SC
The IBA rules stated that advertising was not allowed during certain genres of programming. These included religious programming (eg. Morning Worship, Highway, 100 Best Hymms), adult education (eg. Make it Count), and schools and colleges programmes. This applied on both ITV and Channel 4. I'm not sure what happened when the regulator changed to ITC then OfCom, but most of these types of programmes continued commercial-free.
There were other shows that always seemed to play out without a comercial break - certain quizzes such as most series of the Krypton Factor and University Challenge, topical or semi-educational programmes, for example Where There's Life, Me and My Camera although I don't think this was due to a ruling as such.
Until 1987 when ITV Daytime officially launched, there were no ads on weekdays before the '12:27' break (ie. after the pre-school programmes such as Rainbow), and none at all on Sundays until roughly the same time. So even in school holidays, when the mornings were filled with kids shows, comedies or films, there were no commercials. Sunday mornings were a one of the last places to see the 'interval' - Tyne Tees treated viewers to specially constructed interval slides or programme menus, often accompanied by music from the 'schools' interval tapes. Or occasionally a pop video would be played to fill in time.
(NB: The last time I remember a pop video being shown as a filler was Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls before an episode of Prisoner CBH in late 1996!)
Would I be right in saying that when this service was on ITV, it was effectively forbidden for advertising to be shown during the service. Did this also apply to when the schools service was moved to Channel 4 in 1987? IIRC I don't remember seeing much in the way of any advertising around the service up until Channel 4 dropped the entire service a few years ago.
The IBA rules stated that advertising was not allowed during certain genres of programming. These included religious programming (eg. Morning Worship, Highway, 100 Best Hymms), adult education (eg. Make it Count), and schools and colleges programmes. This applied on both ITV and Channel 4. I'm not sure what happened when the regulator changed to ITC then OfCom, but most of these types of programmes continued commercial-free.
There were other shows that always seemed to play out without a comercial break - certain quizzes such as most series of the Krypton Factor and University Challenge, topical or semi-educational programmes, for example Where There's Life, Me and My Camera although I don't think this was due to a ruling as such.
Until 1987 when ITV Daytime officially launched, there were no ads on weekdays before the '12:27' break (ie. after the pre-school programmes such as Rainbow), and none at all on Sundays until roughly the same time. So even in school holidays, when the mornings were filled with kids shows, comedies or films, there were no commercials. Sunday mornings were a one of the last places to see the 'interval' - Tyne Tees treated viewers to specially constructed interval slides or programme menus, often accompanied by music from the 'schools' interval tapes. Or occasionally a pop video would be played to fill in time.
(NB: The last time I remember a pop video being shown as a filler was Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls before an episode of Prisoner CBH in late 1996!)
:-(
A former member
I know STV and Anglia had intervals, ( There was Anglia on Oliver Ashmole's channel from 1990) did all ITV companies have them?
NW
They were shown on S4C, since day two. There a couple of clips on YouTube from 1986, no special continuity around the programmes, but they were shown around 11:00am.
I know this is off the tropic, but where were Welsh-language schools programmes shown between 1982 and 1987? HTV Wales or S4C? Or weren't there any?
They were shown on S4C, since day two. There a couple of clips on YouTube from 1986, no special continuity around the programmes, but they were shown around 11:00am.
NJ
Although of course TV-AM were airing adverts (not that they were making a lot of money but that's an entirely different discussion), so I suppose it may be technically correct to say it was a near enough three hour commercial free block after TV-AM.
Discussions about things like this are like looking an entirely different world. Was it really only as recently as 1972 you were allowed to broadcast as early as 9:30am? Breakfast TV didn't start until 1983 and 24hr broadcasting didn't start until as late as 1988.
Neil Jones
Founding member
Until 1987 when ITV Daytime officially launched, there were no ads on weekdays before the '12:27' break (ie. after the pre-school programmes such as Rainbow), and none at all on Sundays until roughly the same time.
Although of course TV-AM were airing adverts (not that they were making a lot of money but that's an entirely different discussion), so I suppose it may be technically correct to say it was a near enough three hour commercial free block after TV-AM.
Discussions about things like this are like looking an entirely different world. Was it really only as recently as 1972 you were allowed to broadcast as early as 9:30am? Breakfast TV didn't start until 1983 and 24hr broadcasting didn't start until as late as 1988.
SC
I know what you mean Neil, it seems so propostrous that there was no breakfast TV, no adverts for over three hours on ITV, and long periods of testcards and music in the middle of the day on the BBC as recent as about 30 years ago.
I meant to mention TVam's adverts which of course meant there was advertising before noon, but I tend to (correctly) think of that as a totally different service, rather than a programme on ITV.
AIUI, before TVam launched, the ITV companies were free to start up as early as they wished. Certainly at the weekends, some regions were on air as early as 8.30 or 8.45 on occasions. YTV and TTT briefly experimented with their own 'breakfast television' service in 1977, with Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East being shown at 8.30 - the first ever edition featuring news coverage of the Pan Am/KLM runway collision at Tenerife.
I meant to mention TVam's adverts which of course meant there was advertising before noon, but I tend to (correctly) think of that as a totally different service, rather than a programme on ITV.
AIUI, before TVam launched, the ITV companies were free to start up as early as they wished. Certainly at the weekends, some regions were on air as early as 8.30 or 8.45 on occasions. YTV and TTT briefly experimented with their own 'breakfast television' service in 1977, with Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East being shown at 8.30 - the first ever edition featuring news coverage of the Pan Am/KLM runway collision at Tenerife.
WW
I never understood the timing of Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East. Surely the bulk of the audience would have already been on their way to work at 8:30 -- or at least just about to head out the door. Housewives would still be at home, of course, but why not air a morning show at a time when you would reach the largest possible audience?
YTV and TTT briefly experimented with their own 'breakfast television' service in 1977, with Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East being shown at 8.30 - the first ever edition featuring news coverage of the Pan Am/KLM runway collision at Tenerife.
I never understood the timing of Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East. Surely the bulk of the audience would have already been on their way to work at 8:30 -- or at least just about to head out the door. Housewives would still be at home, of course, but why not air a morning show at a time when you would reach the largest possible audience?
VM
I never understood the timing of Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East. Surely the bulk of the audience would have already been on their way to work at 8:30 -- or at least just about to head out the door. Housewives would still be at home, of course, but why not air a morning show at a time when you would reach the largest possible audience?
It was only on for 15 minutes. Very much an early experiment in breakfast TV.
YTV and TTT briefly experimented with their own 'breakfast television' service in 1977, with Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East being shown at 8.30 - the first ever edition featuring news coverage of the Pan Am/KLM runway collision at Tenerife.
I never understood the timing of Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North East. Surely the bulk of the audience would have already been on their way to work at 8:30 -- or at least just about to head out the door. Housewives would still be at home, of course, but why not air a morning show at a time when you would reach the largest possible audience?
It was only on for 15 minutes. Very much an early experiment in breakfast TV.
NM
I take it adverts for Look-in didn't count
Until 1987 when ITV Daytime officially launched, there were no ads on weekdays before the '12:27' break (ie. after the pre-school programmes such as Rainbow), and none at all on Sundays until roughly the same time.
I take it adverts for Look-in didn't count
SC
Evidently not, though that's the only example I've seen of a Look-In ad shown on a weekday morning. Central liked to be different, but they stayed within the rules.
Look-In being published by ITV (wasn't it ITPA or similar?) meant it probably wasn't a paid-for ad any more than the 'Full details in TV Times' astons were sponsors, and in the same way Radio Times ads on the BBC weren't really 'ads'.
I assume the various publication annos during schools programmes ("Parents can obtain copies of the Let's Read with Basil Brush books from The Old Library in Margate" and the like) weren't seen as ads, as they were tv tie-in publications. Remember when Redvers used to promote Emmerdale Farm novels after the programme? As late as 1994, Carlton used to promote the Prisoner Cell Block H videocassettes after the episodes. I assume these 'pub annos' were regarded differently to ads, and the ITV company wasn't paid to promote the products? I can see a difference between a pub anno for Emmerdale books, which were published by YTV, and Prisoner videos whose publisher/distributor wasn't linked in any way to ITV or Carlton. Though legally, perhaps there wasn't a difference?
Evidently not, though that's the only example I've seen of a Look-In ad shown on a weekday morning. Central liked to be different, but they stayed within the rules.
Look-In being published by ITV (wasn't it ITPA or similar?) meant it probably wasn't a paid-for ad any more than the 'Full details in TV Times' astons were sponsors, and in the same way Radio Times ads on the BBC weren't really 'ads'.
I assume the various publication annos during schools programmes ("Parents can obtain copies of the Let's Read with Basil Brush books from The Old Library in Margate" and the like) weren't seen as ads, as they were tv tie-in publications. Remember when Redvers used to promote Emmerdale Farm novels after the programme? As late as 1994, Carlton used to promote the Prisoner Cell Block H videocassettes after the episodes. I assume these 'pub annos' were regarded differently to ads, and the ITV company wasn't paid to promote the products? I can see a difference between a pub anno for Emmerdale books, which were published by YTV, and Prisoner videos whose publisher/distributor wasn't linked in any way to ITV or Carlton. Though legally, perhaps there wasn't a difference?
Last edited by Si-Co on 20 June 2016 7:15pm
BL
The BBC showed promotions for 'Radio Times' and of course the BBC don't show adverts, so ITV argued that showing promotions for TV Times etc couldn't possibly be considered ads either. Some clever people at ITV.