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Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, and one of the " Big Four" companies that between them produced the majority of ITV networked programmes during this period. Rediffusion lost its franchise in 1968, but merged with another franchisee to form Thames Television, which continued to hold the London weekday franchise for another 24 years. History Formation Associated-Rediffusion Television was originally a partnership between British Electric Traction (BET), its subsidiary Broadcast Relay Services Ltd. (trading as Rediffusion), and Associated Newspapers, owner of the ''Daily Mail'', which had been interested in commercial broadcasting as early as the 1920s. In the aftermath of the heavy financial losses made by the new ITV system in its initial years, Associated Newspapers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rediffusion
Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commercial television) franchisee to go on air in the UK. Rediffusion also spawned a record label, Rediffusion International Music, in 1968 (which was also responsible for the short-lived Koala label). Redifon was the name used, until 1981, for companies in the capital goods businesses of Rediffusion, namely Redifon Computers, Redifon Flight Simulation and Redifon Telecommunications. Early history Rediffusion was the trading name of Broadcast Relay Service Ltd, founded in March 1928 by Joshua Powell (9 May 1871 – October 1946). In 1929, the company introduced its first cable radio service in Hull to customers frustrated with the difficulties of tuning in weak radio broadcasts. In the customer premises, nothing more than a selector switch and l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of ITV
The history of ITV, the United Kingdom " Independent Television" commercial network, goes back to 1955. Independent Television began as a network of independently-owned regional companies that were both broadcasters and programme makers, beginning with four companies operating six stations in three large regions in 1955–1956, and gradually expanding to 17 stations in 14 regions by 1962. Each regional station was responsible for its own branding, scheduling and advertising, with many peak-time programmes shared simultaneously across the whole network. By 29 February 2016, 12 regions in England and Wales shared national ITV branding and scheduling, and, together with a 13th region UTV in Northern Ireland, were owned by a single company, ITV plc. A further two regions in Scotland carry STV branding and are owned by the STV Group. 1955–1964 Formation The Independent Television network came about as a result of the Television Act 1954, which paved the way for the establishme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Television House
Television House is the former name of a building on Kingsway in London. From 1918, it was the base of the Air Ministry, and later from 1955, was the headquarters of Associated-Rediffusion/Rediffusion London, Independent Television News (ITN), ''TV Times'' magazine, the Independent Television Companies Association and, at first, Associated Television. Later, It was the initial base for its successor, Thames Television. After Thames moved out, it was the headquarters of the General Register Office and subsequently of ExxonMobil. It is now known as 61 Aldwych. History Adastral House The Kingsway area had been redeveloped at the start of the 20th century from slums and tenement housing into a broad avenue with grand office buildings and expensive townhouses. After the formation of the Air Ministry in 1918, its headquarters was on Kingsway; one of two identical buildings opposite Bush House became Adastral House, the name being derived from the RAF motto. This remained the home of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broadcast from 9:25 Monday morning to 5:15 Friday afternoon (7:00 Friday night until 1982) at which time it would hand over to London Weekend Television (LWT). Formed as a joint company, it merged the television interests of British Electric Traction (trading as Associated-Rediffusion) owning 49%, and Associated British Picture Corporation—soon taken over by EMI—owning 51%. Like all ITV franchisees, it was a broadcaster, a producer and a commissioner of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered and, as one of the History of ITV#The Big Four and Big Five, "Big Five" ITV companies, for networking nationally across the ITV regions. After its loss of franchise i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Brownrigg
Captain Thomas Marcus Brownrigg CBE DSO RN (Retired) (8 July 1902 – 9 October 1967) was a British Royal Navy officer before and during World War II who later became the first General Manager of Bracknell New Town Development Corporation before becoming the first General Manager of Europe's first commercial television station, Associated-Rediffusion. Naval career Brownrigg began his naval career as a midshipman in 1919. He progressed through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant in 1923 and a captain in 1942. He saw service on numerous ships, including pre-war stints on the flotilla leader HMS ''Montrose'', the aircraft carrier , and the light cruiser HMS ''Cairo''.Houterman, Hans and Koppes, JeroeUnithistories.com Netherlands (undated), Retrieved 27 November 2008. World War II During the Second World War, Brownrigg served on the battleship HMS ''Warspite'' as Navigating Officer before taking a staff position under Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham in the planning department of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fountain Studios
Fountain Studios was an independently owned television studio in Wembley Park, northwest London. The company was last part of the Avesco Group plc. Several companies owned the site before it was bought by Fountain in 1993. Originally a film studio complex, it was formerly the base for the ITV contractors Rediffusion from 1955 to 1968, and London Weekend Television from 1968 to 1972. More recently, the studios were best known for being the venue for the live stages of ITV shows ''The X Factor'' and ''Britain's Got Talent''. The last show to be broadcast live (and recorded) at the studios was ''The X Factor'' on 4 December 2016, after which the studio was closed, and the site sold to property developer Quintain. History In 1927, Ralph J. Pugh and Rupert Mason founded British Incorporated Pictures with the intention of creating an American-style studio complex in the former British Empire Exhibition's Palace of Engineering. They bought a lease at Wembley in June 1927, though i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Croydon Transmitting Station
The Croydon transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on Beaulieu Heights in Upper Norwood, London, England (), in the London Borough of Croydon, owned by Arqiva. It was established in 1955 and initially used a small lattice tower. The present tower is high and was built in 1962. It was originally used to broadcast the London ITV signal on VHF Band III. When UHF broadcasting began, the nearby Crystal Palace transmitting station was used. VHF television was discontinued in 1985, and the Croydon transmitter was not used for regular TV broadcasting until 1997, when a new directional UHF antenna, designed to avoid interference with continental transmitters, was installed to carry the newly launched Channel 5 in the London area. It carried Channel 5's analogue signal, and the digital terrestrial signal is transmitted from Crystal Palace. Croydon also had reserve transmitters for BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4, but these were used only in the event o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial. History Early history Tramway services The company was founded in 1895 as British Electric Traction Company Ltd, with Sir Charles Rivers Wilson as chairman and Emile Garcke as managing director. It was involved in the electrification of tramways in British towns and cities, and also in Australia and New Zealand, for example in Auckland. From operating trams, BET moved on to manufacturing them with the purchase of Brush Electrical Engineering Company in 1901. The BET became the largest of the private owners of tramways in the British Isles. During its history, it gained control in England of the Metropolitan Electric and South Metropolitan systems in London, as well as systems in Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Birmingham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marjie Lawrence
Marjie Lawrence (21 January 1932 – 16 June 2010) was an English theatre, film and television actress. She spoke the first words uttered on ITV. Early life Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Marjie undertook weekend acting classes from aged 12 at the Birmingham Theatre School. After completing her schooling, she was accepted to be trained at the Birmingham School of Speech & Drama on a three-year under graduate course. Career On graduating, she undertook work with George Dare's touring company in Norfolk, learning and acting in 36 plays over eight weeks. After the company returned to Bacton, she left the company with another actress and started working at the local sanitorium to earn enough money to afford the train fare to London. After leaving the hospital on finding out that most of the staff had TB, her former landlady introduced her to Lady Rawlinson wife of Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 4th Baronet at North Walsham, who employed her as a cook. Unable to cook, Marjie stay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Mitchell (broadcaster)
Leslie Scott Falconer Mitchell (4 October 1905 – 23 November 1985) was a British announcer who was heard on newsreel soundtracks, radio and television. He was the first voice heard on BBC Television at its inception on 2 November 1936, and also made the first announcement on Associated-Rediffusion, the first ITV company, on 22 September 1955. His voice was perhaps most recognised, however, from his long association with British Movietone News, for whose newsreels he commentated during the Second World War and for many years afterwards. Early life Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mitchell's parents separated while he was a child. He was brought up by the novelist W. J. Locke and his wife, after his own mother went to America during the early years of the First World War and was unable to return. Mitchell was educated at the King's School, Canterbury. Later, he was prevented from joining the Royal Navy by ill health, which also prevented him from serving in the Second World War. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Independent Television Authority
The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" (ITV (TV network), ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. The ITA existed from 1954 until 1972. It was responsible for determining the location, constructing, building, and operating the transmission stations used by the ITV network, as well as determining the exclusive franchise areas and awarding the franchises for each regional commercial broadcasting, broadcaster. The Authority began its operations on 4 August 1954, a mere four days after the Television Act received Royal Assent, under the Chairmanship of Sir Kenneth Clark. The Authority's first Director General, Robert Fraser (ITV), Sir Robert Fraser was appointed by Clark a month later on 14 September. The physics of Very high frequency, VHF broadcasting meant that a comparatively small number of transmitters could cover the majority of the population ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boris Ford
Richard Boris Ford (1 July 1917, in Simla, India – 19 May 1998, in London, England), was a literary critic, writer, editor and educationist. Early life The son of an Indian Army officer, Brigadier Geoffrey Noel Ford, and his Russian wife Ekaterina,MacKillop, Ian"Ford, (Richard) Boris (1917–1998)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, vol. 20, 2004: pp. 317–18; online edition, accessed 14 July 2014 Ford was a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, eventually becoming head chorister under Boris Ord. He was then educated at Gresham's School, and through his English master there, Denys Thompson, was introduced to F.R. Leavis under whom he studied at Downing College, Cambridge. Even before graduating, Ford's essay on ''Wuthering Heights'' was published by Leavis in ''Scrutiny'' in March 1939. Although he came to share many of Leavis's ideas, Ford could not follow Leavis in making "exclusion and exclusivity major features of eavis'scritical polic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
