Timeline of ABC Weekend TV

This is a timeline of the history of the British television company ABC Weekend TV, one of the first four contractors of the Independent Television network.

1950s
  • 1954
  • 1955
    • 21 September – After the collapse of Kemsley-Winnick, the ITA approaches Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) to provide the services instead, and the contract is signed today.[2]
    • 8 October – After legal action from ABPC, the weekend service for London is renamed from ABC (Associated Broadcasting Company) to ATV (Associated TeleVision), thus allowing ABPC to later use the ABC name for its own TV service.
  • 1956
    • 17 February – Alpha Television, a joint venture between ABC and the Midlands weekday contractor ATV, re-opens the former Astoria Cinema in Aston, Birmingham, as a studio shared between ABC and ATV.[2]
    • 18 February – ABPC's new company, Associated British Cinemas (Television) Ltd, begins its Midlands weekend service, under the brand name "ABC", broadcasting from Lichfield transmitting station. Its logo is based on the logo of ABC Cinemas (owned by ABPC).[2]
    • 5 May – ABC begins its North of England weekend service. Initially the service covers the North West from Winter Hill transmitting station.[3] The former Capitol Cinema in Didsbury, Manchester, re-opens as ABC's studios in the North of England.[2]
    • 3 November – ABC's North of England service is extended to Yorkshire via Emley Moor transmitting station.[4]
  • 1958
    • November – ABC buys the former Warner film studios at Teddington Lock in London, to be converted into television studios.[5]
  • 1959
    • Teddington Studios open as ABC's main production centre in London.[2]
    • September – ABC introduces a new logo based on inverted triangles, accompanied by a jingle based on the musical notes A, B and C.[6]

1960s
  • 1961
    • 7 January – The first episode of ABC's cult TV series The Avengers is broadcast. The series will run until 1969.
    • 18 July – A new 1,000-foot (300 m) mast at Lichfield replaces the existing 450-foot (140 m) mast to extend ABC's Midland service.[7]
    • August – Alpha Television in Birmingham upgrades its site to provide a second studio, office block, canteen and other facilities.[8]
  • 1964
  • 1965
  • 1966
    • 28 February – A new 1,015-foot (309 m) mast at Winter Hill replaces the existing 450-foot (140 m) mast to extend ABC's service in the North West.[3][10]
    • 15 August – A new 1,265-foot (386 m) mast at Emley Moor replaces the existing 450-foot (140 m) mast to extend ABC's service in Yorkshire.[4][9]
  • 1967
    • 13 January – The fifth series of The Avengers begins in the UK. This is the first series shot on colour film, even though ITV could not broadcast in colour until nearly three years later; the colour is for the benefit of US audiences. ABC uses the name "Associated British Corporation" at the end of Avengers episodes in this series, to avoid confusion with the US ABC network.[11][12]
    • 11 June – At its franchise review, the ITA decides that ABC will lose both its licences in 1968. Subsequently the owners of ABC and the London weekday contractor Rediffusion will jointly form a new company Thames Television which will be awarded the new London weekday franchise.[1]
  • 1968
    • 28 July – ABC broadcasts for the last time.[2] Its Midlands service is to be replaced by ATV, and its North of England service is to be replaced by Granada Television in the North West and Yorkshire Television in Yorkshire.
    • 30 July – Thames Television comes on air.[2] The ABC brand continues to be used on some filmed programmes broadcast by Thames (including the final series of The Avengers). Thames inherits ABC's Teddington Studios.

See also

References
  1. "Independent Television (ITV):A short chronology (1954-1997)". Soundscapes: Online Journal on Media Culture. Groningen. 4. April 2001. ISSN 1567-7745.
  2. Elen, Richard G. "ABC Television". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  3. Brown, Mike. "ITV 405 line VHF TV TRANSMITTERS LANCASHIRE". mb21. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  4. Brown, Mike. "ITV 405 line VHF TV TRANSMITTERS YORKSHIRE". mb21. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. "Teddington Studios". The Twickenham Museum. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  6. Bowden-Smith, Kif (24 May 2004). "Indepth on ABC Weekend Television". Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  7. Brown, Mike. "ITV 405 line VHF TV TRANSMITTERS MIDLANDS". mb21. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  8. Buxton, Roddy (15 August 2010). "A is for Alpha". Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. The ITA transmitter network. London: Independent Television Authority. April 1969. p. 15. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  10. Graham, Russ J; Lyons, Tony. "THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY WINTER HILL". mb21. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  11. Beaumont, Ian (11 January 2001). "The Avengers". ABC at large. Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. "Collections Search". BFI. British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
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