the ITA in 1968. Yes I understand the predicament that ABC found themselves in due to LWT being given the London Weekend licence but considering what did happen it may have been better if ABC had closed in 1968 and had walked into history as a separate station.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Neil Jones - 30-05-2023

(30-05-2023, 07:29 PM)Humphrey Hacker Wrote:  I think ABC was treated poorly by the ITA in 1968. Yes I understand the predicament that ABC found themselves in due to LWT being given the London Weekend licence but considering what did happen it may have been better if ABC had closed in 1968 and had walked into history as a separate station.

Considering it was the ITA's suggestion that ABC and Rediffusion came together to make a new company to bid for (and ultimately win) the ITV London weekday franchise in 1968, how do you come to the conclusion the ITA treated ABC poorly? They even had the majority share in the new Thames company, albeit by a couple of percent... So yes while the ITA didn't renew their London franchise, they effectively ended up with the other one anyway!

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Humphrey Hacker - 30-05-2023

(30-05-2023, 07:47 PM)Neil Jones Wrote:  Considering it was the ITA's suggestion that ABC and Rediffusion came together to make a new company to bid for (and ultimately win) the ITV London weekday franchise in 1968, how do you come to the conclusion the ITA treated ABC poorly?  They even had the majority share in the new Thames company, albeit by a couple of percent...  So yes while the ITA didn't renew their London franchise, they effectively ended up with the other one anyway!

I just feel based on what I know about ABC it would have been an ideal London franchise for the weekend. I'm not knocking Thames here but I feel that the ITA were "spellbound' by LWT. Still hey ho.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - James2001 - 31-05-2023

Spellbound by LWT and their high brow agenda.. which flopped and they ended up becoming the purveyors of the sort of light entertainment which was meant to be the opposite of what they stood for and won them the franchise.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Humphrey Hacker - 31-05-2023

(31-05-2023, 02:05 AM)James2001 Wrote:  Spellbound by LWT and their high brow agenda.. which flopped and they ended up becoming the purveyors of the sort of light entertainment which was meant to be the opposite of what they stood for and won them the franchise.

From what I understand ATV Midlands refused point blank to take any of LWT's programming. Apparently Lew Grade simply didn't like Frost and showed Dave Allen instead of Frost on Saturday.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Neil Jones - 31-05-2023

Yeah I think it was shown ages ago that commercial TV and highbrow doesn't work, which is probably why ITV ended up with the downmarket image it did as it was a case of maximise the money for minimum outlet. David Frost was involved with the LWT project and like a lot of projects he was involved with, things went downhill pretty fast (it was the same with TV-am to an extent) after a while.

The regulator probably wanted highbrow television services. The viewing public clearly didn't and saw it more as mass light entertainment. So the companies go after that instead and what you promise the ITA goes floating out the window replaced with the bare minimum you can get away with.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - Humphrey Hacker - 31-05-2023

(31-05-2023, 08:23 AM)Neil Jones Wrote:  Yeah I think it was shown ages ago that commercial TV and highbrow doesn't work, which is probably why ITV ended up with the downmarket image it did as it was a case of maximise the money for minimum outlet.  David Frost was involved with the LWT project and like a lot of projects he was involved with, things went downhill pretty fast (it was the same with TV-am to an extent) after a while.

The regulator probably wanted highbrow television services.  The viewing public clearly didn't and saw it more as mass light entertainment.  So the companies go after that instead and what you promise the ITA goes floating out the window replaced with the bare minimum you can get away with.

I suppose it's down to the demographics. After a hard week at work people just want to sit down and watch something light hearted and entertaining not be subjected to x hours of opera in a foreign language.

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RE: TV Social Media Pres Gold - James2001 - 31-05-2023

Elitist attitude of thinking the proles need to be subjected to culture, probably.

Then within a few months they're making On The Buses...

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