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ATV
History
Welcome
to the all-new ATV Network. The company, ATV Network Limited,
originally launched on the 30th July 1968. Prior to this, the company
had been known as Associated Television Limited and was officially
awarded a licence to broadcast on the new independent television
network on May 25th 1955.
*ATV
launched in London on September 24th 1955. It would broadcast to
London on weekends until 1968. ATV aired in the Midlands from
February 17th 1956 until January 1st 1982. And, although ATV went off
air in the early hours of the first day of '82, some programmes
produced in 1981 were aired on ITV in 1982.
ATV's
parent company owned part of the new Midland broadcaster, Central
Independent Television
for a short while, and the ATV Network company remained part of the Polygram
TV empire until 1992. The archive, also owned by Polygram,
was later sold to Carlton
International -
the then owners of Central
Television -
bringing the two archives back together.
*From
24th Sept to the 6th Oct 1955 ATV was known as ABC (Associated
Broadcasting Company), the name was changed due to Associated-British
Cinemas also venturing into television broadcasting. |
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ATV Today
ATV Network
Limited was brought out of retirement in 2005 - on the 50th
anniversary of its original launch, and now, with new independent
owners is back for your viewing pleasure. ATV Centre, the studios
built by the ATV Network between 1965 and 1969 in Birmingham were
taken over by Central Television in 1981 and remained in use until 1997.
ATV Elstree in
Borehamwood was used by Central until 1983, it was then sold to the
BBC, who continue to use the studios; most famously for soap, EastEnders.
ATV Networking
ATV works in
association with other organisations; mainly in theatre with the Protos
Theatre and Arts Group, who have been
taking to the stage since 1980. We have also been happy to co-operate
with TVS Television with one of their recent television ventures. |
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ATV Archive
Currently the ATV
programme library from 1955 to 1982 is owned by Granada
Ventures. Many of the stations shows have
seen repeats throughout the 1980s and 1990s all over the world.
ATV photographs.
Most from the official archive, which was issued to Carlton
International, is now in the hands of Rex Features. We do however
have some images in our library from previous ATV productions, these
include the soap opera Crossroads.
We also have some
archive documents in our vaults. These include the original floor
plans for the Crossroads sets, press releases and scripts. We also
have many television books which were 'returned' to ATV from the
Carlton Studios (former Central East Studios) at Lenton Lane in
Nottingham when it closed in 2004 and ATV bought some of the archive back. |
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ATV Chairman
"Thank you
for visiting the official ATV Network website. A new era for an old
company has arrived, and we know "the ATV Network" is one
of the most well-known and much loved brands in British television history.
"Some
would say its a name more popular and more highly respected than the
"ITV" branding of today. We at the new ATV Network hope to
build on that, and take the company forward into many new ventures.
"ATV
Network in its previous life created some of televisions best loved
programmes, and today many of them are still hugely popular with
their loyal fans. We respect the wonderful television heritage the
great late Lew Grade left us, and I hope, we continue his ATV
tradition in all our new ventures of making our productions for our
patrons and not for accountants, advertisers or critics. Something
sadly all too rare in TV today."
Michael Cooke
Chairman
ATV Network Limited |
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