SW
Yes, and that would especially be the case in regions like Grampian and Westward where there genuinely wouldn't be much news about, especially in the days before ENG when everything would be on film and it would be a real challenge to get pictures of things happening in the extremities of the region. I've also got a couple of ATV TV Times from the late seventies when ATV Today was billed as "ATV Today with ATV News", to emphasise they were two different things.
That said, right up until the mid-nineties Granada Tonight used to go off for the summer, with a five minute summary and then a repeat filling the rest of the half hour for a couple of weeks. Used to baffle me at the time, you'd think Granadaland could generate enough news to fill half an hour all year round.
Ooh, I was going to mention that one, they were the titles when I went to university in the Midlands and I always thought they looked pretty cool. I know they don't do much - some ribbons spin around, the title animates on and animates off - but with that theme tune I think they work really well. Sounds like a proper news programme.
Richard Whiteley talks about the first ever Calendar in his book, he says it was a total disaster, because Jonathan Aitken was the presenter and he was dreadful, and they decided to have the newsreader reading the news standing up behind a lecturn so they'd have better posture, but didn't want to show that on screen, only for the camera to be in the wrong place and having to do a crash zoom into it and reveal it. And for some reason there was an issue with the film processing so all the reports came out in negative.
The thing was, they actually recorded it half an hour in advance, and Richard assumed that because it was so bad they'd just write that off as a rehearsal and do it live instead, but they didn't. And the only response they got about the negative reports the next day was the editor saying "Didn't like that, don't do it again", as it it had been a deliberate stylistic choice.
That used to be quite common. The nightly programmes were more regional magazine shows with some news rather than a full news bulletin that we're used to now.
Yes, and that would especially be the case in regions like Grampian and Westward where there genuinely wouldn't be much news about, especially in the days before ENG when everything would be on film and it would be a real challenge to get pictures of things happening in the extremities of the region. I've also got a couple of ATV TV Times from the late seventies when ATV Today was billed as "ATV Today with ATV News", to emphasise they were two different things.
That said, right up until the mid-nineties Granada Tonight used to go off for the summer, with a five minute summary and then a repeat filling the rest of the half hour for a couple of weeks. Used to baffle me at the time, you'd think Granadaland could generate enough news to fill half an hour all year round.
Staying with the Midlands, I have a fondness for this Midlands Today theme (and the way that the shapes spin between headlines) https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=81403
Ooh, I was going to mention that one, they were the titles when I went to university in the Midlands and I always thought they looked pretty cool. I know they don't do much - some ribbons spin around, the title animates on and animates off - but with that theme tune I think they work really well. Sounds like a proper news programme.
Here is the Calendar theme and credits from the late 1960s. Uploaded by Adam Frost on Youtube. Some names there, on them credits.
Richard Whiteley talks about the first ever Calendar in his book, he says it was a total disaster, because Jonathan Aitken was the presenter and he was dreadful, and they decided to have the newsreader reading the news standing up behind a lecturn so they'd have better posture, but didn't want to show that on screen, only for the camera to be in the wrong place and having to do a crash zoom into it and reveal it. And for some reason there was an issue with the film processing so all the reports came out in negative.
The thing was, they actually recorded it half an hour in advance, and Richard assumed that because it was so bad they'd just write that off as a rehearsal and do it live instead, but they didn't. And the only response they got about the negative reports the next day was the editor saying "Didn't like that, don't do it again", as it it had been a deliberate stylistic choice.
VM
Don't know what's more depressing, the fact that it was so short lived or the fact that the kid in the headline sequence is probably at uni now.
Have to say though, I thought that set looked really cold and cavernous at the time, and I still do. The shiny floor doesn't help. Of course they've gone a bit too far the opposite way now!
Have to say though, I thought that set looked really cold and cavernous at the time, and I still do. The shiny floor doesn't help. Of course they've gone a bit too far the opposite way now!
MK
Wasn't a fan of the "all roads lead to Manchester" bit at the end, for obvious reasons. Other than that and maybe the cheesy YOUR NEWS tagline, it was very good. A classic case of a perfectly good look ditched prematurely for the sake of corporate sameness. It's been their only proper attempt, since the new corporate normal of 2000, to go their own way. Considering what happened, they probably won't bother again.
VM
To be fair it was part of a larger revamp of the bulletin, with the introduction of Ranvir as co-presenter rather than just Gordon solo as it had been previously. Maybe they had an increase in funds at that time?
Wasn't a fan of the "all roads lead to Manchester" bit at the end, for obvious reasons. Other than that and maybe the cheesy YOUR NEWS tagline, it was very good. A classic case of a perfectly good look ditched prematurely for the sake of corporate sameness. It's been their only proper attempt, since the new corporate normal of 2000, to go their own way. Considering what happened, they probably won't bother again.
To be fair it was part of a larger revamp of the bulletin, with the introduction of Ranvir as co-presenter rather than just Gordon solo as it had been previously. Maybe they had an increase in funds at that time?
ST
Ahhh the great late Mike Neville. His motto was ‘’always leave them with a laugh’’.
Just to return to the agreed winner, North East Tonight, there's also the beautiful closing shot to consider...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymAAL5K_92A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymAAL5K_92A
Ahhh the great late Mike Neville. His motto was ‘’always leave them with a laugh’’.
BR
It was much better than any other regional effort at the time - indeed I think only Wales Today/Newyddion, Newsline and North West Tonight got a look which linked to the clamshell branding, which IMO was much better than the Lambie Nairn effort that followed and remains to this day, although there are certainly similarities between the current regional branding in England and what North West Tonight were doing there.
WH
Whataday
Founding member
This opening sequence is pretty unremarkable but the zoom through the ident used to terrify my younger cousin. It is perhaps the only instance of incorporating the generic hearts into an opening sequence?
https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=87656
https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=87656
BA
these were a monstrosity no doubt. Have colour images with the 2008 style and boom you got your title sequence. I’m acc planning on doing that on AE ( when the laptop is fixed and I’ll post it on here) but these were poor. it’s not even in Gill sans. piece of advice, think before you make new titles lol.
Last edited by Ballyboy on 10 August 2020 5:05pm - 3 times in total