ATV Today
| ATV Today | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Regional News |
| Presented by | Various including: Bob Warman Anne Diamond Chris Tarrant Derek Hobson Wendy Nelson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | ATV |
| Running time | Main edition: 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ATV (ITV Midlands region) |
| Original release | 5 October 1964 – 31 December 1981 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | ATV Midlands News |
| Followed by | Central News |
| Related shows | BBC Midlands Today |
ATV Today was a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ATV, serving the Midlands area of England. The programme aired from 5 October 1964 until 31 December 1981 – the final day of broadcasting from ATV before the company was restructured and relaunched as Central Independent Television.
Regional television came to the Midlands on 17 February 1956 with the launch of ATV's weekday ITV service. The first news programme, a daily 5-minute bulletin called ATV Midlands News, was broadcast on 7 May 1956 – three months after the channel first went on air. But following pressure from the Independent Television Authority for ATV to commit itself to greater regional coverage, ATV Today began on Monday 5 October 1964 as a 20-minute daily magazine programme, supplementing (and latterly superseding) the Midlands News bulletin and airing at 6.15pm each weeknight.
The programme introduced viewers to more light-hearted journalism not seen on television at the time. One of the programme's longest-serving and best known reporters was the late John Swallow, a journalist who brought his own individual style of reporting both serious and lighter stories from the Midlands to television screens.
ATV Today reached its peak during the 1970s when it was watched on a daily basis by an estimated three million viewers. By now airing for 30 minutes from 6pm, ATV Today was a popular mainstay of television in the Midlands, and alongside hard news coverage, it maintained its light-hearted and knockabout style of presenting. The emphasis was on entertainment rather than what was seen as a more starchy, sober alternative offered by the BBC's Midlands Today.
Shorter ATV Newsdesk bulletins were introduced in lunchtime and late night timeslots during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Towards the end of its run, the programme was extended to a full hour on Mondays and Fridays, including an extended sports magazine.
The programme was responsible for launching the television careers of many household names in British television. Among those who started as reporters and presenters on ATV Today are Chris Tarrant who joined in 1972 initially as a reporter and newsreader but later specialised in light hearted stories, and Bob Warman, who presents ITV News Central to the present day.
...
Wikipedia