BBC/ITV South West/Channel Islands News

Tipped off last night about this website, launched to mark the forthcoming centenary of 5PY, the first BBC transmitting station in Plymouth (which happens to be this Thursday - perhaps worthy of a piece on Spotlight?)

5pyheritage.com 

No exaggeration - it is a goldmine. Lots of archive material, background info and insight - especially concerning BBC SW but not forgetting the contribution of Westward, TSW and even, Channel.

There's even a separate page looking at the Channel Islands - including how Channel ended up playing host to an edition of Spotlight (the garage studio at Fremont was probably a bit too basic for the job)

5pyheritage.com 

Excellent resource and well worth your time.
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Well, that is one hell of a website! Particularly like the info about how the Breakfast opts were controlled from a button on the chair. I hadn't realised quite how poor the Fremont Point self op facility was, I was expecting something similar to the kit Peter Levy and co used.
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(26-03-2024, 08:29 PM)Steve in Pudsey Wrote:  I hadn't realised quite how poor the Fremont Point self op facility was, I was expecting something similar to the kit Peter Levy and co used.

Presumably they never felt anything beyond basic level was needed with just a two-minute opt after the Nine.

I wonder if they maintained links with Channel as a contingency after the Saint Malo incident? Seemed to work pretty well here given the circumstances.

I think they upgraded the Fremont setup around the time the Ten was launched?
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(26-03-2024, 11:22 AM)lookoutwales Wrote:  Tipped off last night about this website, launched to mark the forthcoming centenary of 5PY, the first BBC transmitting station in Plymouth (which happens to be this Thursday - perhaps worthy of a piece on Spotlight?)

5pyheritage.com 

No exaggeration - it is a goldmine. Lots of archive material, background info and insight - especially concerning BBC SW but not forgetting the contribution of Westward, TSW and even, Channel.
Yes, am amazing site. So much detail and inside information, I wonder who is behind it

Quote:There's even a separate page looking at the Channel Islands - including how Channel ended up playing host to an edition of Spotlight (the garage studio at Fremont was probably a bit too basic for the job)
As it says in the article the reason they had to use Channel's facilities was because of the connectivity back to the UK. The circuit was from Channel TV to allow them to contribute to ITV. The output of the 'studio' at Fremont Point just went directly into the transmitter hall next door. To use that would still have required some way to get the video to Channel TV

To be honest I was surprised that there was a circuit in that direction in 1995, and as it was a result of Channel 4's distribution it presumably had been there since 1992. When Channel TV went onto satellite in the early 2000s it was done initially by a satellite link back to the UK. The BBC didn't get a way of getting video from the CIs until fairly recently via IP. The TV opt out from BBC Jersey had a low resolution video link back to Plymouth for monitoring purposes

The shot of the Jersey studio on the end of the national news is done via IP whereas the rest are done with traditional baseband video
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(26-03-2024, 10:27 PM)Stooky Bill Wrote:  Yes, am amazing site. So much detail and inside information, I wonder who is behind it

Andy White, who was a technical operator with BBC South West until fairly recently (according to this Plymouth Herald article)

www.plymouthherald.co.uk 

Archive material was provided by Tony Byers (a long serving BBC journalist), along with the late Joe Pengelly (who was a freelance continuity announcer and newsreader) and the late John Tainton, the first editor of South West at Six and Spotlight.

One of the really historic finds is Tainton presenting an early pilot - with the working title of 'Six to Six Twenty' - before the BBC extended its regional news bulletins to 20 minutes in 1962. Peter Crampton (Bob's dad) went onto become anchor - with Sheila Tracy deputising.
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(26-03-2024, 10:23 PM)lookoutwales Wrote:  I wonder if they maintained links with Channel as a contingency after the Saint Malo incident? Seemed to work pretty well here given the circumstances.

I know from my short time at Spotlight in 1997 there were still some links with Channel back then and I think (I might be wrong) Spotlight even sent bits of an old set out for Channel to use.

Some great archive on the site and YouTube videos. Brought back lots of memories for me growing up in Devon... the likes of Chris Denham, Fern Britton, Jill Dando, Craig Rich and even Valerie Sanderson.

And then getting to work with Russell and Theresa and actually using the Plymouth pres studio to do Breakfast bulletins and a highlight for me doing BBC Two continuity in the days when regional progs were shown (I got to say is BBC Two South West).
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