Border Television

Border Television

Based in	Carlisle
Broadcast area	Border region between England, Scotland and Isle of Man
Launched	1 September 1961
Replaced by	ITV Tyne Tees & Border
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, the majority of Cumbria, and the Isle of Man. 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 already share a regional director (Graeme Thompson) and head of news (Catherine Houlihan).

History

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The Border Television first logo used from 1961 to 1999.

In May 1960 the Independent Television Authority 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 tender 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 has strong local ownership. The contract covered two new transnmitters: the masts at Caldbeck, near Carlisle and Selkirk. 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 Authority 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 has to present a very strong business case for the area as well as the contract^[3].

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 the large business (the then chairman of Reuters for example) and from the world of education^[4].

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^[5].

Unlike many new ITV stations at that time (with the exceptions of Granada and Westward) Border constructed a purpose-built studio centre in Harraby, Carlisle. 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^[6] in an area that, at the time, was largely ignored by the BBC.

Border concentrated on local programming and produced little for the network although one of ITV's most popular daytime quiz shows of the 1970s and early 1980s, Mr & Mrs, was a Border production. 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 Four 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 Productions, 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.^[7] Border and its radio stations were bought by Capital Radio in 2000^[8], 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.^[9] 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.

Merger

In 2008, the United Kingdom plans to begin its five-year programme to cease analogue television broadcasts as part of the switchover to Digital television starting with Border.

ITV plc executive chairman Michael Grade is restructuring the ITV regional layout, stating the existence of ITV Border "no longer makes sense" relative to the regional audience it serves.^[10] The move is expected to give ITV plc "greater value for money", but may be subject to Ofcom approval.^[11].

On 12 September 2007, Grade announced plans to close ITV Border and merge the region with ITV Tyne Tees.^[12] 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 Gateshead from early-2009. Following a survey of Isle of Man viewers in autumn 2008^[13], it is likely that coverage of the Isle of Man will transfer from ITV Border to ITV Granada in the near future.^[14] This has now been confirmed.^[15][16]

ITV Border's own regional news service ceased production on Tuesday 24 February 2009, replaced by a dual-regional service the next day, broadcast from the ITV Tyne Tees studios in Gateshead. Border's main studios at Harraby in Carlisle will be closed and sold off. Six reporters (all working from home apart from those in Edinburgh and Carlisle) now cover Carlisle, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Kendal, Selkirk and Whitehaven. Another three reporters work as regional news correspondents from the Carlisle newsroom. A smaller Carlisle bureau will be opened once the Harraby studios are closed.

References

External links

• ITV Border
• Help tips and advice as Cumbria leads the way to digital TV

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