Source: The Times – 29th December 1980.
Two long established commercial television companies, Southern and Westward, lost their contracts yesterday when the Independent Broadcasting Authority announced the regional franchises, to run from January 1982 until 1990, and the launching of breakfast television in 1983.
The new companies are TVS (South and South East Communications) and TSW (Television South West). The breakfast contract goes to TV-AM, chaired by Mr Peter Jay, former ambassador in Washington. The rest of the companies will continue, but Yorkshire TV and Tyne Tees will no longer be controlled by Trident, their holding company based in London. The authority ruled that the two should be owned and managed separately and wants firm proposals on that change by February.
In the East and West Midlands, the new split area, ATV must restructure the company and reduce the shareholding of its parent body to 51 per cent by February or the IBA will offer the contract to another applicant.
Lady Plowden, chairman of the IBA, who retires on Wednesday, made a 30-minute statement outlining the authority’s reasons for its choice of companies.
The authority, she said, had to have regard for the effective launching in late 1982 of the fourth television channel and for the impact that would have on company revenues.
The effect of breakfast television on independent local radio, whose appeal was at its strongest in the early morning, was another consideration.
“While every company was prepared to make a start in early 1982, there is no doubt that some advantage will come from a delayed start, enabling better preparations to be made”, she said. Despite the unquestioned strengths of Independent TV News the eventual decision was that TV-AM offered the highest promise.
Television South West was set up in 1976 and its advisory boards on the arts, agriculture and fisheries, education, industry, politics and religion have more than 100 members.
It will have on its main board six practising television professionals and its chairman is Mr Brian Bailey, chairman of the South Western Regional Health Authority. Most of the present investors live within the region.
Lord Boston of Faversham, chairman of TVS, said the company aimed “to make Television South the local station of every town and village from the Thames and the Medway to the Hamble”. The company’s news and current affairs will serve, independently, the two areas of the new dual region.
Under the chairmanship of Baroness Sharples, TVS is setting up a £100,000 charitable trust for the arts and sciences, recreational and other community projects.
The awards are as follows:-
- The Borders: Border Television, an unopposed appplication.
- Central Scotland: Scottish TV, the existing contractor.
- Channel Islands: Channel TV, an unopposed application by the existing contractor.
- East of England: Anglia TV, but the company will be required to secure wider geographical representation among board members to reflect the changing nature of its region.
- London: Weekday programmes, Thames TV, but the IBA will discuss with the company the possibility of the public buying shares in Thames; at the weekend, London Weekend TV, but the company is required to consult with the IBA on possible board changes.
- Midlands (East and West): ATV Midlands, but with a new structure and under conditions laid down by the IBA. They are that the Associated Communications Corporation, the parent company, should hold only 51 per cent of the company capital; the role of chairman should be seperate from that of managing director, with only one of the two posts occupied by an ACC nominee; and that preference be given to local people and companies in share allocation. The company must also seek a new name to indicate the dual nature of the region.
- North Scotland: Grampian TV, an unopposed application, but the IBA will seek improvements in services to outlying parts.
- North-east England: Tyne Tees, but radical changes are required in the structure for the two companies jointly owned by Trident.
- North-west England: Granada TV, whose -record of network productions was described by the IBA as distinguished; but the company will be expected to pay close attention to the coverage of different parts of the region, with special concern for the balance of material between Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
- Northern Ireland: Ulster TV. The IBA decided that the company’s record in a difficult area and its ability to form an effective rapport with viewers were considerable factors.
- South and South-east England: TVS (South and South East Communications). There were three times as many contenders for this new dual area as any other area. Although the existing company, Southern, had a good record in children’s programmes, religious broadcasts, opera and local news, the authority decided that TVS had a board and programme makers of particular promise.
- South-west England: TSW (Television South West). The IBA had regard for the determination with which the board of Westward had tackled management difficulties earlier this year but said there were two other strong contenders.
- Wales and West of England: HTV, a company with a solid record of achievement in both parts of a complex area and with a realistic and forward looking approach to the even more complex questions of the 1980s.
- Yorkshire: Yorkshire TV, whose programme record and plans, the IBA said, commanded respect although the authority would require radical changes in the control structure.
In a note on the staffing of TVS and TSW, the two new companies, the authority said they were being required to give first consideration to employees of the present franchise holders.
Source: The Times – 29th December 1980.
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