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When did ITV stop using contractor idents at start of programme?

radamfiradamfi Posts: 14,094
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Until some time in the 1980s, each programme on ITV was preceded by the ident of the company that made it.

What date did that stop happening?

Did it happen because of some new directive or regulation?

Was there any kind of recognition on air that it would stop?

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    AdamDowdsAdamDowds Posts: 2,598
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    It's an interesting question, and one I'm interested in too.

    I have the first three series of Spitting Image on DVD, from 1984-86, and some episodes did have the Central logo before them, and The Bill in 1988 has the Thames logo before each episode. However, London's Burning doesn't have the LWT logo at the start, and that started as a series in 1988.
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    John.DitchfieldJohn.Ditchfield Posts: 1,541
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    radamfi wrote: »
    Until some time in the 1980s, each programme on ITV was preceded by the ident of the company that made it.

    What date did that stop happening?

    Did it happen because of some new directive or regulation?

    Was there any kind of recognition on air that it would stop?

    its when ITV came under 1 umbrella cant remember the exact date
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    Jason CJason C Posts: 31,341
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    radamfi wrote: »
    What date did that stop happening?

    January 1st 1988.
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    mrbernaymrbernay Posts: 146,107
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    Jason C wrote: »
    January 1st 1988.

    The end of ITV as we knew it :(:(
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    Rob500Rob500 Posts: 3,944
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    I believe it was after the 1987 production year the idents at the start of a programme were abolished. For example in the Granada region the Granada ident would play, followed by the Yorkshire TV ident for Emmerdale for example. I think this was changed so it wasn't as confusing to the viewer.
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    mrbernaymrbernay Posts: 146,107
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    Rob500 wrote: »
    I believe it was after the 1987 production year the idents at the start of a programme were abolished. For example in the Granada region the Granada ident would play, followed by the Yorkshire TV ident for Emmerdale for example. I think this was changed so it wasn't as confusing to the viewer.

    No, AFAIR that never happened, even in regions without an in-vision announcer (Granada and very few others) the local ident only ever played before the news (and when going on air). No-one was ever confused by the idents, I'm sure... ;)
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    grahamcrowdengrahamcrowden Posts: 1,041
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    its when ITV came under 1 umbrella cant remember the exact date

    It was a long time before that.
    It was 1988 when the local idents disappeared.

    But they still appeared at the end of shows.

    It wasn't until almost a decade later that regions were allowed to buy out other regions.

    Carlton took over Central and Granada took over LWT although it wasn't until around 2002/03 that all regions local continuity was ended.
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    Rob500Rob500 Posts: 3,944
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    mrbernay wrote: »
    No, AFAIR that never happened, even in regions without an in-vision announcer (Granada and very few others) the local ident only ever played before the news (and when going on air). No-one was ever confused by the idents, I'm sure... ;)

    Actually the local idents played before every programme, the generic ITV idents didn't come along until 1989 and even then Granada, Central and Thames didn't use them.

    I think the OP is on about the programme idents, which played after the local ident:

    - Local ident
    - Programme ident/frontcap
    - Programme
    - End board

    From 2:20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2Zh3CH_Bw
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    CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,951
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    Shows like Corrie used to have "From the North. Granada" on them.
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    mklassmklass Posts: 3,412
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    What's an 'ident'?..... did you mean to say 'identity'?.......:confused:
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    Rob500Rob500 Posts: 3,944
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    mklass wrote: »
    What's an 'ident'?..... did you mean to say 'identity'?.......:confused:

    Ident = station identification

    This, basically: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL3W0QJM69c&feature=related
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    scorpionatthepcscorpionatthepc Posts: 5,378
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    I always found the angiler ident very creepy.
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    grahamcrowdengrahamcrowden Posts: 1,041
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    Rob500 wrote: »
    Actually the local idents played before every programme, the generic ITV idents didn't come along until 1989 and even then Granada, Central and Thames didn't use them.

    I think the OP is on about the programme idents, which played after the local ident:

    - Local ident
    - Programme ident/frontcap
    - Programme
    - End board

    From 2:20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2Zh3CH_Bw

    Local idents didn't play before all programmes by any means.
    I had access to ATV, Anglia and Thames LWT.

    Anglia never played its own ident and jingle before programmes .
    It appeared only on those programmes made by Anglia.

    However ,ATV would play its ident and jingle before movies and imports , something that Anglia never did although An Anglia Presentation caption would often appear at the end.

    Likewise Thames and LWT would often but not always play their ident before movies or imports.

    All these regions had one thing in common - in vision continuity.

    Regions that never had IVC like YTV would always have the YTV caption before a programme but would not play the jingle .
    Those who had part time IVC would operate like Anglia and when there was no IVC they would work like YTV
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    Andy23Andy23 Posts: 15,926
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    In a similar way, when did non-ITV made programmes stop having 2 endcaps at the end, i.e at the end of The Bill post 1993

    "A Thames Production"
    "A Carlton Presentation for ITV"
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    2Legit2Quit2Legit2Quit Posts: 4,728
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    I always found the angiler ident very creepy.


    That's abroad innit? :D
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    Matt_TaylorMatt_Taylor Posts: 389
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    East Anglia surely?;)
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    scorpionatthepcscorpionatthepc Posts: 5,378
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    This is the one I mean. Found it quite creepy when I were a kid.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iSlnlQTZM&feature=related


    :eek:
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    stu0rtstu0rt Posts: 946
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    The knight on the horse, slowly rotating... yes, I remember that well. I can also remember the tune that went with another ident, but as this is a text medium I can't really describe it :p
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    AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    mrbernay wrote: »
    The end of ITV as we knew it :(:(

    Surely the programme is more important than the ident, in which case the "end of ITV as we knew it" was much later.
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    swillsswills Posts: 4,004
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    stu0rt wrote: »
    The knight on the horse, slowly rotating... yes, I remember that well. I can also remember the tune that went with another ident, but as this is a text medium I can't really describe it :p

    A variation of Handles Water Music
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    James2001James2001 Posts: 73,853
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    AdamDowds wrote: »
    and The Bill in 1988 has the Thames logo before each episode..

    Thames is confusing though, because over the years both Pearson and Fremantle have had the habit of adding the Thames frontcap onto programmes that were made well after ITV stopped using them, and even after Thames changed their logo- I've certainly been aware of it on international showings and DVD releases of some shows made in the 90s.
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