GMTV facts for kids
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| Type | Breakfast television |
|---|---|
| Branding | GMTV |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| First air date | 1 January 1993 |
| Headquarters | The London Studios, London |
| Owner | ITV plc |
| Dissolved | 3 September 2010 |
| Picture format | |
| Affiliation | |
| Replaced by | ITV Breakfast |
GMTV (which stands for Good Morning Television) was a popular TV channel in the United Kingdom. It broadcast every morning on Channel 3 from January 1, 1993, until September 3, 2010. GMTV was known for its breakfast shows, which included news, interviews, and fun segments.
Even though it was shown on ITV, GMTV was its own company for a long time. It had its own news team, sales team, and even made its own shows. This changed in 2009 when ITV plc, a big TV company, bought GMTV completely. After this, ITV decided to change the breakfast show, and GMTV aired its last show on September 3, 2010.
Contents
The Story of GMTV
How GMTV Started
GMTV won the right to broadcast the breakfast show on Channel 3 starting in 1993. They won this against the previous channel, TV-am, by offering £34 million. Big companies like LWT, STV, Disney, and the Guardian Media Group supported GMTV.
GMTV promised to offer a "cheerful morning with more information." They planned a new children's news show and a new morning show led by women. Originally, the channel was going to be called 'Sunrise Television'. However, Sky News already had a breakfast show with that name, so GMTV changed its name.
Early Days of Broadcasting
The very first GMTV show aired on January 1, 1993. It was presented by Eamonn Holmes and Anne Davies. The main weekday presenters were Fiona Armstrong and Michael Wilson.
However, in its first six weeks, GMTV lost 2 million viewers. People even called it "Grinning Morons Television." To fix this, Greg Dyke was brought in to help make the shows better. He wanted "more popular journalism."
Changes were made quickly. Michael Wilson moved to present a news-focused hour from 6 to 7 am. Lorraine Kelly joined as a main presenter, and the set was even changed to look more like the old TV-am set.
Facing Challenges and Improving
GMTV faced some tough times early on. Within six months, they had lost £10 million. The Independent Television Commission (ITC), which oversees TV channels, even warned GMTV for not meeting its standards. They said the news was "unsatisfactory" and children's shows needed to improve.
By May 1994, GMTV was given a final warning. They could be fined £2 million if things didn't get better. To fix this, they brought in shows like Barney & Friends for children and improved their news. By the end of 1994, GMTV had improved enough to avoid the fine and even started making a profit.
In July 1994, Anthea Turner joined GMTV and became very popular. She presented with Eamonn Holmes. Later, Fiona Phillips took over her role in 1997.
By 1998, GMTV was losing money again. But then, the ITC reduced the amount of money GMTV had to pay to the government. This helped GMTV invest more in its shows. The ITC praised GMTV in 1999 for improving its shows, news coverage, and children's programs.
Changes in the 2000s
In the early 2000s, there were changes in who owned GMTV. The STV Group tried to buy more shares, but other companies like Carlton and Granada disagreed. Eventually, the Guardian Media Group sold its share, and the four remaining owners each had a 25% stake.
In 2004, ITV plc bought STV Group's 25% share in GMTV. This meant ITV plc owned more of the company. In 2005, Eamonn Holmes left GMTV. He was reportedly unhappy with the show becoming "too commercial."
Big Changes in 2008-2009
In 2008, GMTV decided to make big changes to its shows. This was because more people were watching other digital channels. They wanted to make the channel look and feel more modern.
New presenters like Emma Crosby and Kirsty McCabe joined. They replaced Fiona Phillips and Andrea McLean. Fiona Phillips, who had been a main presenter for 12 years, left GMTV in December 2008. She said it was "one of the hardest decisions I've ever made."
ITV Takes Full Control
In November 2009, ITV plc bought the remaining 25% of GMTV from Disney. This meant ITV plc now fully owned GMTV. After this, many big changes happened:
- The editor of GMTV, Martin Frizell, was replaced.
- Presenters like Penny Smith and John Stapleton left or changed roles.
- The presenters for GMTV Kids, Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson, also left.
- There was talk of new presenters joining, including Adrian Chiles from the BBC.
- Ben Shephard and Andrew Castle also announced they would be leaving GMTV.
- In June 2010, ITV plc announced they would stop using the GMTV name.
- Christine Bleakley joined Adrian Chiles as the new main host for the upcoming breakfast show.
- On July 9, 2010, it was confirmed that the new ITV breakfast show would be called Daybreak.
- The show GMTV with Lorraine became its own separate program called Lorraine.
- Many GMTV team members, like Kate Garraway and Dr. Hilary Jones, moved to the new Daybreak show.
- On September 3, 2010, the very last GMTV show aired, marking the end of an era for breakfast television in the UK.
Images for kids
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GMTV logo
