With more channels to choose from, digital television is increasingly putting pressure on the ITV network's ratings and advertising revenues. This has led a number of requests by franchisees to reduce the networks public service commitments.[citation needed] For example, most recently, ITV has shown interest in reducing its children's output.[citation needed] Critics of the broadcaster have also pointed to the reduction in commitment to regional programming and presentation.[citation needed]
Perhaps the most controversial change was the scrapping of the flagship late evening news programme, News at Ten in 1999, replacing it with a later, irregular scheduled and shorter news bulletin. ITV argued that the move would enable it to make the evening schedule more diverse and flexible, allowing them to show feature length films without a news break. News at Ten was brought back in January 2008, With just 3.8 million viewers compared to 4.9 million viewers who watched the BBC News at Ten.
Such actions on the part of ITV together with a move to more populist programming has led to many commentators to accuse ITV of 'dumbing down'.[citation needed] In its defence, ITV does continue to show its major strengths in the fields of sports coverage and drama productions, and the production of 'high-brow' programming such as The South Bank Show has continued. However its long-standing commitment to strong current affairs programming has diminished with the ending of productions such as World in Action (Granada), This Week (Rediffusion/Thames), First Tuesday (Yorkshire Television) and Weekend World (LWT) and their replacement with populist shows such as Tonight.
The threat to "Channel 3" advertising revenues has also led franchisees to increasingly diversify their businesses. Most notably, ITV plc owns five additional digital-only television channels, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CITV Channel and Men & Motors and also time-shift channels of ITV2 and 3. This diversification has also led to numerous notable failures such as ITV Digital in 2002, which was owned by ITV plc's predecessors Carlton and Granada.
Monday 22 September 2008
ITV and the texts it produces
For over 50 years of Independent Television, the homegrown programmes have become the best loved and remembered as well as being extremely successful. Before the 1990s, nearly all of the content for the channel was produced by the fifteen franchise licensees: the regional companies.
However, in the last decade, and following legislation in the Broadcasting Act 1990 imposing a 25% quota for commissioning of independent productions, the number of programmes from independent production companies not connected to the traditional ITV Network, has increased rapidly. Notable examples include talkbackTHAMES (one half of which - Thames Television - was itself a former ITV franchisee), producers of The Bill and co-producers of The X Factor, and 2waytraffic, (previously Celador), producers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Increasingly ITV's primetime schedules are dominated by its soap operas, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and popular cop drama The Bill (produced by TalkbackThames). At the start of the 21st century, Independent Television faced criticism for including a large amount of 'reality TV' programs in the schedule, such as Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Wrestling.
Since then, ITV has struggled to regain viewers' trust, as inexpensive programming has not paid dividends. ITV plc have been working to restore this, as the major provider of programming.
[edit] News
[edit] National and International
Since the network started Independent Television News Limited has held the contract to produce news for the ITV Network. News bulletins are broadcast at 5:30am, 1:30pm, 6:30pm, and 10:00pm.
[edit] Regional
The regional ITV companies provide local programmes tailored for the regional audiences. All the ITV companies provide a main local bulletin at 6pm (preceded in the UTV and STV regions by a more features-based programme at 5:30pm), as well as other local features and sport programming.
[edit] Sport
ITV covers many popular sports. The channel emphasises coverage of football (it holds the UK terrestrial rights to the UEFA Champions League). The channel shares coverage of international football events such as the World Cup with the BBC. It also covers Formula 1 racing and other motorsport, rugby, and other sports. The channel won the rights to broadcast The Boat Race in 2004.
On 30 March 2007 The Football Association confirmed that it had agreed a new four-year £425m television deal for ITV and Setanta Sports to show FA Cup and England international matches. This represents a 42% increase on the existing deal with the BBC and BSkyB.
[edit] Children's
The network broadcasts children's programming under the CITV (Children's ITV) strand. Children's programming is broadcast across the network on weekend mornings. Children's programmes were removed from the ITV line-up in 2006,a move which was challenged by Ofcom in April 2006.[citation needed] In 2006, ITV plc launched their own Children's channel under the CITV brand.
However, in the last decade, and following legislation in the Broadcasting Act 1990 imposing a 25% quota for commissioning of independent productions, the number of programmes from independent production companies not connected to the traditional ITV Network, has increased rapidly. Notable examples include talkbackTHAMES (one half of which - Thames Television - was itself a former ITV franchisee), producers of The Bill and co-producers of The X Factor, and 2waytraffic, (previously Celador), producers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Increasingly ITV's primetime schedules are dominated by its soap operas, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and popular cop drama The Bill (produced by TalkbackThames). At the start of the 21st century, Independent Television faced criticism for including a large amount of 'reality TV' programs in the schedule, such as Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Wrestling.
Since then, ITV has struggled to regain viewers' trust, as inexpensive programming has not paid dividends. ITV plc have been working to restore this, as the major provider of programming.
[edit] News
[edit] National and International
Since the network started Independent Television News Limited has held the contract to produce news for the ITV Network. News bulletins are broadcast at 5:30am, 1:30pm, 6:30pm, and 10:00pm.
[edit] Regional
The regional ITV companies provide local programmes tailored for the regional audiences. All the ITV companies provide a main local bulletin at 6pm (preceded in the UTV and STV regions by a more features-based programme at 5:30pm), as well as other local features and sport programming.
[edit] Sport
ITV covers many popular sports. The channel emphasises coverage of football (it holds the UK terrestrial rights to the UEFA Champions League). The channel shares coverage of international football events such as the World Cup with the BBC. It also covers Formula 1 racing and other motorsport, rugby, and other sports. The channel won the rights to broadcast The Boat Race in 2004.
On 30 March 2007 The Football Association confirmed that it had agreed a new four-year £425m television deal for ITV and Setanta Sports to show FA Cup and England international matches. This represents a 42% increase on the existing deal with the BBC and BSkyB.
[edit] Children's
The network broadcasts children's programming under the CITV (Children's ITV) strand. Children's programming is broadcast across the network on weekend mornings. Children's programmes were removed from the ITV line-up in 2006,a move which was challenged by Ofcom in April 2006.[citation needed] In 2006, ITV plc launched their own Children's channel under the CITV brand.
ITV1 and its History
Independent Television was created following the Television Act 1954. The Independent Television Authority was set up to control and review the network. In the three main areas – London, the Midlands and the North of England – ITV was launched in September 1955, February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. The shape of the ITV Network and the course it has taken down the years has largely been controlled by regular refranchising rounds which occurred in 1964, 1968, 1974, 1982, and 1993. These rounds saw regions and franchise areas reshaped and franchise holders changed. Additionally, since the Broadcasting Act 1990 the consolidation of ITV companies has also had an important bearing on the direction of the network.
ITV1's owners and its organistaions involved
Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting Act 1990, its legal name has been Channel 3, the number 3 having no real meaning other than to distinguish it from BBC One, BBC Two and Channel 4 - prior to this, the network had no legal overall name. In part, 3 was assigned as televisions would usually be tuned so that the regional ITV station would be on the third button, the other stations being allocated to that of the number their name contained.
ITV is to be distinguished from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004 and which owns all of the Channel 3 broadcasting licences in England, Wales, the Scottish/English Border and the Isle of Man. Similarly ITV1 is the brand used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas.
Unlike practically all other TV channels in the United Kingdom, ITV is not owned by one single company, although it has come close in recent years. Ofcom licences fifteen companies to provide regional Channel 3 services in various areas of the UK, with a separate franchise for the national breakfast service between 6:00am and 9:25am, and two franchises for London, for a weekday service and a weekend service. The licences were last put out to full tender in 1991, since then they have been renewed on a rolling basis.
In addition to ITV plc as mentioned above, central and northern Scotland are served by STV Group plc, the owner of the two franchises completely within Scotland, (branded as STV), Northern Ireland is served by UTV, under that name, whilst the Channel Islands are served by Channel Television, Ltd., also under the name ITV1. In the Republic of Ireland ITV plc formerly had a 45% share in the television station TV3, which shows many ITV shows such as The X Factor and Hells Kitchen. This was sold in 2007, but the programming supply agreement continues. UTV is also available in the vast majority of homes in the country in any case.
Additionally, Channel 3 has since 1983 included a national breakfast franchise, currently held by GMTV, and has a national contractual teletext provider.
ITV is to be distinguished from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004 and which owns all of the Channel 3 broadcasting licences in England, Wales, the Scottish/English Border and the Isle of Man. Similarly ITV1 is the brand used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas.
Unlike practically all other TV channels in the United Kingdom, ITV is not owned by one single company, although it has come close in recent years. Ofcom licences fifteen companies to provide regional Channel 3 services in various areas of the UK, with a separate franchise for the national breakfast service between 6:00am and 9:25am, and two franchises for London, for a weekday service and a weekend service. The licences were last put out to full tender in 1991, since then they have been renewed on a rolling basis.
In addition to ITV plc as mentioned above, central and northern Scotland are served by STV Group plc, the owner of the two franchises completely within Scotland, (branded as STV), Northern Ireland is served by UTV, under that name, whilst the Channel Islands are served by Channel Television, Ltd., also under the name ITV1. In the Republic of Ireland ITV plc formerly had a 45% share in the television station TV3, which shows many ITV shows such as The X Factor and Hells Kitchen. This was sold in 2007, but the programming supply agreement continues. UTV is also available in the vast majority of homes in the country in any case.
Additionally, Channel 3 has since 1983 included a national breakfast franchise, currently held by GMTV, and has a national contractual teletext provider.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Who is peter powell?
Peter Powell (born Peter James Barnard-Powell in Birmingham, 24 March 1951) was a popular BBC Radio 1 disc jockey in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Powell began his broadcasting career as the first voice on air when BBC Radio Birmingham launched in 1970, and then had a brief spell on Radio 1 in 1972.He then went to Radio Luxembourg before rejoining Radio 1 in 1977. Almost immediately after his arrival at the station he made his debut as a Top of the Pops presenter, joining his Radio 1 colleagues on the roster.
Powell began as a weekend presenter, presenting a Sunday Morning show from 10am-1pm, before moving to Saturday mornings in October 1978 again from 10am-1pm.In 1980 he took over the weekday afternoon show from 3.30-5.30pm, before taking over the weekday teatime slot in 1981 from 5-7pm. The show went out from 4.30-7pm in 1982.
His best remembered feature is 5 45s at 5.45, in which he would (obviously) play 5 new singles at 5.45 pm, but he also featured the Record Race, in which listeners had to identify songs purely from their intros, and every Tuesday he would run through the new singles chart which had been revealed at lunchtime - the first chance many young listeners got to hear the new Top 40. He also featured the album chart on Wednesday evenings.
A lesser-known fact about Powell's career is that Pete Tong - now one of Radio 1's longest-serving DJs - made his first appearance on the network on Powell's show in the early 1980s, presenting a dance music feature. Powell was an early champion of a number of hugely successful mainstream 1980s acts, including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club.
From 1984 until his departure from the station on 25 September 1988 Powell presented the weekend breakfast show from 8-10am. Throughout his 11-year stint at Radio 1 he became strongly associated with the Radio 1 Roadshow, which he presented each summer, and other outside broadcasts. He was also known for hosting the TV coverage of the annual Montreux Rock Festival and for his high-profile relationship with fellow Radio 1 DJ Janice Long.
Powell began his broadcasting career as the first voice on air when BBC Radio Birmingham launched in 1970, and then had a brief spell on Radio 1 in 1972.He then went to Radio Luxembourg before rejoining Radio 1 in 1977. Almost immediately after his arrival at the station he made his debut as a Top of the Pops presenter, joining his Radio 1 colleagues on the roster.
Powell began as a weekend presenter, presenting a Sunday Morning show from 10am-1pm, before moving to Saturday mornings in October 1978 again from 10am-1pm.In 1980 he took over the weekday afternoon show from 3.30-5.30pm, before taking over the weekday teatime slot in 1981 from 5-7pm. The show went out from 4.30-7pm in 1982.
His best remembered feature is 5 45s at 5.45, in which he would (obviously) play 5 new singles at 5.45 pm, but he also featured the Record Race, in which listeners had to identify songs purely from their intros, and every Tuesday he would run through the new singles chart which had been revealed at lunchtime - the first chance many young listeners got to hear the new Top 40. He also featured the album chart on Wednesday evenings.
A lesser-known fact about Powell's career is that Pete Tong - now one of Radio 1's longest-serving DJs - made his first appearance on the network on Powell's show in the early 1980s, presenting a dance music feature. Powell was an early champion of a number of hugely successful mainstream 1980s acts, including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club.
From 1984 until his departure from the station on 25 September 1988 Powell presented the weekend breakfast show from 8-10am. Throughout his 11-year stint at Radio 1 he became strongly associated with the Radio 1 Roadshow, which he presented each summer, and other outside broadcasts. He was also known for hosting the TV coverage of the annual Montreux Rock Festival and for his high-profile relationship with fellow Radio 1 DJ Janice Long.
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