Television starts the day

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Goodnight Television

London Broadcasting Company

Associated-Rediffusion starts the day on 22 September 1955 and Leslie Mitchell tells us what's what.

Associated-Rediffusion day one

An authority announcement from John Benson is followed by the extended ABC ident (sadly with a break in transmission) and Keith Martin taking us up to the Morning Service from ATV.

ABC Sunday morning start-up with Keith Martin, 21 July 1968

'In Parenthesis' from BBC Radio 3 on 1 April 1972

BBC Radio 3

In Parenthesis

CBC, every day for every one, on 221 and 96.0, launches on 11 April 1980

First sign-on for CBC on 11 April 1980

A blooper from an edition of Robin Watson's Wireless Biograph on CBC in Cardiff in their first year

CBC Wireless Biograph (blooper)

CBC in Cardiff goes to Caerphilly Castle for an outside broadcast early in their history

CBC OB from Caerphilly Castle

Saturday and Sunday programmes on early CBC in these two promos by Phil Miles

Phil Miles promos for CBC weekend programmes

Show openings for Capital Breakfast, Tiger Bay Rock, and Robin Watson's Wireless Biograph from early CBC

Capital Breakfast, Tiger Bay Rock, and Robin Watson on CBC

For only 75p, you too could wear a CBC beanie!

Wear a CBC hat!

Various clips from the first day or so of CBC in Cardiff

Various first day clips from CBC

CBC announces an expansion of evening programmes

Announcement of new evening schedule for CBC

A promo from LBC's second image package from 1975: at the time it sounded sophisticated, now it sounds like On The Hour.

LBC relaunch 1975

From 1973 comes LBC's original launch image package -- quite the revelation at the time, now just a tad pompous.

LBC/Robert Farnon launch package 1973

In 1941, the BBC began prefixing their transmissions to the European mainland with 'V' in morse code, a practice that was so successful they kept it up long after the end of the war. http://www.transdiffusion.org/2015/07/16/dot-dot-dot-dash

BBC 'V for Victory' tuning signal

It's a weekday in 1967 shortly after their change of name from Associated TeleVision to ATV Network and Michael Prince is on hand to open the station for the day. This is DX reception of Lichfield channel 8 in Cheshire.

ATV Midlands daily sign on in 1967

DX reception of Lichfield channel 8 of John Edmunds opening ABC Midlands for the day in 1964.

John Edmunds opens ABC Midlands for the day (DX reception)

From 1965 comes this bossa nova start-up from BBC-1, using Freddie Phillips's "Solid Steel Ticker". If it sounds a bit familiar, Phillips is now probably most famous for his later work on Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley.

BBC-1 start-up: "Solid Steel Ticker" by Freddie Philips | 1965

BBC-1 comes on air in 1965 for the London, Midlands, West and North regions with its lunchtime programme in Welsh for the diaspora, using "Blu Part Invention" by Freddie Phillips.

BBC-1 start-up "Blu Part Invention" by Freddie Phillips | 1965

The 1960s militaristic arrangement of the BBC World Service identification tune 'Lillibullero', replaced in the 1970s as drums and pipes and imperialism went out of fashion.

BBC World Service 1960s Lillibullero arrangement

ATV in Birmingham starts the day with the "Sir Lew Grade March", then Trevor Lucas takes us into 'Yoga for Health' with Richard Hittleman.

ATV starts the day in 1972

Douglas Cameron and Andrew Gardner take us into LBC's Night Watch 24 hour overnight news service in 1975.

LBC countdown into Night Watch, 1975

From 1975: LBC's invention of the news countdown takes us into their morning programme AM with Douglas Cameron and Clive Roslin.

LBC countdown into 'AM' - 1975

From 1975 comes LBC's second identity package. Here's the main LBC Theme in the clear.

LBC Theme 1975

In the clear so you can do your own news headlines, plus all 10 'bongs', here's Johnny Pearson's 'The Awakening' as cut for ITN in 1967.

ITN News at Ten theme (clear, with bongs)

Channel 4 comes on air for the first time to the strains of the lovely 'Fourscore' by Lord David Dundas.

Fourscore

Jeff Wayne's Good Morning Britain theme - very long version.

Good Morning Britain (very long)

The main themes from the wonderful Bennett/Stokoe/Moran package for Central in 1982 - main (startup) theme, long closedown, short closedown.

Central package - themes

ATV presents the best children's programme of all time...

Transdiffusion Broadcasting System

Thunderbirds

David Hamilton closes ABC North's penultimate Saturday on air with the epilogue (cut from this recording) and Keith Martin with the weather.

ABC North closedown on Saturday 20 July 1968

David Hamilton takes ABC North to the weather with Keith Martin, the epilogue and the closedown on ABC penultimate Sunday.

ABC North closedown on 21 July 1968

Opportunity Knocks says Goodbye to Didsbury on ABC's last Saturday - a complete show, minus adverts, that looks back at 12 years of ABC in the North.

Opportunity Knocks: Goodbye to Didsbury (27 July 1968)

A promo for YTV's first drama, voiced by Harlech's Peter Lewis, the David Hamilton closes down ABC on its last Saturday night.

ABC's final Saturday closedown, 27 July 1968

David Hamilton closes ABC North down for the very final time on Sunday 28 July 1968 with this special trip down memory lane, also featuring Keith Martin with the final weather forecast.

Goodbye to ABC, final programme on ABC, 28 July 1968

ABC starts the day between 1956 and 1959 with Robert Farnon's "Mr Punch".

ABC 1956-9 start-up "Mr Punch"

ABC's special pre-Morning Service opening sequence, with Frederic Curzon's 'Pastoral Prelude' substituting for 'Mr Punch' and later 'Busy Batchelor'.

ABC Morning Service startup using 'Pastoral Prelude'

In the week of 22 February 1971, LWT teeters on the edge yet again and faces a takeover from Rupert Murdoch. Ludovic Kennedy and Barrie Penrose at the BBC's '24 Hours' stir the pot... or investigate the troubled broadcaster.

BBC '24 Hours' on the fall of LWT, week commencing 22 February 1971

Colin Weston closes down Granada for the night in 1969. Note in the background Kif Bowden-Smith's grandmother wishing Colin goodnight back.

Colin Weston closes down Granada after a Frost on Saturday

From the late 1970s, BBC Radio 1's 'Mailbag' interviews producer Johnny Beerling about the station's use of jingles. With thanks to Jon Tarrant.

Johnny Beerling interviewed about BBC Radio 1 jingles

Frank Whitby opens Granada in summer 1968, handing over to 'On Air' with Alan Towers and the ITN headlines.

Granada starts the day with 'On Air' and the ITN news in summer 1968

Teledu Cymru reopens after lunch with Christine Godwin taking us into schools programmes. DX-quality recording which we've done our best with.

Teledu Cymru start up after lunch for schools

Broadcasting minister Christopher Chataway is about to decide how commercial radio will be introduced into the UK. David Lomax reports for the BBC's '24 Hours'.

BBC '24 Hours' on the Sound Broadcasting Bill, 14 January 1971

It's the afternoon of Tuesday 30 July 1968. Thames has already been on air in the morning for the cricket, then closed down for lunch. They're now back and ready to 'officially' begin broadcasting, starting with scenes from the celebrity-strewn luncheon they're throwing in London, narrated by Andrew Gardner.

Thames Television's inaugural luncheon, Tuesday 30 July 1968

Thames pre-launch promo on Rediffusion London

From the mid-1960s, your Saturday Night Suit is by John Collier.

Radio Luxembourg advert for John Collier suits

ATV starts the afternoon with a blast of the Sir Lew Grade March, followed by a welcome from Trevor Lucas.

ATV starts the afternoon with schools

Launch night of the new BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. Kenneth Horne takes us through what you can expect from the two new networks. Music edited out - in places, literally with scissors at the time. Also gone is the Michael Parkinson sports monologue. Sorry.

Spotlight 1 and 2, 30 September 1967

Steve Carlisle's theme tune to the 1978-82 CBS comedy "WRKP in Cincinnati". Released as a single in 1979, it charted in the US at 65 in 1981.

WKRP In Cincinnati Main Theme

Johnny Pearson's 'Midlands Montage', Stewart White doing the authority announcement and Mike Prince at the controls at ATV this morning.

ATV starts the day with Midlands Montage in 1981

Brian Nissen, Richard Addinsell and Steve Race open Southern for the day in 1964

Southern Rhapsody aka Serenade of the South

Ron Goodwin's Yorkshire Television March and John Crosse open YTV for the day a few weeks after the fall of the Emley Moor mast.

1969: Yorkshire Television March

Essex Radio's theme in 1981, sung by Terry Davis.

1431 On Your Radio - Essex Radio theme

The definitive daily start-up of the black and white era of ITV: Johnny Dankworth's Widespread World of Rediffusion with Redvers Kyle on authority announcement duties.

Widespread World of Rediffusion

ATV London starts the day in 1964 with 'Sound and Vision' by Eric Coates, an authority announcement by Norman Tozer and continuity by Trevor Lucas.

Sound and Vision

The main theme of BBC Radio Manchester in 1970

BBC Radio Manchester main jingle

Philip Elsmore wakes Thames for the day in 1968 to the strains of Perpetuum Mobile by Michael Roberts and Salute to Thames by Johnny Hawksworth

Perpetuum Mobile and Salute to Thames

Thames starts the school day in November 1969 with Johnny Hawksworth's Pizzicato Rockalong and Salute to Thames, Raymond Guiot's Agridulce over a menu and Roger Roger's Running with the Wind for the countdown, followed by a Thames b&w ident.

Pizzicato Rockalong, Salute to Thames, Agridulce and Running with the Wind

Redvers Kyle is joined by Laurie West and John Kelly as he closes Rediffusion London for the last ever time late night on 29 July 1968

Last ever closedown of Rediffusion London

The independent broadcasting authority since 1964

Transdiffusion

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