Timeline of Southern Television

This is a timeline of the history of the former British broadcaster Southern Television. It provided the ITV service for the South and South East of England from 1958 to 1981.

1950s
  • 1958
    • 30 August – At 5:30 pm, Southern Television begins broadcasting.
  • 1959
    • No events.

1960s
  • 1960
  • 1961
    • Southern opens studios in Dover and launches localised news opt-outs for the east of the region, becoming the first broadcaster in the UK provide such a service.
    • 4 April – Southern launches a weeknight 30-minute regional news programme called Day By Day.[3]
  • 1962
    • No events.
  • 1963
    • No events.
  • 1964
    • 9 October – Southern launches a weekly news magazine for South East England called Friday on Ten. This is shown instead of the Friday edition of regional news magazine Day by Day.
    • Southern is given a three-year extension to its licence. This is later extended by a further year.
  • 1965
    • No events.
  • 1966
    • Southern Television Limited renames itself Southern Independent Television Limited as part of the 1968 ITV franchise round.
  • 1967
  • 1968
    • August – A technicians strike forces ITV off the air for several weeks although management manage to launch a temporary ITV Emergency National Service with no regional variations.
  • 1969
    • 19 August – Southern moves into its new purpose-built studios.
    • 13 December — Southern starts broadcasting in colour but does not mark the change with any alteration to its logo other than replacing the black background with a blue background.[4]

1970s
  • 1970
    • No events.
  • 1971
    • No events.
  • 1972
    • 16 October – Following a law change which removed all restrictions on broadcasting hours, ITV is able to launch an afternoon service.
  • 1973
    • No events.
  • 1974
    • The 1974 franchise round sees no changes in ITV's contractors as it is felt that the huge cost in switching to colour television would have made the companies unable to compete against rivals in a franchise battle.
  • 1975
    • No events.
  • 1976
    • No events.
  • 1977
  • 1978
    • No events.
  • 1979
    • 10 August – The ten week ITV strike forces Southern Television off the air. The strike ends on 24 October.

1980s
  • 1980
  • 1981
    • August – Southern sells its Southampton studios to TVS but Southern continues to use them until its franchise runs out at the end of the year.
  • 1982
    • 1 January – Southern Television closes down for the final time at 12:43 am.[7]
  • After 1982
    • 1983 – TVS closes Southern's Dover studios following the opening of its new studios at Maidstone.
    • 1984 – Southern's Dover studios are demolished.
    • Southern's programme archive is sold to Southern Star Group, who later sell it on to Renown Pictures.

See also

References
  1. Southern - The Broadcasting Years
  2. TV Live: Southern Television
  3. TV Ark: ITV South News - Day by Day
  4. TV Live: Southern Television
  5. Sunday Express, 27 November 1977, p. 28.
  6. BBC News - ITV franchise changes ATV, Southern & Westward, TV-AM 28 December 1980
  7. Footage of the final moments of Southern Television
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