This is a timeline of the history of Anglia Television (now known as ITV Anglia), the ITV franchise holder for the East of England.
1950s 1959 27 October – Anglia Television starts broadcasting from Mendlesham transmitting station on VHF channel 11 to Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
1960s 1960 2 June – About Anglia launches as a twice-weekly programme accompanying the 10-minute regional evening news bulletin on weekdays. Its success prompted it to be extended to four nights a week the following September and then every weeknight.Dinosaurs - Anglia Television
1961 1 February – The first episode of Anglia's natural history programme Survival is broadcast on ITV, It had been developed from a regional nature programme called Countryman which Anglia had broadcast the previous year.
1962 30 September – Anglia Television launches a weekly regional football highlights programme called Match of the Week.
1963 No events.
1964 Anglia is given a three-year extension to its licence. This is later extended by a further year.
1965 5 July – Anglia starts broadcasting on VHF channel 6 from Sandy Heath transmitting station, extending coverage into Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Until late 1966, there were no morning broadcasts from this transmitter due to a clash with the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. 20 December – Anglia starts broadcasting on VHF channel 7 from Belmont transmitting station, extending coverage into Lincolnshire, eastern Yorkshire and northern parts of Norfolk.
1966 No events.
1967 The Independent Television Authority renews Anglia's licence for a further seven years.
1968 2 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 7 June – Anglia begins talks with Yorkshire Television about a cost-cutting exercise by sharing equipment and facilities. Neither company planned joint productions or a merger. The reason to form an association was purely down to the costs of the increased levy on the companies advertising revenue by the government and the cost of colour TV. The ITA stated there was no reason why the companies should not have talks about sensible economies that could be made, but would examine all details before any association were to be implemented.Yorkshire, Anglia in TV link talks.BY BROADCASTING CORRESPONDENT. The Times (London, England), Saturday, 7 June 1969 November – The Anglia knight ident is remade with constant lighting with the knight constantly rotating on a turntable, a longer version of the ident was used at the start of the day's transmission until the mid-1980s.TV Live: Anglia Television
1970s 1970 1 January – A warning is given that regionalism would be abandoned and a forced merger between Yorkshire Television and Anglia Television would happen unless the chancellor reduced the levy applied on advertising revenuesTV crisis may force mergers.By DAVID WOOD The Times, Thursday, 1 January 1970; which the government agreed to a few months later. 1 October – Anglia starts broadcasting in colour on UHF from Sudbury transmitting station to Suffolk and Essex.
1971 18 January – The Sandy Heath transmitter begins transmitting in colour on UHF. 24 May – Anglia starts broadcasting in colour on UHF from Tacolneston transmitting station to Norfolk. On the same day, the Belmont transmitter also begins transmitting in colour on UHF. 9 October – Anglia's long-running game show Sale of the Century airs its first episode.
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 30 July – Following the 1974 franchise round, the Belmont transmitter in Lincolnshire is switched from Anglia Television to Yorkshire Television.
1975 No events.
1976 No events.
1977 No events.
1978 No events.
1979 10 August – The ten week ITV strike forces Anglia Television off the air. The strike ends on 24 October.
1980s 1980 25 January – Three new low-powered relay stations carrying Anglia are built in North Norfolk to improve reception in that area following public pressure from 70,000 viewers who since 1974 had been served by Yorkshire Television. Many of these viewers had gone to "considerable trouble and expense" to receive Anglia Television.ITV's framework for survival in the eighties: Expectations of a harsh ... The Guardian, 25 January 1980. 28 December – The Independent Broadcasting Authority announces the new contractors to commence on 1 January 1982 and Anglia Television is reawarded its licence. However, there had been a challenger, from East of England Television.Starter's orders for the great ITV stakes The Guardian (1959–2003); 10 May 1980
1981 No events.
1982 No events.
1983 1 February – ITV's breakfast television service TV-am launches. Consequently, Anglia's broadcast day now begins at 9:25am. 6 November – The last episode of the original run of Sale of the Century airs.
1984 No events.
1985 3 January – Anglia's last day of transmission using the 405-lines system.
1986 No events.
1987 28 August – Anglia begins 24-hour transmissions with its service 'Through the Night'. 7 September – Following the transfer of ITV Schools to Channel 4, ITV provides a full morning programme schedule, with advertising, for the first time. The new service includes regular five-minute national and regional news bulletins.
1988 21 March The silver statue of a knight on horseback ident is consigned to history, having served as Anglia's ident since the station went on air 29 years earlier. It is replaced by a new identity, a quasi-heraldic stylised 'A' made of triangles, designed by Robinson Lambie-Nairn at a cost of £500,000.(Norfolk) Evening Star. Tuesday 22 March 1988 "Exit the knight who has had his day..." The knight continued to have a presence as it was moved to the Anglia headquarters reception. About Anglia is given a new look to coincide with the ident change.TV Live: About Anglia
1989 1 September – ITV introduces its first official logo as part of an attempt to unify the network under one image whilst retaining regional identity. Anglia does not adopt the logo and continues to use the ident it introduced the previous year.TV Live: Anglia Television
1990s 1990 9 July – About Anglia ends and is replaced by Anglia News. The change sees Anglia produce two separate news services, East (Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex) and West (Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Northern Hertfordshire, Northern Buckinghamshire, Southern Lincolnshire, Southern Rutland and a small part of Southern Leicestershire).TV Live: About Anglia
1991 1 September – Anglia's Through the Night service ends. It is replaced by the generic overnight service from London.TV Ark: ITV Overnight Services 16 October – The Independent Television Commission announces the results of the franchise round. Anglia Television is reawarded its licence having bid £17.8 million to see off two rival bidders, Three East Television and CPV-TV.
1992 No events.
1993 16 March – Anglia forges a partnership with American pay-TV network HBO, owned by Time Warner. Under this arrangement, Anglia acquired half-ownership in Citadel, an HBO production subsidiary, Time Warner subsequently acquired 50 percent of Itel, Anglia's distribution unit. In addition, a new company was formed, Anglia Television Entertainment, 51% owned by Anglia and 49% owned by HBO.
1994 19 February – Anglia Television is bought by MAI (owners of Meridian Broadcasting). who merged with United Newspapers to form United News and Media.
1995 No events.
1996 No events.
1997 No events.
1998 15 November – The public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK takes place.
1999 8 November – A new, hearts-based on-air look is introduced. Anglia adopts the look which features the stylised "A", albeit in a square rather than a flag.
2000s 2000 No events.
2001 30 January – After 40 years, Anglia's natural history programme Survival comes to an end. 11 August – ITV’s main channel is rebranded as ITV1.
2002 28 October – On-air regional identities are dropped apart from when introducing regional programmes and Anglia is renamed ITV1 Anglia.
2003 September – Anglia News is renamed Anglia News Tonight.
2004 2 February The final two remaining English ITV companies, Carlton and Granada, merge to create a single England and Wales ITV company called ITV plc. Anglia News Tonight is renamed Anglia Tonight. 31 October – The Anglia logo is seen at the end of its own programmes for the final time.
2005 No events.
2006 Anglia sells its Magdalen Street studio complex. They had been in use as an additional production base since the late 1970s. 13 November – The ITV1 Anglia branding, still seen before some regional programming is dropped.
2007 No events.
2008 Anglia's GMTV and weekend regional news bulletins become pan-regional. December – All non-news local programming ends after Ofcom gives ITV permission to drastically cut back its regional programming. From 2009, the only regional programme is the monthly political discussion show.
2009 February – ITV makes major cutbacks to its regional broadcasts in England and the two sub-regional news programmes are merged into a pan-regional programme, although more localised news continues to be broadcast as a brief opt-out during the early evening programme.
2010s 2010 No events.
2011 23 November – The Anglia region completes its digital switchover.
2012 No events.
2013 14 January – Anglia Tonight is renamed ITV News Anglia.ITV launches rebrand on air and online, itv.com, 14 January 2013. 16 September – Sub-regional news coverage is reintroduced and the weekday daytime, late evening and weekend bulletins as well as 20 minutes of the 6pm programme are once again more localised.OFCOM sets out licence terms for ITV, STV, UTV and Channel 5 , OFCOM, 23 July 2013
See also History of ITV History of ITV television idents Timeline of ITV
References