play_arrow

keyboard_arrow_right

Listeners:

Top listeners:

skip_previous skip_next
00:00 00:00
playlist_play chevron_left
volume_up
  • play_arrow

    Shire Extra for lanarkshire Shire Extra Across Lanarkshire

Uncategorized

LANARKSHIRE TV – THE UK’S FIRST SMALL-SCALE TELEVISION CHANNEL.

todaySeptember 20, 2024 66 3

Background
share close

An experimental form of television that was first tested in Lanarkshire, prior to the launch of fifty-nine other channels across the UK, which were later replaced with localised digital TV services.

Lanarkshire Television (LTV) was a local station based in the former Hartwood Hospital, which began broadcasting from April 1999 until its closure in 2005. While it may not have achieved the same level of fame as other UK television stations, it represents an interesting chapter in the history of local broadcasting.

During the mid-90’s, the UK’s government and the national television regulator, the Independent Television Commission (ITC – the predecessor to OfCom), explored the idea of very localised “small-scale” television stations, set-up to compliment existing regional TV channels, which would radiate freely from transmitters and be picked up within people’s homes via their television aerial and not via restricted cable networks.

At that time, the concept of local television was not new. Since the installation of cable television in some of the UK’s cities, there had already been some local TV stations set-up to offer programming that was more focussed on the area they served, instead of what the large regional TV stations were able to provide. Glasgow had Clyde Cable Vision, which distributed a greater choice of channels to connected homes, whilst also providing low budget local programs on a part-time and dedicated channel for the city.

Small-scale television was intended to be available to everyone within the relevant service area or reach of its signal, especially outside of large cities and cable network areas. Only a regular television set and aerial was needed. No subscriptions were required.

Sixty small-scale TV services were licensed for a minimum of four years by the ITC, with most expected to be on-air by late 1999 and early 2000. LTV was set up with a £2,000 budget. It was the first station of this kind to come on air and was considered to be the model for the other local television stations.

From its studio base in the former mental asylum near Shotts, Lanarkshire Television was established to provide local news, programming, and entertainment tailored specifically for the people of Lanarkshire, aimed at catering to the unique cultural and social dynamics of the two counties. Ahead of its launch, managing director John MacKenzie told The Herald newspaper: “LTV will cover both local and national issues which directly or indirectly affect the people of Lanarkshire.”

Broadcasting 24 hours a day, the station offered local news, chat shows, weather and travel bulletins. LTV also aimed to create a mix of programming that reflected the local community’s interests, such as events coverage and special features on regional culture and history. There was a daily magazine program called Good Morning Lanarkshire. The station also produced entertainment programs, documentaries and sports coverage that resonated with local audiences. It had a talent show called Talented Lanarkshire, quiz programmes called The People’s Coice and Remote Control (which came from Lanark Grammar School on one occasion) and a local constable appealing for witnesses to crimes. The channel also had childrens prgramming, including Tall Tales, presented by a puppet called ‘Bookworm’ reading to the under-fives. There was a nature program called Animal Magic and a cooking program that featured visits to local restaurants, where the head chefs would cook a meal to camera.

Unfortunately, the station’s main problem for viewers was its signal – or lack of in many instances. Prior to broadcasting from Black Hill, which was the main transnmitter site for all other analogue TV services at the time (BBC, STV, Channel 4 and Channel 5), Lanarkshire TV used its own transmitter mast near Hartwood. This meant that many potential viewers were unable to get perfect reception because their TV aerial was pointing in the wrong direction (towards Black Hill instead of LTV).

Even after the station began transmitting from the Black Hill mast, it did so with much lower power than the rest of the channels. The major networks radiated with half a million watts, LTV broadcast with just ten thousand watts, which severely restricted its coverage area and also left many viewers with snowy or grainy pictures. The lower-powered signal made the channel unwatchable for some and of an unacceptable picture quality for many others.

Even so, the channel did provide an opportunity and platform for aspiring broadcasters. Some were radio presenters who wanted to try television. Some concept creators, writers and creatives used the station to develop their programming ideas and try them out. Technical and studio teams that included camera crews, sound engineers, editors and producers came mainly from colleges or universities and were using the station for beneficial work experience.

Less than a year after launch, it was reported in March 2000 that the station was nearing closure because of financial problems. Despite moving from its premises in Hartwood to a building in Newhouse Industrial Estate (next door to CLAN FM, the newly luanched local radio service for Lanarkshire), the station’s fortunes did not improve – nor did the signal.

Lanarkshire TV was replaced by Thistle Television, which was allowed to broadcast to a wider catchment area. It provided a mix of local programming between relays of Sky News and the QVC shopping channel. However, it too failed to attract enough investors or advertisers and stopped broadcasting in 2005.

Most of the other small-scale television channels in the UK also failed, with low signal levels and low advertising revenue said to be the reason. However, it did not spell the end of local telvision.

With the advent of digital TV, esepcially for cable and what became known as Freeview, new local channels appeared. With the new technology, there were few restrictions on transmission power. Digital television enabled a level playing field for broadcasters, ensuring that viewers were able to receive small, low budget local TV stations with the same picture quality as the main broadcasters.

The late 2000’s saw the launch of STV 2 for Lanarkshire, Glasgow and the West of Scotland (there were equivalent STV 2 channels for Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee). Unfortunately, despite having the resource backing of sister channel STV, this station also failed to attract enough viewers and advertising revenue. The channel slot was taken over by That’s TV, who now provide regionalised services to compliment their other national channels.

Written by A.G.G. and D.W (20/09/24)

Written by: admin

Rate it

Post comments (0)

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

0%