| Based in | Carlisle |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, North & West Northumberland, south Midlothian, north Lancashire, East Lothian, south west Ayrshire, and west of County Durham |
| Launched | 1 September 1961 |
Border Television logo used from 1969 to 1989. ITV1 generic Border Television logo used between 1999-2002. ITV was used from 1999 before being changed to ITV1 in 2001. |
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| Closed | Lost on-air identity on 27 October 2002 (known as ITV1 at all times) |
| Website | itv.com/border |
| Owned by | ITV plc |
Border Television (later ITV Border) is the ITV franchise holder for the Border region, spanning the England/Scotland border and covering Dumfries & Galloway region, a small part of the south-west area of Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders, parts of north and west Northumberland and the majority of Cumbria. The station formerly covered the Isle of Man between 26 March 1965 and 15 July 2009.
Border Television was taken over by Granada Television in 2001, and the company was renamed ITV Border in 2006. ITV Border merged with ITV Tyne Tees on Wednesday 25 February 2009 to form a non-franchise region known as ITV Tyne Tees & Border.[1] The two stations share a head of news (Lucy West).
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In May 1960 the Independent Television Authority (ITA) invited applicants to provide the ITV service for the Borders region, an area that covered the English counties of Westmoreland and Cumberland, the south of Scotland and later the Isle of Man.[2]
Prior to this, the ITA had moved away from the idea of satellite stations (companies owned by distant management as seen with Southern Television in the south of England) towards companies that had strong local ownership. The contract covered two new transmitters at Caldbeck, near Carlisle and Selkirk, near Saint Boswells in the Scottish Borders. Granada Television and ABC Weekend Television had laid a claim to providing service via Caldbeck whilst Scottish Television expressed a strong interest in Selkirk. The ITA rejected both these in favour of a new contract area and a new company to serve it - although they stipulated the area to be 'marginal' in their plans and that applicants had to present a very strong business case for the area as well as the contract.[2]
Two applications were received, one from Solway Television and another from Border Television. Border were chosen on the basis of their plans and management which was considered local but still featured names from large business (the then chairman of Reuters for example) and from the world of education.[2]
Launch was scheduled for February 1961 but construction problems with both transmitters meant delays until May of that year. As this led into the summer holiday period Border asked for a launch delay as the break would affect advertising revenue. Accordingly Border launched in September 1961.[2]
During its first year of operation Border made a profit (unlike other regional companies) and by its second year had covered its launch costs, due mainly to a 60% audience penetration[2] in an area that, at the time, was largely ignored by the BBC.
Initially, Border produced little for the network and concentrated on local programming, most notably its flagship local news programme Lookaround. However later when ITV and the BBC were given permission to extend broadcasting hours to day-time, Border carved a niche for providing the ITV network with afternoon quizzes and light entertainment. Derek Batey Border TV's Assistant Controller of Programmes, became the front man for one of ITV's most popular daytime quiz shows of the 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. and Mrs.. (A separate version of Mr. and Mrs. was also produced by HTV at the same time.) Another Derek Batey show for Border TV was, Look Who's Talking,[3] a light hearted chat show, and a fifteen minute part-networked music show, The Sound of .... featuring, The Spinners a British folk music band, The Settlers and such like.
By 1980 the company was in severe financial trouble due to a national economic downturn which affected advertising revenue on the whole ITV network; the situation was deemed so bad that at one point the company considered not re-applying for its licence when it expired in December 1981. However it did re-apply and as with other renewal bids in 1967 and 1991 it was returned unopposed.
The launch of Channel 4 in 1982 resulted in Border being commissioned by the new station to make a number of shows for them, most notably Land of the Lakes (presented by Melvyn Bragg) and a music show entitled Bliss, hosted by Muriel Gray.
Lord Bragg, controller of arts and features at ITV Studios, is a former chairman of Border Television.
During the 1990s, Border held interests in a number of radio stations including Century Radio, Sun FM and CFM, and in 1997 formed a subsidiary, Border Radio Holdings, for its radio business.[4] Border and its radio stations were bought by Capital Radio in 2000,[5] and the television station was later sold to Granada Media Group. Rumours over its future persistently dogged Border, and it trod a difficult path to balance the interests of three different nations.
In July 2006, it was announced that the Berwick-upon-Tweed transmitter was to transfer to ITV Tyne Tees as part of the preparations for the digital switchover of the Border region in 2008 and to bring Berwick into line with the rest of the North East, which is scheduled to switch over to digital in 2012.[6] The transfer took effect from 13 December 2006, although Border news programmes still carry stories about Berwick-upon-Tweed due to its proximity to the eastern Scottish Borders.
In 2008, the United Kingdom began its five-year programme to cease analogue television broadcasts as part of the switchover to Digital television starting with Border.
Towards the end of his tenure as ITV plc executive chairman, Michael Grade began restructuring the ITV regional layout, stating the existence of ITV Border "no longer makes sense" relative to the regional audience it serves.[7] The move is expected to give ITV plc "greater value for money", but may be subject to Ofcom approval.[8] On 12 September 2007, Grade announced plans to close ITV Border and merge the region with ITV Tyne Tees.[9] If Ofcom agrees with the proposal the changes could be in place by 2009. The Border region will be covered by a short programme opt out until digital switch over is complete in 2014 but after that there is no guarantee that regional news programmes will continue.
On 25 September 2008, Ofcom gave ITV the green light to merge ITV Border's news operation with that of ITV Tyne Tees at Newcastle from early-2009. Following a survey of Isle of Man viewers in autumn 2008,[10] coverage of the Isle of Man was transferred from ITV Border to ITV Granada on Thursday 16 July 2009.[11][12][13]
ITV Border's own regional news service ceased production on Tuesday 24 February 2009, replaced by a dual-regional service the next day. Six reporters (all working from home apart from those in Edinburgh and Carlisle) now cover Carlisle, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Kendal, Selkirk and Whitehaven.
ITV Border won the RTS awards for Best News Programme: Nations and Regions for Lookaround, whilst ITV Tyne Tees & Border were nominated in three categories, in February 2011.
Unlike many new ITV stations at that time (with the exceptions of Granada and Westward) Border constructed a purpose-built studio centre, located in Durranhill, Carlisle. They were built in 1961 and contained two studios for use in productions, a small continuity studio and an interview studio. These were converted to colour with the station and were expanded and upgraded when demand increased following the launch of Channel 4.
In 2009, following Border's merger with Tyne Tees Television, all productions, including Lookaround were transferred to Tyne Tees studios in Gateshead, with all departments being merged with those of Tyne Tees. The Border studios remained empty and were demolished in 2010. Three reporters still operate in Carlisle, as regional news correspondents, but operate from a smaller bureau in the Kingstown area of the city, opened on Friday 10 July 2009.
Throughout its history, Border has used one single logo, an abstract 'B', known affectionately by locals as DY, or 'The Chopsticks'. It features a thick D shape, with a forker line crossing it and running either side of the shape. The overall shape represents a 'B' for Border, with the background shape representing the catchment area, and the line representing the border itself. The line actually divides the area into three areas, although one is very small: representing Scotland above the line, England below it, and the Isle of Man in the small area to the left.
The launch identity was a black caption with the white logo and 'Border Television' beneath, over an announcement. The start-up routine was symbolic because of its distinctive and unchanging music, and the announcement that never changed, stating "This is Border Television serving Cumbria, South Scotland, the Isle of Man and North and West Northumberland, from the Caldbeck, Selkirk and associated transmitters of the Independent Broadcasting Authority." This was replaced when colour came to the region by the same contents, contained within a rectangle on a blue background with a Colour caption outside the box. The colour caption was removed in the 1980s and the announcement said "This is Border Television providing a full color service to Cumbria, South Scotland, the Isle of Man and North and West Northumberland including Berwick-Upon-Tweed, from the Caldbeck, Selkirk and assocaited transmitters of the Independent Broadcasting Authority." from the late 1960s in Color.
Border adopted the 1989 Generic look and used it until 1993. Their version was mildly well suited, as the contents of the 'B' were recognisable in the 'V' segment if the logo. This look was extensively used, even in the news department. In 1993, the ident was changed to the Border logo revolving out of thin air and featuring a background of pastel colours. The music was retained from the generic look. Border also began to use in-vision continuity more heavily.
In 1995, the logo was changed again to a 3D Border logo falling into place against a water effect blue backdrop, which was set to the same tune as used previously, but played on instruments to match the water theme. This was again updated in 1998, with the same sequence against a backdrop of spinning discs and blue and purple colours. New music was also composed featuring deep basses. The whole effect was to make Border have an authoritative and broadcaster tone.
In 1999, Border adopted the second generic look, along with the rest of the regions, but did not use their logo in this look. From then on, Border only used network designs for idents, as from October 2002, Border idents featuring a celebrity with the ITV1 logo with the word Border underneath, were used for local programming only. All other programming used network idents, and from 2004, no regional idents existed. Border has ceased as an entity, productions attributed to ITV Productions, or later, ITV Studios.
A list of programmes made by Border Television.
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