Where did Channel TV get their network feed from in 1979? Was it from Southern Television or Westward Television?

@@johnking5174 Westward

@@jimr6463 I would have thought Isle of Wight signals would have been stronger than Westward transmitter, but it must have been made stronger when UHF colour arrived in 1976?

The interesting thing about that service we provided at Channel was that when the network came back up a huge number of channel islanders told us they didn't want it back and they wished the 'new' service would stay on! The trouble was - we were all exhausted and couldn't have kept it up much longer!

@@jimr6463 I have seen copies of the emergency schedules you had. I take my hat off to you, quite a feat to fill 5pm to 11pm with no access to the network.

Problem for Channel was they had no access to archive ITV material, as all networked shows were simply Channel relaying them from the network. So they needed films of movies and TV shows flown into their HQ at St Helier, which was a very tough task

@@johnking5174 They had did have a few things on videotape and film that they COULD fall back on

that reigon was rediffusion.

@bobrew461 hes the reason doctor who went on hiatus in the 80s

I think they did, as Westward provided the sales administration to Channel in an arrangement which was made in 1962.

No, the BBC strike happened the year before at December 1978, with the ABS union which was the union for BBC staff went on strike just before Christmas. Knocking off BBC One and BBC Two by 20th December and then BBC Radio staff went on strike on Friday 22nd December which led to BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 merged into one network for a few hours. That strike was settled by 10pm on Friday 22nd December 1978. This left ITV only on air, however in the Yorkshire TV region, they were off air due to their own strike from 17th December, and so from 20th to 22nd December, people in Yorkshire had no television at all, except spill over reception from other ITV regions such as Granada, Tyne Tees or ATV.

@Tomleç This was an emergency schedule. No programmes were coming from London. Channel Television had to source all their emergency schedules from independent sources, as Channel Television did not have video tape facilities, it all had to be aired on 16 mm or 35 mm film, meaning a lack of resources, so schedules were trimmed to a basic 6 hour daily schedule. Why?

@Tomleç That is right. Thames and LWT controlled the network output, and of course they were off air, leaving Channel with the hard task to fill a schedule with nothing from the network. Channel didn't have access to ITV archives also.

@Tomleç Correct, as Channel TV had a separate agreement with the union ACTT to not go on strike. The ACTT understood that Channel TV was the smallest ITV region, and a prolonged strike would bankrupt the company, and involved all their union staff being made redundant. ACTT never wanted that. So Channel TV signed a different union deal. They have always done this. During every other strike at ITV including the summer 1968 strike, Channel TV remained on air.

@@johnking5174 yorkshire had some news coverage

@@NelvanaFan1971 It was essential due to the ongoing crime event there.

It was a closed union shop, itv wanted to modernise but the unions would not let them. This was one of the last big industrial actions.

Most people forget that the BBC went on strike around xmas, 1978. But quickly settled.

@@bobrew461 Probably because the BBC was, at the time at least, a far better employer than anyone in the ITV Group (not to be confused with ITV plc)

Problem for the BBC was it was the summer season. All schools programmes were off air, meaning no daytime programming apart from sport. BBC never provided a proper codified daytime schedule until Oct 1986, it was all built around schools programmes, adult education, news, Pebble Mill and sport - so when Pebble Mill, schools and adult education were off air for the summer, daytime BBC One was around 70% empty from July until late September. ITV was always the only proper provider of a codified daytime television schedule, all the way back to 1972.

@@johnking5174 The BBC hadn't clue! They didn't have to work hard at getting an audience, because they had / have the guaranteed licence fee to fund their BS! But they have never learned from the old days of the 1970s strikes. Now they are paying the price, as more and more people are not willing to paying their tax of a licence fee...

@@bobrew461 nonsense. So Generation Game, Dad’s Army etc were rubbish? BBC doesn’t exist to solely chase ratings. What would be the point? To the Manor Born, Shoestring all started on the BBC during the strike and their ratings popularity continued the following year even when ITV were back.

@@bobrew461 stands to reason people don’t like licence fee because there is competition now and youngsters want everything for free these days.

@@megadigidave4457 Only ONE of the shows you've mentioned was any good: Shoestring.