ABC Weekend TV
ABC, your weekend television in the North/Midlands.
ABC Weekend TV was a British broadcaster that provided weekend television services in the Midlands and Northern England as part of the ITV network from 1956 to 1968. It was one of the "Big Four" ITV companies and was created by the Associated British Picture Corporation, owner of ABC Cinemas, after another franchise holder collapsed. The company lost its franchises in 1968 and merged to form Thames Television.
Quick Facts
- Branding
- ABC
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Air date
- 18 February 1956 in the Midlands
- 5 May 1956 in the North West
- 3 November 1956 in Yorkshire
- Headquarters
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- London
- Broadcast area
- #984ea3, Midlands#ff8900, North
- Owner
- Associated British Picture Corporation
- Dissolved
- 28 July 1968
- Former names
- Associated British Cinemas (Television) Limited
Facts from the source article.
History
ABC was formed after Kemsley-Winnick, a consortium awarded two ITV franchises in 1954, collapsed. The Independent Television Authority approached ABPC to take over the weekend contracts for the Midlands and the North of England, and the agreement was signed on 21 September 1955, the day before ITV began in London. This left ABC only five months to start broadcasting in the Midlands, which it did on 18 February 1956. It began in the North West on 5 May 1956 and in Yorkshire on 3 November 1956. ABC benefited from Kemsley-Winnick's failure, as that company had ordered over £1 million of production equipment from Pye, which was sold to ABC at a much-discounted price. The London weekend contractor had launched as "Associated Broadcasting Company" (ABC), but ABPC wanted the ABC brand to match its cinema chain. ABPC took legal action, and the London company renamed itself Associated Television (ATV) after three weeks, allowing ABPC to launch as "ABC". Because ABC entered late, some network arrangements were already set, and ABC felt these were unfair to the smallest contractor, which only broadcast weekends. It objected to paying one-quarter of ITN's costs, as fewer news programmes aired at weekends. Managing director Howard Thomas, formerly of Pathé News, believed ABC could provide its own news more cheaply, but the ITA insisted that national news remain independent. ABC's lobbying eventually led to reduced ITN programming and lower costs.
Studios
ABC's main production site was the former Warner Studios in Teddington, Middlesex, chosen because many performers were committed to West End theatre and could not leave London. After ABC merged with Rediffusion, this site became Thames Television's main base. In the Midlands, ABC and ATV jointly formed Alpha Television, which converted a former cinema in Aston, Birmingham, into the Alpha Studios. ABC also operated a northern studio centre in Manchester, converted from a former Capitol cinema in Didsbury, and a sales office in Television House in the city centre; both were vacated during 1968. Some entertainment shows were made at the ABC Theatre in Blackpool, owned by ABC Cinemas. For pre-filmed series like The Avengers (from 1965), ABC used its parent company's Associated British Elstree Studios.
Identity
ABC initially used the branding of its sister company ABC Cinemas, featuring a triangular shield with the letters ABC and a bar reading 'Television'. This lasted from 1956 until September 1959, when the ITA criticised it as bland and too closely tied to the cinema chain. ABC then created a new ident with three arrows pointing downward to reveal the letters ABC in turn, leaving a triangle behind; the three triangles then snapped together into a new logo. This ident lasted until 1964, when the lettering font was changed from serif to a bold style, which remained until the company ended. The logo used the concept of threes, with three triangles forming another triangle, and the points often labelled A, B and C in geometry. The accompanying tune was a vibraphone playing the notes A-B-C (la-te-doh). ABC became the first British TV station to recognise the importance of corporate branding. The company was originally called Associated British Cinemas (Television) Limited, shortened to A.B.C. Television Limited by 1957. From about 1967, exports by sister company A.B.C. Television Films Ltd. used the name 'Associated British Corporation' to avoid confusion with the US ABC network. On-air names included 'Associated British', 'ABC Television', and 'ABC'. The station received the joke nickname "All Bloody Commercials" from Bob Monkhouse. Spoken slogans included "ABC – Associated British in the North/Midlands" (until 1958), "ABC, your weekend TV" (1958–1964), and "ABC, your weekend television in the North/Midlands" (from 1964).
Programming
ABC produced many networked programmes, including the drama series Police Surgeon, The Human Jungle, Undermind, Redcap, The Avengers, and the Armchair Theatre series of single plays. It also aired popular shows such as Thank Your Lucky Stars, Opportunity Knocks, Big Night Out, and Oh Boy!, as well as Tommy Cooper's Cooperama and Life with Cooper. Children's science fiction serials included Emerald Soup, Target Luna, and the Pathfinders series. Gritty dramas like Callan and Public Eye continued as Thames productions after 1968. ABC introduced ITV's first weekly arts series (Tempo), first hidden camera show (Candid Camera), and first attempt to challenge BBC sport with World of Sport. It also launched British television's first late night chat show, The Eamonn Andrews Show, and, with ATV, the first regular weekly series of adult education programmes.
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