The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. The ITA was responsible for determining the location, constructing, building, and operating the transmission stations used by the ITV network, as well as determining the franchise areas and awarding the franchises for each regional commercial broadcaster. The Authority began its operations on 4 August 1954, a mere four days after the enforcement of the Television Act, under the Chairmanship of Kenneth Clark. The Authority's first Director General, Sir Robert Fraser was appointed by Clark a month later on 14 September. The Television Act 1954 was a British law which permitted the creation of the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom, ITV. Royal Assent was given to the Act on 30 July 1954. ... ITV (Independent Television) is the name given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. In England, Wales and southern Scotland, the channel has been rebranded to ITV1 by ITV plc, the owners of the... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ... In law, an exclusive right is the power or right to perform an action in relation to an object or other thing which others cannnot perform. ... individually-donated time and energy direct government payments or operation indirect government payments, such as radio and television licenses grants from foundations or business entities selling advertising or sponsorship public subscription or membership fees charged to all owners of TV sets or radios, regardless of whether they intend to receive... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM CH KCB, (July 13, 1903 – May 21, 1983) was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and the most famous art historian of his generation. ... Sir Robert Fraser (1904-1984?) was an Australian who found success in the United Kingdom as a journalist, civil servant and eventually as the first Director General of the British Independent Television Authority (ITA). ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ...

The physics of VHF broadcasting meant that a comparatively small number of transmitters could cover the majority of the population of Britain, if not the bulk of the area of the country. The ITA determined that the first three franchise areas would cover the London area, the Midlands, and the North of England (basically the Lancashire/Yorkshire belt of industrial cities from Liverpool to Hull, with the surrounding countryside). All three franchise areas would be awarded on a split weekday/weekend basis, and it was envisaged that the franchise holders for these areas would produce the great bulk of network programmes, while the companies given the smaller franchises would mainly produce local programmes for their area only. Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz (wavelength 10 m) to 300 MHz (wavelength 1 m). ... Antenna tower of Crystal Palace transmitter, London A transmitter (sometimes abbreviated XMTR) is an electronic device which with the aid of an antenna propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... In general, the midlands of a territory are its central regions. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ...

The ITA awarded franchises to applicant companies, selecting between applicants on the basis of the financial soundness of the company, the proposals for the service to be offered, and often on connections between the applicant company and the area to be served.

Franchises were initially awarded between 1954 and 1961, with the new television stations usually coming on air 1-2 years later. In September 1963 the ITA invited new applications for franchises to run from July 1964 for three years or until the arrival of ITV2, whichever came first (in the event, ITV2 did not arrive until 1998), but in fact no changes were made to any franchise holders at that time, except for confirming the merger of the Wales and the West franchise held by TWW and the Wales West and North franchise held by WWN following the financial collapse of WWN. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The name ITV2 was commonly used to refer to a proposed fourth television channel for the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... TWW Logo Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for the South Wales and West of England franchise area 1956-1968 (franchise awarded October 26, 1956, started transmissions on January 14, 1958). ... Teledu Cymru -- Wales (West and North) Television - WWN was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor awarded the North and West Wales franchise area for 1962-1968 (franchise awarded June 6, 1961, started transmissions on September 14, 1962, ceased transmissions through financial failure January 26, 1964 when the franchise area...

Initial franchises were awarded in 1954

• for the London (Monday to Friday) franchise to Associated-Rediffusion,
• for the London (Saturday and Sunday) and Midlands (Monday to Friday) franchises to Associated TeleVision, (ATV),
• for the Midlands (Saturday and Sunday) and North of England (Saturday and Sunday) franchises to the Associated British Picture Corporation as ABC Television, and
• for the North of England (Monday to Friday) franchise to Granada Television.

In January 1955 the ITA authorised the creation of Independent Television News (ITN), a company owned and operated by the ITV companies collectively, to provide a news service for the new network. Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ... Associated TeleVision Limited, later ATV Network and best known simply as ATV, was a British ITV company from 1955 until 1981. ... ABC logo, 1960s ABC Television or ABC Weekend TV was the British Independent Television (ITV) (commercial television) contractor on Saturdays and Sundays in the Midlands and North of England between 1956 and 1968. ... Granada Television was the British ITV (commercial television) contractor for the North of England weekday franchise from 1954 (broadcasting began on May 3, 1956) until 1968, and for the Northwest England all-week franchise from 1968. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Corporate logo of Independent Television News Ltd Independent Television News (ITN) is the main supplier of news broadcasts to two British broadcasting networks: ITV and Channel 4. ...

On September 22, 1955 the ITV service opened in the London area, where the ITA transmitter could reach a population of nearly 12 million. The first commercial on British television was for "Gibbs SR" toothpaste. September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Franchises awarded in 1956: 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The Central Scotland franchise was awarded to Scottish Television (stv), from three applications.
• The South Wales and West of England franchise (on both sides of the Severn Estuary) was awarded to TWW, Television Wales and the West, from ten applications.

Franchises awarded in 1957: Scottish Television is Scotlands largest independent television franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. ... STV is the brand used by both ITV contractors in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. ... TWW Logo Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for the South Wales and West of England franchise area 1956-1968 (franchise awarded October 26, 1956, started transmissions on January 14, 1958). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The South of England franchise was awarded to Southern Television, from thirteen applications.
• The North East England franchise was awarded to Tyne Tees Television, from eleven applications.

Franchises awarded in 1958: Southern Television was one of the original ITV companies, serving the south-central and south-east of England from August 30, 1958 until 12:45 AM on January 1, 1982. ... Tyne Tees Television Limited is the ITV television contractor for North East England. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The East of England franchise was awarded to Anglia Television, from eight applications.
• The Northern Ireland franchise was awarded to Ulster Television (UTV), from four applications.

Franchise awarded in 1959: Current ITV Anglia logo Anglia Television is the ITV station for East Anglia. ... For other uses of the UTV acronym see UTV (disambiguation) Ulster Television plc (UTV) is a media company based in Northern Ireland. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The South West England franchise was awarded to Westward Television, from fifteen applications.

Franchises awarded in 1960: Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

• The franchise for the Channel Islands was awarded to Channel Television, from two applications, following the extension of the 1954 Television Act to the Islands by Order-in-Council, as it normally would not apply there.
• The franchise for the English-Scottish Border and the Isle of Man was awarded to Border Television, from two applications.
• The franchise for North East Scotland was awarded to Grampian Television, from seven applications.

Franchise awarded in 1961: The current Channel TV ident Channel Television (CTV) is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV), contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. ... An Order-in-Council is an executive order issued in Commonwealth Realms operating under the Westminster system. ... Border Television is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland, much of Cumbria and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed), and also the Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man. ... Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

• The franchise for West and North Wales was awarded to the Wales Television Association, Teledu Cymru, transmitting as WWN, Wales (West and North) Television.

When WWN went on the air on September 14, 1962, the ITV System was completed. However, due to the late commissioning of two of WWN's three transmitters, the company never received more than half the projected income and the company failed in January 1964; the two Welsh franchises were consequently merged, with TWW broadcasting to the whole of Wales. Teledu Cymru -- Wales (West and North) Television - WWN was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor awarded the North and West Wales franchise area for 1962-1968 (franchise awarded June 6, 1961, started transmissions on September 14, 1962, ceased transmissions through financial failure January 26, 1964 when the franchise area... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

The 1967 franchise review involved substantial changes: 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

• All weekday/weekend split franchises were ended except in London.
• The North of England franchise was split between North West England, awarded to Granada Television, and Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, awarded to Yorkshire Television.
• The new 7-day franchise in the Midlands was awarded to ATV.
• The ITA asked ABC and Associated-Rediffusion to merge, to form Thames Television which was awarded the London Weekday franchise.
• LWT was awarded the London Weekend franchise (from 7 p.m. on Fridays).
• Most controversially, TWW lost its franchise for Wales and the West of England to Harlech Television, which soon became known as HTV.

The 1967 franchises were subsequently extended in stages to expire in 1976, then 1979, and finally to expire on December 31 1981. See the entry for the IBA for details of the 1981 and 1991-2 franchise rounds. Granada Television was the British ITV (commercial television) contractor for the North of England weekday franchise from 1954 (broadcasting began on May 3, 1956) until 1968, and for the Northwest England all-week franchise from 1968. ... Yorkshire Television Limited is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ... Associated TeleVision Limited, later ATV Network and best known simply as ATV, was a British ITV company from 1955 until 1981. ... ABC logo, 1960s ABC Television or ABC Weekend TV was the British Independent Television (ITV) (commercial television) contractor on Saturdays and Sundays in the Midlands and North of England between 1956 and 1968. ... Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ... Thames Television was an British television production company, and between 1968 and 1992, it was the weekday ITV company serving London. ... London Weekend Television (LWT) was (and for legal formalities still is; see below) the ITV contractor for London and the South East, Friday 7:00pm (1968-1982)/5:15pm (1982-2002) to Monday, 5:59am. ... TWW Logo Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for the South Wales and West of England franchise area 1956-1968 (franchise awarded October 26, 1956, started transmissions on January 14, 1958). ... HTV logo, 1990s HTV Group plc is a television company, the ITV contractor of Wales and the West of England, owned by ITV plc. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 gave the ITA responsibility for organising commercial radio in the UK, and reconstituted the ITA as the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The IBA was subsequently replaced by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) (and the Radio Authority) under the provisions of the Broadcasting Act 1990, which themselves were replaced by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) at the end of 2003. The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ... The ITC has been superseded as the British commercial television regulator by Ofcom (the Office of Communications). ... The Office of Communications, usually known as Ofcom, is the UKs communications regulator. ... The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, often regarded by both its supporters and its critics as a quintessential example of Thatcherism. ... The Office of Communications, usually known as Ofcom, is the UKs communications regulator. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• History of ITV

The history of ITV, the United Kingdom Independent Television commercial network, goes back to 1954. ...

References

• Sendall, Bernard Independent Television in Britain: Volume 1 - Origin and Foundation 1946-62 London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1982 (reprinted 1984) ISBN 0-333-30941-3