From Dawn till Dusk: A History of Independent TV in the Midlands

John Pettinger writes from personal experience, having worked for the successive ITV Midlands programme providers from Alpha TV in 1960 until ITV-plc in 2005.

He reminds us that ITV dawned in the Midlands in 1956; his book covers the development of the regional service, the periodic licence renewal applications, and the move from Aston to Paradise Centre and eventually to Central Court in Birmingham. Created to portray a variety, a diversity, of character and attitude he takes a nostalgic look at the early programmes of ATV and ABC which involved the viewers and which were made for and about them.

John records the more recent days, of ATV’s large studio operation in Birmingham, the transfer of their world famous Elstree facilities and staff to Europe’s most advanced studios in Nottingham, and the vast variety of quality programmes they produced for both the region and the Network.

After being renamed Central, then taken over by Carlton, the company merged with Granada in 2004; sounding the ‘death knell’ for Midlands Television. The Nottingham studios were closed and all transmission ceased from Birmingham. Regional programmes, except for News also virtually ceased.

Dusk had arrived.

John asks: can the digital revolution create a new dawn for television of and for the Midlands?

"…Students of television, current practitioners and Veterans will find it a 'must read' to learn about the development of Commercial Television in the United Kingdom."

The Veteran - Magazine of the British Cinema & TV Veterans - Spring 2008