20 Facts About Westward Television

Westward Television was the first ITV franchise-holder for the South West of England.

Westward Television launched the career of many broadcasters who became well known nationally, won numerous awards for its programming, and heavily influenced its successor, TSW.

Company's first chairman was Peter Cadbury, who had left the board of Tyne Tees Westward Television to set up the company and bid for the south-west franchise, which he won against 11 competing bids.

Westward Television's region was surrounded on three sides by the sea, which was strongly reflected in Westward Television's output and its company logo, a silver model of the Golden Hind.

Westward Television began broadcasting in colour in 1971, initially from the Redruth transmitter, and a few months later colour was extended to the Stockland Hill and Caradon Hill transmitters.

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On 28 December 1980, while the ITV network was showing Drake's Venture, ITN interrupted a commercial break to announce ATV was to undergo major changes and Southern and Westward had not had their licences renewed by the IBA; the south-west franchise was awarded to TSW .

Special programme, 20 Years of Westward Television, was broadcast on 21 December 1981 to look back on the company's achievements.

Unlike the other ITV stations that lost their franchises in this round, Westward Television opted to hand over at midnight on 31 December 1981.

On that evening they broadcast the first 25 minutes of Scottish Westward Television's Hogmanay show live, and then cut away just before midnight when Roger Shaw appeared on camera in a traditional dinner jacket seated at an antique wooden desk, surrounded by staff wearing formal suits and holding film reels and 2-inch videotapes.

Westward Television's corporate branding focused on the sea, and mainly used a ship emblem for their on-screen look.

Westward Television was a frequent user of in-vision continuity, with many of the station's personalities becoming well known in the region.

Westward Television had a dual policy for its local programming: it produced a wide range of programmes of particular interest to the south-west's rural and agricultural communities, whilst simultaneously producing programming designed to stimulate its audience's interest in new areas.

Weeknightly Westward Television Diary had two halves, separated by a commercial break.

Westward Television staff returned to work a few days before the end of the ITV national strike of 1979.

Westward Television was one of the first ITV regions to broadcast a late-evening regional news bulletin .

On Sunday mornings, Westward Television aired Look and See, a five-minute religious slot for the under-8s broadcast from the continuity studio.

In 1980, Westward Television produced Maggie's Moor, a seven part networked children's drama series about a young girl living on Dartmoor during the Second World War.

Westward Television produced an adult education series aimed at farmers called Acres For Profit.

Westward Television asked Diary reporter Clive Gunnell to walk the new route and film his journey.

Westward Television contributed Beachcombing, a film presented and directed by Clive Gunnell, to this series.