TV-am facts for kids
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| Type | Breakfast television |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Breakfast Television Centre, London |
| Launch date | 1 February 1983 |
| Dissolved | 31 December 1992 |
| Affiliation | ITV |
| Language | English |
| Replaced by | GMTV |
TV-am was a British TV company. It broadcast the ITV breakfast television shows. This happened from February 1, 1983, to December 31, 1992. It was the first company in the UK to offer commercial breakfast TV. Its daily shows ran from 6 am to 9:25 am.
During its nearly ten years on air, TV-am often faced problems. This led to many changes in its management, especially at the start. The company also had to cut costs, which made things harder. By 1986, it was doing well and beating the BBC's Breakfast Time in ratings. However, a year later, a worker strike caused more trouble.
Despite these issues, by the 1990s, TV-am's main show, Good Morning Britain, was the most watched breakfast show in the UK. Later, a new law changed how TV licenses were given out. Because of this, TV-am lost its license. GMTV took its place in 1993.
Contents
How TV-am Started
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) announced a new TV license on January 24, 1980. This license was for a national breakfast television service. Eight groups applied for it. On December 28, the IBA chose TV-am to run this new service.
TV-am was supposed to start in June 1983. But the BBC launched its own breakfast show, Breakfast Time, two weeks earlier. To compete, the IBA let TV-am start early, on February 1, 1983.
This quick start caused two main problems. First, ITV could not agree on payment rates with the actors' union, Equity. The union told its members not to work with the new station. This meant TV-am earned little money from ads at first.
Second, TV-am thought the BBC's show would be very serious, focusing on news. So, TV-am planned its shows to be similar. But the BBC launched a light, magazine-style show. It was like American breakfast TV. TV-am had little time to change its plans to match this.
TV-am was led by five famous people, known as the "Famous Five." They were presenters and also owned parts of the company. These were Michael Parkinson, David Frost, Angela Rippon, Anna Ford, and Robert Kee. Another star, Esther Rantzen, had planned to join but decided not to. She had a new baby and wanted to keep her BBC show, That's Life!.
The presenters faced many challenges before the launch. Angela Rippon's BBC contract was not renewed because she joined TV-am. Anna Ford was fired by ITN, another company that wanted the breakfast TV license. ITN was upset because she had secretly planned to join TV-am.
A mistake in paperwork meant the presenters' contracts were sent to the wrong people. Angela Rippon found out she was paid much less than Anna Ford. Both women also learned that the male presenters, David Frost and Michael Parkinson, were paid much more than them.
TV-am's main office and studios were in London. The building was designed by Terry Farrell. It used to be a car showroom. It had large plastic egg cups on its roof. These egg cups became a famous symbol for the show.
TV-am had two TV studios. Studio A was bigger and used for the Good Morning Britain set. Studio B was smaller and used for news.
Shows first ran from 6 am to 9:15 am. Daybreak and Good Morning Britain filled weekday mornings. There was a 10-minute break before other ITV shows started. This break was needed to manually switch the broadcast signals. Later, switching became automatic. From May 1983, TV-am's hours were extended to 9:25 am. Good Morning Britain then became a two-hour show. The last 25 minutes became After Nine, a show for women.
Early Problems
The BBC's Breakfast Time was popular, but TV-am's early ratings were low. TV-am's serious approach, called "mission to explain," did not work well in the mornings. The BBC's show was lighter and more like a magazine. It mixed serious news with fun features.
TV-am's first day included an hour of news, a film, and an interview. It also had a comic strip and a game show. Within two weeks, ratings dropped sharply. They fell again to under 300,000 viewers within a month. Only the weekend show, hosted by Michael Parkinson, did well. This was because the BBC did not broadcast on weekend mornings. Saturday shows drew 1.5 million viewers.
Changes were made on February 28. Daybreak was shortened. Good Morning Britain started earlier, at 6:30 am. Angela Rippon moved to present with Anna Ford. David Frost stepped down to help the show. Anna Ford got sick, and Frost and Parkinson filled in. Viewers increased by 200,000 in the first week of the new format.
On March 18, Peter Jay, the chief executive, stepped down. Investors wanted changes. Jonathan Aitken, a politician, became the new chief executive. Angela Rippon and Anna Ford publicly supported Jay, not knowing he had left. Many people, including the IBA, were unhappy with Aitken's appointment. They worried it would affect TV-am's political freedom. The IBA approved Aitken for a short time, but watched the shows closely.
On April 1, the puppet Roland Rat appeared. He was created to entertain kids during Easter. Roland Rat became very popular. He helped TV-am's audience grow from 100,000 to over 1.5 million. People called him "the only rat to join a sinking ship."
On April 4, Greg Dyke joined to improve the shows. The next day, sports presenter Nick Owen became a main presenter. He worked with Ford and Rippon. Rippon was criticized for being rude to Owen on air. The comic strip The World of Melanie Parker was canceled.
On April 14, Aitken's cousin, Timothy, became chief executive. This was due to IBA rules about politicians running TV stations. On April 19, Rippon and Ford were fired. No official reason was given, but it was thought to be for supporting Jay and to cut costs. Parkinson had long talks with Aitken. He became a director of the company. Anna Ford later threw wine in Jonathan Aitken's face at a party. Both Rippon and Ford sued TV-am but settled out of court.
Lynda Berry filled in for six weeks. Then Anne Diamond joined from the BBC. She became Owen's new co-presenter from June 6.
On May 23, TV-am launched a new look. Daybreak was removed. Good Morning Britain started earlier, at 6:25 am. New features were added, like exercise with Lizzie Webb and cooking with Rustie Lee. By the end of the first week, TV-am's ratings doubled to 200,000.
Low ratings continued to cause money problems. TV-am almost had its power cut off for not paying bills. Presenters sometimes did not get paid. The local newsagent stopped delivering newspapers due to unpaid bills. TV-am spent the summer broadcasting from different seaside towns. Chris Tarrant hosted these shows.
Michael Parkinson went to Australia in June 1983. Henry Kelly took over his weekend shows. David Frost started hosting the Sunday slot. By November, Parkinson returned but only hosted Saturdays. He left in February 1984. TV-am also planned to cut over 40 jobs.
In September, TV-am joined other TV companies. This helped them promote shows together. Viewership increased, but advertising money did not. In November, new investors put over £4.5 million into the company. This helped solve the money problems.
Bruce Gyngell's Leadership
In early 1984, Australian businessman Kerry Packer invested in TV-am. In May, he appointed Bruce Gyngell as chief executive. Gyngell's goal was to make the company profitable. Greg Dyke left a few weeks later. Michael Hollingsworth became the new Programme Controller in July 1984.
Gyngell continued the light, popular approach that Dyke had started. This helped the station become successful. The children's Saturday morning show, Wide Awake Club, replaced older shows to save money.
Cost-cutting became a big problem in October 1984. This was after a bomb attack on a hotel where politicians were staying. The night before, TV-am only had one news crew. They had been called back to London for a train crash. When the bomb went off, the BBC and ITN provided immediate coverage. TV-am could only show a reporter talking on the phone. This was because of union rules and past conflicts with ITN. The IBA strongly criticized TV-am. They told the company to improve its news coverage or lose its license.
Gyngell wanted to use new technology to reduce staff and save money. He believed modern equipment meant fewer people were needed. This caused problems with the TV unions. But he had support from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. By 1986, TV-am became the most popular breakfast TV service in the UK. The BBC's Breakfast Time lost viewers. In 1989, the BBC replaced Breakfast Time with a more serious news show.
In October 1987, a huge storm hit England. The studios lost power. An emergency show had to be broadcast from another TV station. They used reports from TV-am and other news crews. Despite this, the show continued to do well. Gyngell eventually fired all the striking technicians. He hired new workers who were not part of unions.
Worker Dispute
On November 23, 1987, technicians at TV-am went on strike. Management locked them out but stayed on air. They used non-technical staff to broadcast a basic service. This included American shows like Flipper and Batman.
Bruce Gyngell himself directed the show. Secretaries operated cameras. A reduced normal service started on December 7. Even though it was messy, this schedule sometimes became more popular than the old one. Discussions with the unions continued. But on February 16, 1988, all the technicians were fired. Many learned this from an announcement on News at Ten.
In the years that followed, TV-am slowly recovered. By the early 1990s, it had much fewer staff. It became the most profitable TV station in the world for its size.
Law Changes and End of TV-am
In 1990, new laws changed how commercial TV licenses were given out. They were no longer based on quality but on who offered the most money. The IBA was replaced by the Independent Television Commission (ITC). TV-am had to apply for its license again in May 1991. The results were announced on October 16. TV-am offered £14.3 million, but another group, Sunrise Television (later called GMTV), offered £36.4 million. GMTV won the license. Later, GMTV asked the ITC to lower its fee, even below what TV-am had offered.
By February 1992, the effects of losing the license became clear. TV-am closed its own news service. It paid Sky News to provide news instead. Children's shows also suffered. Timmy Mallett appeared less often. The Saturday morning show TV-Mayhem was canceled after only six weeks. It was replaced by cartoons.
Margaret Thatcher, whose government made these law changes, wrote to Bruce Gyngell. She apologized for TV-am losing its license. She wrote, "I am ... heartbroken. I am only too painfully aware that I was responsible for the legislation." Gyngell made her private letter public, which caused some criticism.
Closure
TV-am's last broadcast ended on December 31, 1992, at 9:21 am. Credits showed pictures of the staff and crew. The screen faded with the words: "TV-am: 1 February 1983 – 31 December 1992."
After the last commercial break, the famous eggcups were not shown. They had been seen for the last time the day before. Instead, the final promotion was for GMTV. GMTV began broadcasting at 6 am the next day.
TV-am had its own expensive studios in London. GMTV used studio space owned by one of its shareholders, LWT.
The Studios
Breakfast Television Centre in Camden Town was sold in 1993. MTV Networks bought it. The famous eggcups stayed on the roof. MTV used the studios for its own shows. They also rented them out to other TV companies. The "TV-am" letters on the building were covered up but still partly visible. They were fully removed in 2012.
In 1999, a fire damaged the first floor and roof. The studios and eggcups were not harmed.
In 2011, MTV Networks planned changes to the building. They wanted to replace some studios with modern office space. The back of the building was repainted grey. The eggcups remained. The front of the building was rebuilt in 2012–13. The old studio block was replaced with new offices. MTV Networks continued to work from the building. Comedy Central UK and Nickelodeon UK moved their offices there.
Brand and Shows
In August 1993, TV-am plc became a gambling company. It is now called Capital Corporation Ltd.
The TV-am name and logo are now owned by journalist Ian White.
The archive of TV-am shows from 1983 to 1992 is managed by Moving Image Communications Ltd. AP Archive licenses the footage. They claim to have over 10,000 hours of TV-am material.
Presenters
- Lisa Aziz, 1989–1992, newsreader.
- Jeni Barnett, host of Pick Of The Week.
- Adrian Brown, reporter, newsreader.
- Gyles Brandreth, host of Postbag.
- Tania Bryer, 1992, weather presenter.
- Kay Burley, 1985–1988, reporter, newsreader.
- Anne Diamond, 1983–90, presenter of Good Morning Britain.
- Moya Doherty, reporter, presenter of After Nine.
- Diana Dors, 1983–1984, diet and advice expert.
- Maya Even 1989–1992, reporter.
- David Frost, Good Morning Britain (1983–84), Frost on Sunday (1986–92).
- Paul Gambaccini, 1983–1992, film critic.
- Jimmy Greaves, TV reviewer.
- Michael Hastings, 1988–1992, Good Morning Britain presenter.
- Gordon Honeycombe, 1984–1989, newsreader.
- Jayne Irving, 1983–1989, newsreader, presenter.
- Ulrika Jonsson, weather presenter.
- Derek Jameson, newspaper reviewer.
- Hillary Jones, resident doctor.
- Richard Keys, 1983–1990, sports presenter.
- Robert Kee, early presenter, Daybreak.
- Henry Kelly, 1983–1987, weekend presenter.
- Lorraine Kelly, October 1984 – 1992, reporter, presenter.
- Rustie Lee, cooking segment.
- Mike Morris, 1983–1992, sports presenter.
- Nick Owen, 1983–1986, presenter with Anne Diamond.
- Michael Parkinson and Mary Parkinson, 1983, weekend programmes.
- Eve Pollard, showbusiness reporter.
- Angela Rippon, 1983, presenter of Daybreak.
- Anneka Rice, 1985–1987, guest presenter.
- Caroline Righton, April–October 1987, presenter.
- John Stapleton, 1983–1985, reporter.
- Kathy Tayler, 1989–1992, presenter.
- Chris Tarrant, roving reporter.
- Gordon Thomson, guest presenter.
- Lizzie Webb, fitness guru.
- Lynn Faulds Wood, consumer affairs 1983–1984.
Children's Presenters
- Tommy Boyd – Wide Awake Club.
- Dick King-Smith, presenter, Rub-a-Dub-Tub.
- Timmy Mallett – Summer Run, Wide Awake Club, Hey, Hey It's Saturday and Wacaday.
- Michaela Strachan – Wide Awake Club, Hey, Hey It's Saturday and Wacaday.
Children's Programmes
Shows Made by TV-am
- Are You Awake Yet? (1982–1986)
- Cartoon World (November 1991 – December 1992)
- Dappledown Farm
- Data Run/Summer run
- Hey, Hey It's Saturday (1989–1991)
- Jungle Fun (1991–1992)
- Roland Rat
- Rub-a-Dub-Tub (1983–1984)
- SPLAT (1984)
- Top Banana (1991–1992)
- TV Mayhem (1991, canceled after six weeks)
- Wacaday (1985–1992)
- Wide Awake Club (1984–1989)
Other Shows Aquired
See also
- Timeline of TV-am
