12-03-2024, 09:11 AM
(12-03-2024, 08:56 AM)CCFG Wrote: Why was (and, still is) GMTV's (now known as ITV Breakfast) cut-off time 0925 on the dot? I know that Lorraine goes over that (0900 - 1000) but the TX hands over to ITV/STV at 0925.
Prior to 1983, most days ITV started at 9:30am and when TV-am launched its initial broadcasting hours were from 6-9:15am, allowing a period of up to 10 minutes for British Telecom to complete switching back to the ITV companies. When the process was automated, it was agreed that TV-am could broadcast all the way up to 9:25am then allowing a period of 5 minutes for the ITV companies to either complete a start up sequence or to put on a news bulletin. Over time the schedule has been reworked around this time.
Essentially it’s a legal thing that can’t really be changed. If you think of the two shows that dominated the 9:25am slot, Trisha and Jeremy Kyle, their start times were clearly defined and it wouldn’t have made sense to change them. Whatever the case is with Lorraine covering the 9-10am is probably more of a commercial agreement between ITV and STV. The 9:25am switch is still very much there on weekends.