Compass
This new section is devoted to the regional television services that serve (and have served) the South (and in ITV's case also covering the South-East) of England. In terms of ITV franchises, only Wales has had more changes in terms of the companies running regional ITV franchises, and in the case of Wales this was partly due to the region's special requirements that initially made it a tricky region for an ITV franchise to properly serve. Click on the appropriate image to choose a particular section.
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BBC TV South (1961-) started life as part of the ever-expanding network of BBC regions providing local news optouts and other programming both regional and (very occasionally) national. |
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Southern Television (1958-1981) had the luxury of starting after other ITV franchises had proved that commercial television could be profitable as well as informing and entertaining viewers. |
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TVS (1982-1992) was radically different from its conservative Southern predecessor and was very much in tune with the capitalist 1980s but its competitiveness was ultimately to prove its downfall. |
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Meridian (1993-) was different in that it was a 'publisher broadcaster' that often commissioned rather than produced its own programming, and ended up being the least ambitious as a result. |