THE opening ceremony of our new studios at Elstree went off successfully, although I am sure that many members of the staff will regret the lost opportunity to show our guests the new studios in full operation. The lost opportunity arose through the action of some members of the ACTT [Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians – Ed], and it is my view that the staff of the Company deserve a factual account of the events which involved the stoppages on this important day in the Company’s history.

On February 21, the Company and the union reached agreement on a number of issues raised by the union. Minutes were agreed recording the settlement, and a document issued by the union to its members listed the matters which were agreed, describing the whole as “a satisfactory settlement on the outstanding issues”.

The Company implemented all the decisions.

Without notice to the Company, certain ACTT members left their jobs at the Elstree Studios on the afternoon of Thursday, April 6 to hold a meeting.

This meeting passed a resolution which expressed “bitter disappointment at the Company’s failure to honour the agreement reached following the recent negotiations” and empowered the committee “to take further action to bring about a settlement”.

The committee referred to in the resolution was the ATV-ACTT shop committee.

Two Upgradings

The “failure to honour the agreement” proved to be an additional demand that the Company should upgrade immediately two people not mentioned in the agreed minutes recording the settlement reached, or in the document issued by the union to its members.

A meeting between the Company and local union representatives on Thursday evening produced no results other than a clear statement from the Company that it would not in any circumstances negotiate under duress but would deal with issues at any time through the properly agreed procedure.

The Company contacted ACTT’s acting general secretary and arranged a meeting for 10.15 a.m. on Friday.

The ACTT representatives did not arrive until 10.45 a.m. as a result of traffic hold-ups.

While the meeting was proceeding certain ACTT members left their jobs at Elstree Studios to attend another meeting at 11 a.m.

In view of this the Company’s representatives declined to continue the formal meeting until the members of the union had returned to work.

At about 11.45 a.m. work began again, and because of the opening ceremony the Company suggested a resumption of the meeting in the early afternoon.

Official Reception

The union’s acting general secretary told the Company at 12.35 (at the official reception) that unless there was a “gesture” — the concession of one or both of its demands — then work would stop again at 12.45 p.m.. just as the official ceremony was due to start.

The Company could only repeat its insistance [sic] on the need for constitutional procedures in matters of dispute.

Promptly, at 12.45, some members of the ACTT stopped work and during the afternoon some more members at other places of work followed them out.

Members of other unions continued working normally, and apart from the loss of “Emergency — Ward 10”, ATV maintained its full service to the public.

Successful Opening

Early Friday evening, an informal meeting with union representatives was held at which members of the shop committee stated that they would NOT use constitutional procedures in this matter.

The Company’s representatives could only reply that they were willing to hold themselves in readiness for negotiations as soon as the strike was called off. The union’s acting general secretary did not attend this meeting.

Later the same evening members of management met to ensure that ATV’s service to the public would continue. The Company also issued an assurance of its support both now and in the future for those employees in ACTT grades who remained loyal to the Company.

Talks Resumed

By Saturday morning the Management had perfected its plans to continue transmitting its programmes without a break until the morning of Sunday, April 9th, when the strikers resumed work. In the meantime, the Company had publicly announced that “Sunday Night at the London Palladium”wouldgo out as advertised. No further meetings took place until 4.15 p.m. when, at the request of the union, the informal talks were resumed.

These continued until about 10.15 p.m. Afterwards the following joint press statement was issued:

“As a result of informal talks between ATV and ACTT the members now on strike within the Company will resume work tomorrow, when official talks will take place immediately.

“There will be an early meeting next week seeking to resolve outstanding problems. The union and the Company both dissociate themselves from statements which have implied a lack of good faith between us. Both parties look to a more constructive relationship in the future.”

Throughout this Saturday evening the Company was heartened to know that all the other programme contractors supported ATV and transmitted its programmes except ABC Television which decided to put out its own re-arranged programming.

Normal Lines

Since the end of the stoppage, negotiations with the ACTT have proceeded on normal lines. On the morning of Sunday April 9, an agreement was reached for an independent inquirer to determine the grades of the two people about which the Company had earlier been accused of failing to honour its agreement.

Other decisions included a no-victimisation clause to be applied on both sides, and an insistence on talks with the union designed to improve local negotiating procedure within the framework of the national agreement.

Subsequently ATV put forward the names of three leading trade union officials to act as inquirers. One of these was free to conduct the independent inquiry and this gentleman was accepted by ACTT. The inquiry resulted in a finding that neither upgrading demanded by the union should take place immediately but should be deferred in each case.

These are the facts and I want every member of the staff to be aware of them.

I also want to take the opportunity of thanking, on behalf of ATV, those loyal employees who did not break their agreements but helped the Company to maintain its television service to the public.

VAL PARNELL
Managing Director

The post The facts behind the Elstree studio strike appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

• Last time we told how Val Parnell brought modern quick-fire variety to the London Palladium for the first time and then, after the war, started a season of international variety . . .

FIRST American to top the bill under the new regime at the London Palladium was Mickey Rooney. But Mr Rooney failed to please either the public or the critics. Yet, if he had heeded “The Guv’nor’s” advice the story might have been very different.

At the Monday morning run through, showman Val sat in the empty stalls and watched Rooney run through his act. He crammed in everything—singing, dancing, playing drums and a few impressions.

“You’re doing too much”, Val Parnell told him. “Your act lacks cohesion. It’s too scrappy, much better to slow it down”.

But the star from Hollywood thought he knew better . . .

Another American artist who didn’t do too well was the comedian Jack Carson. His opening night was hardly a success. This was largely due to his insistence on including comedy material which Mr Parnell told him would have little appeal to London audiences. Afterwards he changed it and had a much better reception.

CHARLES HENRY’S PUSH

After congratulating Danny the Marquis said he thought his cousins would also like to see the show. Danny, not realising who they were, said “Sure, bring them along”.

And they came, too — Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. They brought their parents along as well — the King and Queen. Val Parnell was there to welcome them, the first time a reigning monarch had ever been to an ordinary music-hall performance and the first time Royalty had sat in the stalls with the paying public.

But Val Parnell not only brought vaudeville back to London, but according to Jack Benny he did the same for New York too.

Writing about Val Parnell in “The Hollywood Reporter”, Mr Benny has pointed out that the fabulous success of the variety seasons at the London Palladium were also responsible for the reopening of the Palace Theatre, New York, as a vaudeville house with Judy Garland topping the bill and Max Bygraves in support.

MAX’S CHANCE

Judy Garland was the most nervous star. She was so frightened on her opening night that Charles Henry, Val Parnell’s production manager who still assists him in our “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” series, had to push her on the stage from the wings.

Another nervous performer — Danny Kaye.

“A great worrier beforehand”, says Mr Parnell, “and until he got started, a bundle of nerves. But from that moment on he was terrific”.

Danny Kaye was Val Parnell’s biggest success. He followed Mickey Rooney into the London Palladium in the summer of 1948 and certainly did more than any other performer to establish the London Palladium as the great Mecca of international vaudeville.

On the second night of his opening, Vai Parnell took the Marquis of Milford Haven back stage to meet the American star. The theatre had been packed and the Marquis had seen the show standing at the back of the circle.

It was “V.P.” who gave Max his first big chance too, putting him into the Palladium to deputise for Ted Ray. And he found Ted Ray at the Palace, Luton, giving him a free pass for the Palladium so that he could watch other performers, improve his style.

Peggy Mount came down from Wolverhampton Rep. to audition for the role of the witch in a Palladium pantomine. She was so good that Vai Parnell gave her the job on the spot—after the dress rehearsal increased her salary. It was her first West End part.

LAS VEGAS

The fame of the Palladium bills even reached Las Vegas. The year before ITV started “The Guv’nor” took a party of British performers for a six weeks season at the Desert Inn. They were billed as “Palladium Varieties” and offered a typical London Palladium show — slick and fast moving with twelve acts on the bill.

On opening night, the manager of the Desert Inn took Mr Parnell aside.

“You’ve too many acts, you’ll run overtime” he told him.

“How much do you bet?” Val Parnell replied.

“I bet you 200 bucks [$2,300 in today’s money, allowing for inflation – Ed] you don’t get through the show under ninety minutes”, said the manager.

WITH A SMILE

The two men shook hands and when Val’s “Palladium Varieties” closed in seventy-five minutes the American paid up with a smile. He didn’t want his customers kept away too long from those gaming tables.

This, then, is something of the show business background to ATV’s Val Parnell.

In the world of British entertainment, his position is unique.

And it was only natural that when Lew Grade — then a variety agent — foresaw the possibilities of commercial television he should seek the help of the man for whom he had supplied so many of the star acts for the London Palladium and the Moss circuit.

“Val” he told him over the phone “You’re in commercial television”.

“But — what’s all this Lew?” asked Val.

“Don’t argue” said Lew “Leslie (his brother) and I are forming a company to apply for a TV licence … and we want you in with us”.

Val Parnell asked for more details — and agreed. But a few minutes later he was back on the phone … to Lew.

“Lew, there’s a snag in this” he told him “I’ve an exclusive contract with Moss Empires and I’ll have to get an okay from that Board”.

This was obtained and it followed that when Moss Empires finally entered the commercial television field in 1953 through its shareholding in ATV, Val Parnell was put on the TV Board. A few months later he was asked by the Board to take over the managing directorship of the company with Lew Grade as his deputy. Things remained this way until last year when he resigned as Managing Director.

But, as he has already indicated, Val Parnell will still be with us … as executive producer of his “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” series and he also retains his seat on ATV’s Board.

Writing in the Daily Mirror at the time his resignation was announced, Clifford Davis called Mr Parnell “The Last of the Great Showmen”.

I can’t think of a better description … or a finer tribute.

The post The Val Parnell Story: When Judy Garland had to be pushed on… appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

Last time we described how Val Parnell rose from 5s-a-week office boy to become General Manager of the vast Moss Empires theatrical concern.

Since then, right up to the time he joined ATV as full time Managing Director five years ago, he booked every act for the Palladium and he built up Moss Empires into the world’s biggest chain of live theatres controlling not only the Palladium but 30 other theatres and music halls.

At that time, the Palladium was a cinema — and losing money. Parnell persuaded his board to let him bring his Birmingham policy to the London Palladium.

At the start, it was far from easy. Parnell’s biggest competitor was the Stoll circuit. As well as his provincial theatres. Sir Oswald Stoll [his granddaughter, Yvonne, works in ATV’s Press Office] also ran the London Coliseum and the Alhambra in Leicester Square (the latter site is now filled by the Odeon).

Sir Oswald presented the cream of the international variety talent available. And again he operated barring clauses to prevent Parnell from booking their acts.

TO SMASH STOLL

Parnell set out to smash the Stoll circuit’s grip on the West End music-hall – and he did. He found his own acts and whenever a Stoll artist was available he booked him for Moss Empires.

Gradually the Palladium bills began to outshine those of the Coliseum and Alhambra. Acts that Stoll booked to top the Coliseum bill on their own appeared at the Palladium in support of other performers.

Parnell used the same techniques he had used at Birmingham. He booked many more acts per programme. And the performers had to cut their material, streamline their routines. In most cases Parnell did it for them.

The West End was offered modern, quick fire variety at the London Palladium for the first time. And you could get a reserved scat in the back of the ground floor for only 2/6 [12½p in decimal, about £7 in today’s money, allowing for inflation – Ed] and up in the top balcony a reserved numbered seat for 1/- [5p in decimal, about £3 in today’s money, allowing for inflation – Ed].

He found new stars too. Older music-hall patrons will remember Billy Bennett. “The Guv’nor”, as Parnell was called, gave him his bill matter of “Almost A Gentleman”. He also wrote some of his songs. He found and brought to stardom Layton and Johnstone; Sid Field and Max Miller and many more.

NO HOLIDAY

And the same judgment which was in later years to launch Bruce Forsyth and Norman Vaughan also brought the Crazy Gang into being. This was in 1931 and “V.P.”, busy booking weekly variety bills, found he hadn’t time for a holiday.

So he had the idea of putting a show into the Palladium which could run for more than one week — to enable him to get away to the seaside.

The first Crazy Show featured Nervo and Knox, Naughton and Gold and a husband and wife comedy team Billy Caryll and Hilda Mundy.

Parnell had some trouble persuading Nervo and Knox to appear with Naughton and Gold – there had been a row between them over “stealing” material. At the Monday morning band call the trouble flared up again and Parnell had to go down to the theatre to make peace between them.

Parnell gave the comics a free hand to get laughs. They were joined by the comedy juggler Eddie Gray (Parnell also gave him his “Monsewer” title) and later Flanagan and Allen were added to the team.

FLANAGAN & ALLEN

Parnell brought Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen as unknown comics to the Holborn Empire where they were an immediate and sensational hit—he later added them to the Crazy Gang and Bud Flanagan (Allen having retired) stayed with the Gang until its recent break up.

One of Parnell’s first Palladium revues after the war was “High Time” with Tessie O’Shea. Jewell and Warris and Nat Jackley.

Tessie O’Shea made her entrance on an elephant but at a matinee performance she was thrown into the orchestra pit. This put Tessie out of the revue for three months — an accident which never would have happened if its trainer had realised the elephant was 12 months pregnant. Six months later she gave birth.

After “High Time”, Val Parnell put in another revue “Here There and Everywhere”. In between he ran five week’s variety — George Formby topping one bill; Laurel and Hardy the other.

JERRY ALLEN’S START

He also turned his attention to the Prince of Wales Theatre — presenting Sid Field in a revue there. This was “Piccadilly Hayride” and it gave a whole crowd of talented newcomers their first West End break—among them Terry-Thomas, Derek Roy and swing organist Jerry Allen, now resident with his trio in our Midlands “Lunch Box” series.

He altered the Hippodrome, so that it could present a floor show type of entertainment “Starlight Roof”.

The stars of “Starlight Roof” were Vic Oliver, Pat Kirkwood and Fred Emney. Among many unknowns, three people were auditioned by him to whom he gave their first Chance in this show. They were Michael Bentine. Jean Carson and Julie Andrews, who was then 12. Bentine offered a comedy act with a chair back and a rubber plunger; Jean Carson played a cigarette girl and was understudy for Pat Kirkwood. Julie Andrews sang a soprano solo. The show ran for two years.

With three shows running in the West End. Val Parnell began to plan future policy. It was then he decided to build the London Palladium into the world’s No. 1 vaudeville theatre.

STAR HUNT

To succeed, however, he needed stars — big top of the bill attractions. In January 1946, he flew to New York on his first international star hunt.

But not only stars, he brought back a whole list of good supporting acts — reasoning he had to offer the public something special if he wanted them to pay 14/6 [72½p in decimal, about £22.50 today] for a stalls seat. This is why big time, international variety came to the Palladium under Parnell’s management.

The list of stars who came to appear for him still reads like an international Who’s Who of Show Business… Danny Kaye; Lena Home; Johnny Ray; Bob Hope; Jack Benny; Kay Starr; Guy Mitchell; Dorothy Lamour; Duke Ellington; Grade Fields; Ella Fitzgerald; Edgar Bergen; Martha Raye; Phil Harris; Jean Sablon; Danny Thomas; Betty Hutton; Frank Sinatra; Eddie Fisher; Judy Garland; Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; Sch-nozzle Durante; Sophie Tucker; Howard Keel; The Andrew Sisters; Tony Martin; Allan Jones; Jo Stafford; Nat “King” Cole; Benny Goodman…

They were all given the star treatment — dressing rooms were redecorated, modernised and the current headliner had his or her name outside the famous No. 1 dressing room — on a brass plate with the date of appearance. The plates were unscrewed — mounted on polished wood and given to them as a souvenir at the end of their engagement.

He booked Katherine Dunham’s Dancers for the Prince of Wales Theatre. One girl in the show also had a small solo spot in which she sang a number. Her name? One of this year’s Royal Variety Show performers — Eartha Kitt.

NEXT TIME: Mickey Rooney’s flop . . . when Charles Henry had to push on Judy Garland . . . Peggy Mount’s début . . . how Max Bygraves got his chance.

The post The Val Parnell Story: Crazy, Gang Crazy! appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

VAL PARNELL gives up his post as our Managing Director this month and will be succeeded by Mr Lew Grade, his Deputy.

He has had a remarkable career — rising from a 5/- a week office boy to holding Managing Directorships of two of Britain’s biggest entertainment organisations — Moss Empires and then ATV.

He built up Moss Empires into the world’s biggest theatre circuit — at one time controlling 30 theatres and music halls.

He has brought the public — first in theatres and then on television — the world’s greatest entertainers. Many of them were unknown performers till “V.P.” gave them their first chance.

He came into commercial television at the start. In 1957 he took over as full time Managing Director of ATV and turned our £1,500,000 losses into a profit.

He will still continue his association with the Company — as Executive Producer of “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” and as a Director of ATV.

But now, for the first time in 57 years, “V.P.” will no longer arrive in a theatrical or television office in the morning for the start of a day’s work …

VAL PARNELL was born into show business.

His father was Fred Russell, a famous top of the bill entertainer and the pioneer of ventriloquism as it is known today.

Fred Russell was the first “vent” to face an audience with a single dummy. Till then, ventriloquists worked with as many as a dozen dolls. Arthur Worsley, Peter Brough and all the others have followed in his footsteps.

REVOLUTIONISED

Years later, it was his son who revolutionised the British Music Hall by streamlining running orders, cutting artistes’ time on the stage and presenting, for the first time. “High Speed Variety” as we know it today.

Val Parnell, born on St Valentine’s Day, was two years old when his father gave up the editorship of the Hackney Gazette to become a full time entertainer with his Pearly King dummy “Coster Joe”.

He had been given a tryout at the Palace Theatre — for £10 [about £1,100 in today’s money, allowing for inflation – Ed]. He did so well he stayed 20 months.

At that time, Victorian England was rocked with a sensational divorce case involving an Irish politician named Parnell and Kitty O’Shea, a married woman. To avoid confusion, Thomas Frederick Parnell became Fred Russell.

For the next 40 years Fred Russell was a star. He was a contemporary of Marie Lloyd, Little Tich, Charles Chaplin—all the great entertainers in the lush golden hey-day of British music-hall.

But conditions were very different to those today. Artistes had little or no protection. There was no standard contract between managements and performers. Fred Russell saw the need for variety performers to organise themselves.

With the help of a few fellow performers he organised a trade union — the Variety Artistes’ Federation. And Fred Russell became its first chairman.

BRIEF STRIKE

Managements, however, didn’t take too kindly to the idea. And although, after a brief strike, the music-hall performers won the right to negotiate conditions of employment and obtained a standard contract which, with modifications, is still in use today, Fred Russell found himself ostracised.

For four years he was unable to secure any worthwhile bookings in this country. So, instead, he embarked on World tours visiting America, Australia, Canada, South Africa and other countries — anywhere where they spoke English.

The postscript to this, of course, is that earlier this year his son found himself in dispute with the same union his father founded. But, fortunately for all, the disagreement was short lived.

Fred Russell died in 1957 — aged 95. And there is a bronze bust to “Variety’s First Gentleman” in the foyer of the London Palladium.

TOY THEATRES

With this background, it is no surprise that his son’s first playthings were toy theatres.

At 13, Val Parnell ran away from boarding school in Margate, to enter show business. But he never thought of himself as a performer. It was the managerial side that attracted him.

His first job — as a 5/- [25p in decimal, about £26 now] a week office boy with Sir Walter de Frece, husband of Vesta Tilley, who ran a theatrical company and a few small theatres. At night, he went to Pitman’s to learn shorthand.

When he was 15, he added 12/6d [62½p in decimal, about £64 now] to his 7/6d [37½p in decimal, about £38 now] a week wages by going from his day time office job to sell tickets at night at the box office at the Metropole Theatre, Camberwell.

BOOKING ACTS

A couple of years later he was booking acts for four small provincial theatres.

The end of 1914 saw Parnell in the army and he served overseas until 1919 when he returned to England to resume his employment with Sir Walter de Frece.

When de Frece sold out to the Charles Gulliver circuit, Val Parnell became booking manager for 10 of Gulliver’s provincial theatres — one of these was the newly opened Birmingham Hippodrome.

Here, Val Parnell found himself in opposition to two Moss Theatres in the same town. Both were regarded as No. 1 dates.

The stars naturally preferred working for the well established Moss circuit. And, just to make things more difficult, all Moss contracts had a barring clause against appearances at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Parnell, finding he couldn’t get headline attractions, decided on a new policy. For a start, he booked many more acts per bill. He cut their time, streamlined their routines. And at Birmingham Hippodrome, modern fast moving variety was born.

In 1928, the Gulliver circuit was sold to The General Theatre Corporation and Val Parnell took over the booking of the whole chain of theatres, including the London Palladium. In 1931 the newly formed General Theatre Corporation took over the management of The Moss Empire Chain of Theatres and Val Parnell became General Manager and in complete charge of the booking of all artistes and attractions.

NEXT TIME: His battle with Sir Oswald Stoll . . . The start of the Crazy Gang . . . When Tessie O’Shea fell off an elephant . . . How Jerry Allen of “Lunch Box’’ got his start.

The post The Val Parnell Story: They called his father ‘Variety’s first gentleman…’ appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

FIVE years of success in the Midlands were celebrated last month when ATV staff, their friends and families packed the Aston studios for the Gala Anniversary Programme.

Mr Val Parnell, who had just returned from the United States, came to Birmingham to produce the programme personally.

When the gala show went on the air at 11.15 p.m., it was five years ago almost to the minute that Independent Television in the Midlands was launched.

In 1956 less than 1,000,000 viewers were watching. Now that figure has rocketed to more than 5,500,000.

Beryl Reid, Morecambe and Wise, Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss came from Midland pantos for the sparkling 45-minute variety show directed by Reg Watson and introduced by Noele Gordon.

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham, Ald. Garnet Boughton and Mrs Boughton, were welcomed by Mr Philip Dorté, Midlands Controller, and Ald. Mrs Pearl Hyde, Midlands Public Relations Officer.

Others who took part in the show included: Jerry Allen and his Trio, Alfie Bass (Bootsie) and Bill Fraser (Snudge), Jean Morton, Patricia Cox, Susan Denny, Eula Parker, Evadne Price, Roy Edwards, Alan Grahame, Ken Ingarfield, Pat Astley, Peter Regan, Lionel Ruben, Leslie Dunn, The Ponytones and the George Carden Dancers.

The post Our Midlands party appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

THE Midlands administrative staff move into new offices this month.

The company has acquired the entire ground floor of a new multi-storey building in Edmund Street, Birmingham.

The new offices will be light and airy. They will also use the Open Plan principle which has proved so successful at ATV House in London.

Muzak has been installed to provide background music and the accommodation provided is the Midlands match to London’s ATV House in Great Cumberland Place.

Although the move has not been made yet — final touches are still going on — the building was officially opened last month by Alderman Garnet Boughton, Lord Mayor of Birmingham, by cutting a length of video tape at the entrance.

The ceremony was attended by Mr Prince Littler, Chairman of ATV; Mr Norman Collins (Deputy Chairman); Mr Val Parnell (Managing Director) and Mr Lew Grade (Deputy Managing Director).

The company’s London delegation were welcomed by Mr Philip Dorté, the Midlands Controller.

After the opening 150 Midlands dignitaries were entertained to lunch at the Grand Hotel. The Lord Mayor congratulated the company on its success and referred to television as “Another star in the firmament of our city”.

CHAIRMAN’S REPLY

In reply to the Lord Mayor’s speech, Mr Littler recalled that it was nearly five years since Independent Television had been inaugurated in the Midlands.

“In those five years ATV’s audience in the Midlands has grown from a handful in 1956 to well over four million today”, he said.

“Nowadays, 71 per cent of the Midland television audience with a choice of programme elects to view ATV in preference to the BBC, whose share is 29 per cent”.

Mr Littler added that although Mr Dorté the Midlands Controller met so many local people, and members of the Board visited Birmingham regularly, this was the first occasion for four years his Board of Directors, as a whole, had played host to a reception gathering of Midland civic, ecclesiastical and ambassadorial leaders.

ALPHA PROGRESS

Meanwhile, work continues on the new Alpha studios. Here, incidentally, the workers probably down tools more often than any other builders in Britain. And it’s all on account of TV.

“We had to issue programme bulletins to the foreman to enable him to call a stop to all noise while we are on the air”, Frank Beale, General Manager of Alpha, told me. While noise is a headache for the television staff, office accommodation for the production staff is at a premium too. But as soon as the new building is completed (August is the target month) there’ll be six floors of space with comfortable accommodation for everyone. But the building operations haven’t always been inconvenient.

SPECIAL FEATURES

One of ATV’s best “Lunch Box” shows was actually done on the building site. Special features in the new Alpha building will be: a control area on the top floor; a canteen covering the whole second floor and electric underfloor heating.

“We’ll turn on the current at night, and off in the day-time. This should keep the building comfortably warm all day” said chief engineer David Whittle.

The post New offices for midlands appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

WHAT is the difference between television and journalism?

When I made the happy decision to journey from Fleet Street to Cumberland Place I put the question to Mr Norman Collins, ATV’s Deputy Chairman.

We are both, by the way, children of Fleet Street, for when I joined the Sunday Express in the ‘twenties your Deputy Chairman was a fully paid-up member of the National Union of Journalists making a name for himself on the News Chronicle.

“Newspapers freeze the picture. Television animates it. That’s about it”, said Mr Collins.

It is a first-rate summary, for compare the contents of your daily newspaper with a day’s television programmes:

The News

• Both mediums present news — news of politics, industry, sport, crime and punishment, human and violent happenings. (NOTE: We are always reading headlines blaming TV for crime, but what about the newspapers blaming themselves for causing crime by glorifying sex and sin in a way TV never does?)

• Both mediums devote a good deal of attention to entertainment. (NOTE: Newspapers loftily criticise those quiz show prizes but themselves offer such inducements as £10 a week for life or half a dozen new cars in order to attract readers. I don’t blame them, but why do they blame TV?)

• Both mediums publish fiction — TV with plays and comedy situation shows, newspapers with strip cartoons and jokes. (NOTE: Nothing I have read in the newspapers for years equals in moral value and reforming zeal our own “Probation Officer” or “Emergency — Ward 10”.)

• Both mediums make money out of advertising. (NOTE: Four newspapers have died this year because they did not secure sufficient advertising).

DO I MAKE MY POINT?

Newspapers are completely free and under no form of supervision or censorship.

They may be pornographic (some of them are).

They may be biased politically.

They may suppress news, colour it, print it upside down if they wish.

Nor is there any limit to the amount of advertising they may carry, or the kind of advertising either.

I would not have it otherwise, nor would any thinking person.

But television operates under an altogether different set of rules.

The BBC is responsible to the Postmaster-General. The Commercial Companies are responsible to that same gentleman through the Independent Television Authority.

If a political argument is carried on via television it must be balanced as between one viewpoint and another.

The strictest rules govern references in plays to drink, drugs, sex, suicide and the like, and woe-betide the play producer who infringes. Advertising too is strictly controlled as to volume and content.

Freedom…

It seems incongruous to me that while the newspapers are free to say just what they like about television programmes, there is no right to reply with equal freedom on TV!

For us the “balanced” programme is the only way; we cannot do television propaganda on our own behalf.

Is there much difference between working for television and working for a newspaper?

As a newspaper Editor, I was able to dream up an idea in the morning and see it in my columns the next day. That was a great advantage.

Television can work that fast on news happenings, but not so fast in the development of programmes.

A good documentary takes several weeks, often months, to mature.

Urgency, Too

A play is in rehearsal for up to three weeks before it is ready and, as in the theatre, is in preparation for months if script writing, rewriting, casting and set designing are included.

Yet there is always a tremendous sense of urgency in ATV House.

I was in fact fairly blasted into activity on my first day when I was asked by Mr Lew Grade to give him a hand with a new series called “Deadline Midnight”.

Five Weeks

The series was due on the screen in five weeks from that date and by the time Hugh Rennie the producer and I had made our deadline I felt that I had jumped out of the Fleet Street frying pan into the ATV fire!

The office of ATV’s Managing Director corresponds to the Newspaper Editor’s sanctum.

It is here that Mr Val Parnell and his deputy Mr Lew Grade get things humming long before 9 a.m. every morning.

The office jointly occupied by Editor-in-Chief Val Parnell and Managing Editor Lew Grade can be as lively as my own was on V.E. Day in 1945!

Mirror Tour

In fact I would not mind if it were used as the background set for the new series of “Deadline Midnight” plays which go on the air on Saturday, March 11.

I took Rex Firkin, the new “Deadline” producer, to the Daily Mirror office the other week where Hugh Cudlipp, one of ATV’s directors and Editorial Director of the Mirror group, showed him how the wheels go round in Fleet Street.

“Not all that different from ATV” said Rex.

And I have to agree.

The post From Fleet Street to television, there’s always a deadline to beat appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

Russian viewers to see our O.B.

YURI FOKIN, Russia’s top television commentator, will face an ATV camera next month to introduce the first live outside ITV broadcast from Britain to the Soviet Union.

An ATV outside broadcast unit will be covering the Soviet State Fair at Earls Court, which will open on July 7.

The Russians are sending their own TV producer to direct the unit and the whole operation is part of our reciprocal deal with the Soviet State Committee for Radio and Television.

The first part of the exchange took place last month when British viewers saw our coverage of the British Trade Fair in Moscow.

The Moscow relay was introduced by Mr Norman Collins, Deputy Chairman, from the Foley Street studio.

Originally, the introduction was planned to last four minutes but half way through — since Moscow wasn’t ready — a chalked “Keep Going” notice was put in front of the camera. And Mr Collins kept going — for eight and a half minutes.

Then came the dramatic moment for James Ferman, who directed the relay, to say “Cue Moscow” … and ATV’s first live link with the Soviet capital was on the air.

Our 90 minutes relay also made TV history through the enterprise of ATV commentator Shaw Taylor. Shaw pushed his way through the crowd with a microphone to obtain a TV scoop by interviewing Mr Kruschev.

This was the first time any TV commentator had secured an off-the-cuff comment from the Russian Premier.

The ATV team in Moscow were Bill Ward, Productions Controller; his P.A. Pam Matthews; Len Mathews, Assistant Technical Controller, Communications and Outside Broadcasts; Stephen Wade, Head of Outside Broadcasts; his P.A. Doreen Ayres; floor manager, Bill Glaze and commentators, Shaw Taylor and Reginald Bosanquet of ITN.

ATV’s Russian programmes included a ballet performance direct from the famous Bolshoi Theatre directed by Bill Ward.

Our mobile recording unit, with recording engineer, John Harrison and rigger driver, Cyril Penfold, were also in action recording documentary material for future programmes.

One of these projects has been provisionally entitled “Gorki-street, U.S.S.R.” and will be a Russian equivalent to “Main-street, U.S.A.” in which we depicted the lives of typical American families.

ELSTREE VISIT

The details of the programme we are sending to Russia next month were arranged during a visit to the Elstree Studio Centre and ATV House by a team of Russian television experts.

This was the first time a Russian television delegation had visited any ITV studios.

Heading the delegation was Mr Konstantin Kuzakov, Deputy Chairman of the Soviet State Committee for Radio and Television.

His colleagues were Mr Yuri Fokin, Head of Russian Television News and Mr S. J. Martsenitsen [sic: usually transliterated as S. I. Martsenitsen – Ed], Deputy Head of the Main Department of the Soviet Ministry of Communications.

COMPLETE TOUR

They made a complete tour of the Elstree Studio Centre accompanied by Bill Ward, Stephen Wade, Len Mathews and Technical Controller, Terence Macnamara.

The Russians were particularly interested in the control rooms of Studios C and D and the advanced technical equipment designed by ATV’s own engineering staff.

In the evening the Russians were entertained at a party at ATV House by Mr Norman Collins, Deputy Chairman; Mr Val Parnell, Managing Director; Mr Lew Grade, Deputy Managing Director and Lord Bessborough, Director.

Mr Kuzakov said they would like to prepare a documentary programme on Lenin’s life in London and some kind of musical programme.

His immediate concern, however, was the coverage of the Soviet State Fair next month.

The post Moscow here we come appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

WHAT IS THE fasted growing show business organisation in Great Britain? The answer must surely be Associated Television. For this company, headed by such entertainment veterans as Val Parnel [sic throughout – it should be Parnell – Ed], Prince Littler and Lew Grade, is now about the strongest in the business.

In the five years commercial television has been established in this country, the rate of ATVs progress has been fantastic. With hardly any experience in the television medium, the Parnel-Littler-Grade combination had, within two years, established an ascendancy over the other contractors in the amount of programmes bought and sold.

Profit

By 1956 the company, through its affiliated production organisation, Incorporated Television Production Company, was sponsoring more TV production than anyone else in the business, and a year later was able to announce that its profit for the period ending May, 1958, was over £4,000,000 [£79m in today’s money allowing for inflation].

Since then ATV has negotiated a deal with Jack Wrather, which has made the company the third largest distributor of television programmes in the world, and, through the purchase of ITPC, strong enough to guarantee a minimum of five television series a year, including the most expensive TV production to be made in Great Britain, “The Four Just Men,” with Jack Hawkins, Dan Dailey and Vittorio de Sica.

Holdings

ATV has also acquired large holdings in Australian radio and television stations, giving them a greater outlet in that country than probably any other television distribution company.

Moreover, ATV has gone into the record business and has purchased a substantial interest in Pye Records, Ltd., the subsidiary of the television and radio manufacturers.

This week Parnel was flying to the States to sign up some of the big American stars who have previously appeared in his London Palladium shows for record contracts with the Pye-ATV recording company. While he is away his colleague Lew Grade, deputy managing director of the company, will be busy with new programmes, some of them bought from America to the other contractors, in readiness for the longer viewing hours which ITV anticipates will be approved by the government for January 1, 1959.

Campaign

The next stage in ATV’s campaign for more power and profit in television will be to try to speed up government approval for the third network being placed at the disposal of the ITV companies. Prince Littler, chairman of ATV, was the first programme contractor to go on record in favour of the third network and requested the company to be given London for five days under any proposed changes instead of its present schedule of London weekends and Midlands weekdays.

Compete

Thus the company would be prepared to compete on equal terms with the present weekday contractor, Associated Rediffusion. Chairman of this company, Paul Adorian, has gone on record rejecting the third network at the present time because of the economic and financial difficulties in the way of its operation.

ATV is also interested in the possibility of commercial sound radio, should it come about in this country. A company has been formed headed by one of the ATV directors, Norman Collins, with a view to operating a commercial radio station if the government gives its approval when the BBC’s charter comes up for consideration in 1960.

Liaison

While ATV has made no move towards feature film production, on the other hand there is a very close liaison between Lew Grade and Parnel and the Eros brothers, Phil and Sid Hyams, through ITPC, of which all were directors, which has led to a number of medium-size British pictures adapted from ATV’s television successes. Such productions as “The Mystery of Planet X” and “The Trollenberg Terror” are two serials which have been produced as feature films by Eros. Another successful serial which is being made into a feature by that company is “Emergency [–] Ward 10.”

Doubtlessly, if feature production becomes more profitable, one of the first steps of ATV will be to set up a company to secure another slice of show business profit.

Already its American partner, Jack Wrather, has been able to combine a successful TV distribution programme with film production. Now that he is associated with ATV in Television Programmes [sic – Programs] of America, Inc., the third largest distributionproduction in the world, the possibility that the organisation will also handle cinema features is not remote.

In other words, ATV has become a world-wide show business entity whose future progress seems at this time of writing to be limitless.

The post The sky’s the limit for Associated TeleVision appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

PHILIP DORTÉ, ATV’s Midlands Controller, was only 22 when he was offered a job by the General Electric Company of America to work on the development of radio at their Schenectady works in New York.

From Downside he had gone to Cambridge but finding no provision there for the study of electrical engineering he attended Faraday House instead.

After reading a paper on radio to students at the Institute of Electrical Engineers, the young Dorté was approached by a member of his audience.

“Would you like to work for us in New York?” asked the G.E.C. man [sic: American General Electric was known as G.E.; the unrelated British General Electric was G.E.C. – Ed]. The young radio engineer jumped at the chance.

At New York, however, his sense of humour at once got him into trouble.

“Do you suffer from moral turpitude?” asked the immigration official.

“I said ‘Yes'” recalls Mr. Dorté “and I spent the night on Ellis island. The next morning the G.E.C. people had to come and get me out”.

In America he worked on the development of both TV and talking pictures and when his company secured the contract to build Toronto’s first high powered radio station, Mr. Dorté was put in charge.

While in Canada, he had the idea of approaching the French Government to secure a concession for broadcasting commercial radio programmes to Britain.

The French agreed and Mr. Dorté formed Radio Publicity Ltd. — in opposition to Mr. John Reith, as he then was, and his British Broadcasting Company.

“I suppose, I must have been the first Englishman to see the possibilities of commercial radio” he recalls.

“These were sponsored programmes and we had plenty of advertisers too — Black Cat cigarettes; Revelation suitcases and Grosvenor House Hotel…”

Transmissions were beamed to London on long wave. Tom Ronald, BBC sound radio producer, was one of the announcers.

Soon after this, Captain Leonard Plugge obtained a similar concession to operate Radio Normandy — on medium wave.

“Captain Plugge suggested an amalgamation” says Mr. Dorté, “I was agreeable but the rest of the Board were against it. I resigned.”

From commercial radio, Mr. Dorté switched to talking pictures. Basil Dean was just starting Ealing Studios and with his knowledge gained in America, Mr. Dorté was put in charge of the sound recording side.

From Ealing he joined Michael Balcon at Gaumont British, working in the old Lime Grove studios, now used by the BBC.

“I went on location abroad for all the big British films of that time” he says “This kept me out of the country for months on end. My wife took a dim view of this.

“Then one day I met an old friend of mine, John Hytch at the BBC, He told me the BBC were just about to start a television service and why didn’t I join them?”

Mr. Dorté thus became the BBC’s first TV Head of Outside Broadcasts. And for the next few years everything he organised was a FIRST.

“The first O.B. was the Coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1936″ he says. “Then there was Wimbledon, the Boat Race, a show a week from the London Coliseum and both the 38 and 39 Derbies.”

In the Spring of 1939, Mr. Done joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve. It was while he was doing an O.B. from the London Zoo that his wife came round with his calling-up papers.

With his TV and engineering background, he was a natural for radar.

Demobilised with the rank of Group Captain, he was awarded the OBE (Military Division) for his services.

As BBC TV expanded, Mr. Dorté switched over to films, becoming Head of TV Films in 1949.

“It was a constant battle with the film industry” he recalls “I fought them all the time. Finally I told them that if they wouldn’t co-operate with us over the question of newsreel coverage, we would start our own.

“They roared with laughter. They reminded me that cinema newsreels were fast going out of business. They said I didn’t stand a chance.”

Events proved Mr. Dorté right. He even put out a better service than the cinemas — by providing the BBC with a different newsreel daily as against the twice a week offering in the cinemas. And he started a Children’s TV Newsreel too.

In 1954 he quit the BBC to join Mr. Norman Collins as a senior executive of the original Associated Broadcasting Development Company which later merged with Moss Empires and other interests to become ATV.

In the early days of ITV he was seconded to Independent Television News for a year, then — as he puts it — Val Parnell asked him if he’d start the Company’s Midlands Operation.

“I’m still starting it” he says.

The post He pioneered commercial radio appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

REASONS FOR DECLINE IN PROFITS

LEVY ON TURNOVER A DISTORTION OF TAXATION PRINCIPLE

GOOD NEWS REGARDING SECOND INDEPENDENT CHANNEL

SIR ROBERT RENWICK ON EFFECT OF NEW AGREEMENTS

The 8th annual general meeting of Associated Television Limited will be held on 26th August, 1963, at 12 noon at ATV House, Great Cumberland Place. London W.1

The following is the statement of the chairman. Sir Robert Renwick, Bt., B.E. circulated with the report and accounts for eleven months ended 31st March, 1963:-

Your Directors decided that it was in the interest of the Company to change its year-end date from 30th April to 31st March and the Accounts now before you are, therefore, for a period of eleven months to 31st March, 1963.

You will see from the Consolidated Profit and Loss Account that the profit of the Group before taxation is £3,405,714 [£59.1m in today’s money allowing for inflation – Ed] for the eleven months as compared with £5,038,204 [£87.5m] for the previous twelve months. This profit is after charging all expenses including depreciation. Taxation based on the profit for the period amounts to £1,556,005 [£27m] and, after making allowance for this and for the interests of outside shareholders, there is left a profit of £1,860,135 [£32.3m] attributable to ATV

The amount retained in subsidiary companies is £249,706 [£4.3m] leaving £1,610,429 [£28m]. Arising from the change in the Parent Company’s year-end date, certain provisions for taxation, made in previous years, amounting £1,546,000 [£26.8m] are no longer required and, together with the unappropriated balance brought forward from last year of £2,424,909 [£42m], make available for appropriation now an amount of £5,581,338 [£96.9m].

An interim dividend of 20% has already been paid and your Directors now recommend a final dividend of 21.25% making a total of 41.25% for the eleven months. This is equivalent to 45% for the full year as against 60% paid in respect of the year to 30th April, 1962. If this recommendation is approved and after transferring a further £500,000 [£8.7m] to Investment Reserve there will be left a balance of £3,906,486 [£67.8m] in the Accounts of the Parent Company.

Balance Sheet Items

Turning to the Consolidated Balance Sheet it will be noted that the Investment Reserve has been used to offset the Goodwill arising on consolidation. Current Assets have increased during the period by £518,077 [£9m] to £8,558,556 [£149m] whereas Current Liabilities have decreased by £816,170 [£14.2m] to £7,440,500 [£129.2m]. It will be noted, however, that Advances from Bankers have increased by £1,781,020 [£30.9m] to £3,018,618 [£52.4m]; this is in the main due to increased investment in the Group’s Fixed and Current Assets and the payment of an exceptionally heavy taxation liability in respect of the financial year 1960/61.

In deciding to change the year-end date from 30th April to 31st March, your Board recognised that this would inevitably mean the exclusion of the profit deriving from one of the more remunerative months in the calendar. Had the trading results for April been included, the profit figures would have been substantially higher.

A decline in profits would nevertheless have been revealed. This decline is due to a variety of causes. In the first place, there has been a drop in revenue from advertising of approximately 5%. Secondly, certain of the subsidiary companies have, as anticipated, made losses in the early stages of their development. Thirdly, the Company was feeling the full effects of the new agreements with Equity and the Musicians’ Union and, to a lesser extent, of a new agreement with the Variety Artistes’ Federation. Some indication of the increases which the Company had to meet in programme expenditure may be gauged by citing a few examples. The settlement with Equity on which work was resumed on 6th April, 1962, provided a new minimum fee for an actor on a networked programme of 36 guineas [£37.80 in decimal, £656 with inflation]; the old fee was 10 guineas [£10.50/£182]. The settlement with the Variety Artistes Federation reached on 17th November, 1961, provided for a new minimum fee of £30 [£521] for a networked programme as against 10 guineas: the settlement with the Musicians’ Union reached on 10th April, 1962, gave a minimum fee of £18 [£312] for a networked programme as against £6 [£104] under the previous arrangement.

Threat of the Television Bill

Historically, the year 1962/63 will be remembered by your Board as one of many and major preoccupations, chiefly concerned with the future of Independent Television in general and with the future of this Company in particular.

In June, 1962, the Report of the Pilkington Committee, which was appointed in July, 1960, was at last published. This Report, which proved to be hostile towards Independent Television as a whole, recommended the total abolition of the system as we know it to-day and the substitution for it of a system whereby the Independent Television Authority was to plan the programmes, arrange for their networking and for the selling of the advertising time – leaving Companies, such at ATV, to play the role merely of programme suppliers to a Government Authority.

It is to the credit of the Government that the main recommendations of the Pilkington Report were rejected. Nevertheless, when, on 20th December, 1962, the Postmaster-General presented his Television Bill it was immediately apparent that the atmosphere Pilkington was still pervasive. For, although it was recommended that the Programme Companies should continue as full operators of the television service in their various areas, it was laid down in the Bill that the Authority should be able to specify not only which programmes should be networked but at what price the originator should be required to supply them.

Nor was this all. The financial provisions in the Bill included a clause empowering the Postmaster-General to impose additional charges on the Programme Companies by way of a tax on profits deriving not only from the operation of a television licence but from the operation of any subsidiary company or companies.

It was because your Board felt that such a discriminatory tax was most improper that we took action. First, I wrote to shareholders warning them of the gravity of the situation; then, on behalf of your Board, I issued a number of statements to the Press; finally, I sought, and obtained, an interview with the Postmaster-General and corresponded with him. Throughout I made it my business to see that Members on both sides of Parliament were informed of the true facts of the situation

I mention these matters because in certain quarters much play has been made of a Television Lobby and the activities of a so-called Television “pressure group”. Those who have been most vociferous in expressing their disapproval have completely ignored the fact that within Independent Television there are nearly as many points of view as there are Companies, and that it was only in respect of certain limited objectives that there was any measure of agreement at all. This state of affairs seems to me healthy. democratic and in the true spirit of free enterprise.

So far as ATV is concerned I would regard it as a total dereliction of my duty as Chairman if, faced by a situation which could obviously be grievously harmful to your Company, I had not exerted every legitimate effort to induce the Government to revise its thinking.

The Board, and shareholders in general, have every reason to be grateful to your Deputy Chairman, Mr. Norman Collins, for the unsparing and untiring work which he devoted to securing improvement in the Television Bill.

An Ill-conceived Levy

Not that our efforts were entirely successful. Quite the contrary, in fact. For on 25th April, 1963, the Postmaster General suddenly withdrew his proposed omnibus tax on profits and substituted for it an arbitrary – and I think thoroughly ill-conceived – levy on turnover. In my view the levy is entirely mis-applied. The purpose of a turnover tax, as it is usually called. is to extract money for the Exchequer at the various stages where profit has accrued in a developing economic process – say between the suppliers of raw materials, the manufacturers, the wholesalers and the retailers. To attempt to apply it to an industry such as Independent Television which has only one operation – the earning money from advertisements to enable it to put out a free service to the public – is clearly a distortion of this taxation principle.

In order to substantiate our case financial statements were made freely available to the Postmaster General and to his colleagues. These statements clearly indicated one thing, viz., that a levy on turnover would affect some Companies far worse than others – your own Company, I regret to say, worst of all.

Why? For the simple and inescapable reason that ATV with its dual and divided seven-day operation in London and the Midlands has two lots of overheads, two lots of studios, two lots of offices, two lots of programme costs and so forth. The revenue – now to be subject to the levy – earned from this dual operation is no larger, and may indeed be smaller, than the revenue earned by a Company operating a five-day service in one area only with one lot of overheads, one lot of studios, one lot of offices, one lot of programme costs and so forth.

The Postmaster General has now said that he will look to the Authority to iron out these inequalities by imposing a system of differential rentals as between the various Companies. It may well prove to be the case, however, that the inequalities are so great that it is only by some measure of re-allocation of days or areas that the Authority will be able to seek to redress the balance.

Competition Achieved

Nevertheless, if your Board has failed in some of its efforts, there is cause for congratulation on one matter of major importance. On 27th June the Postmaster General announced in the House that by 1966, when there should be not fewer than 1½ million television sets in London capable of receiving a new 625-line service in UHF, he would authorise a second Independent Channel in the main areas. That is good news indeed and does much to remove the sourness of a singularly long and frustrating series of negotiations. It represents the culmination of a campaign that your Company alone has fought from the very beginning of Independent Television. Over the years we have repeated in Annual Report after Annual Report that we have never believed that a single Independent Television Service could comply with the basic requirements of the 1954 Television Act that “there is adequate competition to supply programmes between a number of programme contractors independent of each other both as to finance and also to control.” Within a single service the Companies inevitably tend to be complementary rather than competitive. Your own Board, moreover, has always felt that the advertisers. on whom the revenue to support Independent Television depends, should enjoy the freedom of buying in a competitive rather than a monopolistic market.

As the pioneer Company in advocating competition, ATV looks to play its full part over the years in the expanding field of Independent Television.

In the meantime. and for the immediate future. we have concentrated our efforts on making the most effective contribution that can be made in both the areas in which, under the terms of the licence, we are required to provide programmes. The success of London programming at the week-ends will be familiar to all the viewers who live within range of the Croydon transmitter.

4,000,000 Audience in the Midlands

Not that we regard our Midland audience as in any way less important. For those who do not live within the area served by the Lichfield transmitter I should report that for the first time our audiences have topped the four million mark. Many notable figures from all political parties and from all walks of life have appeared in programmes. These have included the Prime Minister, both when he addressed the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce early this year and also when he made his important announcement on leadership only last month at Wolverhampton. In such regional programmes as “Midland Montage”, “Midland Profile”, and “Look Around”. Mr. Iain Macleod and Mr Ernest Marples have appeared; and Miss Jenny Lee and Mr Roy Jenkins have spoken for Labour.

ATV is particularly proud of being the first Company to introduce a regular mid-day programme, and Noele Gordon’s “Lunch Box”, now in its seventh year, is already running into its 1,600th edition. Scarcely less important is the children’s programme conducted by Jean Morton, “The Tingha and Tucker Club”, which now has an estimated membership of half a million children and is firmly established as the most popular children’s programme in Midland television.

Company’s Multiple Interests

From the earliest days of the Company your Board decided on a policy of diversification. In the result our production subsidiary, Incorporated Television Company Limited, has traded widely throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. ITC Ltd. deals with 42 countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, 21 of them in Europe, nine in the Middle East and North Africa, seven in Australasia and the Far East, and five Commonwealth countries in Africa. ITC Ltd. also deals with the three of the Islands in the British Caribbean which operate a television service.

During the twelve months ended 31st March, 1963, over 5,600 hours were sold in these territories, approximately 4,300 hours being sales of film series, the balance telerecordings and documentary-type programmes.

Sales in these areas in this period amounted to £336,810 [£5.9m], and this is a steadily expanding market.

In the U.S.A., Independent Television Corporation has again shown progress in distributing our productions in the Western Hemisphere. Though trading conditions have been difficult within the USA. this Company since its inception has brought not less than $12 million [$119.3m] into this country.

“Fireball XL5”, beginning in the autumn, has been taken for showing on one of the principal American networks, while both “The Saint” and “Broadway Goes Latin” are being sold for syndication.

In partnership with the National Broadcasting Corporation of America and Herbert Brodkin, we are producing twenty-six one-hour episodes of “Espionage” in England. Our Group has world-wide distribution rights in this series outside the U.S.A. The series is to be shown on the N.B.C. Network as well as by our Company in the U.K. and has already been sold for transmission in Australia, Canada and Japan. The production on film of any television series necessitates considerable expenditure which can be recovered only over a period of years and provided a satisfactory sale can be secured in the U.S.A. Not the least of the reasons for deprecating the new levy on turnover is the fact that less money will be available for the production of film series which are vitally important both for home use and for export.

I am happy to say that Australia has emerged from its recession to which I referred last year and the results from our group investments in Australia have once again produced better figures. Our investment in Canada is also making satisfactory progress.

The build-up of our background music service, Muzak, is continuing slowly but steadily. It will be appreciated, however, that inevitably heavy investment in the development of this type of service will take some time before it can be fully recovered and the Company be made profit-making.

In the last eighteen months we have taken the first steps to set up and operate a chain of tenpin bowling centres. Our wholly owned subsidiary, Ambassador Bowling Limited, now has two centres in operation and a further three or four will be in operation in the course of the next twelve months. It is already apparent that tenpin bowling is a sport which has found considerable favour in this country and I am sure that this new venture of ours will prove remunerative over the years.

Pye Records Limited, in which your Company has a 50% holding, continues to make excellent progress and with the advent of its up-to-date recording studios will, I am confident, continue to expand.

As to our large investment in British Relay Wireless and Television, as shareholders will appreciate from the figures recently produced by that Company, it is progressing well.

Top Management

During the year under review,. your Company has seen major changes in top management. Mr. Val Parnell, who has acted as your Managing Director from the inception of the Company, retired at his own request. The services which he rendered during the formative years of the Company cannot be over-valued and we are delighted that he has agreed to remain on the Board and to act in a general advisory capacity, in addition to remaining responsible for one of the most popular programmes on Independent Television, “Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium”. Your Board was fortunate in having his successor so close at hand. Mr. Lew Grade, who over the years has acted as Mr. Parnell’s deputy, was immediately appointed to the top post. Mr. Grade’s appointment has proved to be universally popular throughout the industry and has been widely acclaimed by the Press. The Board regards itself as equally fortunate in obtaining the services as deputy to Mr. Grade of Mr. Edward J. Roth who, prior to joining your Company, was Director-General of Radio Eireann.

In the general context of Independent broadcasting as a whole I am happy that the date of this Annual Report makes it possible for me to be the first to express the feelings of the industry as a whole in welcoming the Rt. Hon. Dr. Charles Hill, now Lord Hill of Luton, as the new Chairman of the Authority. In doing so most warmly I will take this opportunity of thanking Sir John Carmichael who has acted Chairman since the retirement last November of Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick. Independent Television has never felt that it has had a wiser counsellor than Sir John. Once again I would like to express the appreciation of ATV to the Director-General of the ITA, Sir Robert Fraser, and to his colleagues within the Authority.

And now a word of tribute to our staff in London, Birmingham and elsewhere the world over. Despite the cloud of political uncertainties which has hung over the industry every member of ATV’s staff has worked most loyally throughout the year and the Board wishes to express its keen appreciation.

The post ATV financial results: 1963 appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

A Memorable Year Yielding Eminently Satisfactory Financial Results

SUCCESS OF BOARD’S DIVERSIFICATION POLICY

The Industry’s Growth Continues

MR. PRINCE LITTLER’S REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES

The Fifth Annual General Meeting of Associated Television Limited will be held at A.T.V. House, Great Cumberland Place. London, W.1, on 28th September 1960.

The following is the statement by the chairman, Mr. Prince Littler, C.B.E.. which has been circulated with the report and accounts:-

The year under review has proved to be a memorable one and has yielded eminently satisfactory financial results.

The proposed dividend means that the Company will have maintained its dividend at the equivalent of 100%, bearing in mind that the capital of the Company was doubled during the course of the past financial year.

Board’s Policy

The principal business of your Company is that of a Programme Contractor licensed by the Independent Television Authority to trade in London and the Midlands, and it is primarily upon this trading that these excellent results have been achieved. It has, however, from the inception of the Company, been the policy of the Board to make investments in allied fields both at home and abroad and, in consequence of this policy, the resources of your Company are now more strongly diversified than any time since it commenced trading.

Developments overseas have proved particularly gratifying in Australia and in Canada. It should, moreover, be noted that in the USA, your Company has recently acquired full control of the Independent Television Corporation of America.

The diversified interests at home are highly encouraging and include the operation of the Muzak franchise, a 50% interest in Pye Records and a substantial and most profitable investment in British Relay Wireless. All these developments will be reported in detail later in this statement.

Success of Consolidation Policy

Your Company has been actively trading for some years. The period of licence from the Independent Television Authority extends until July 1964 and your Board has, with conspicuous success, sought to consolidate the Company’s position as the only major seven-day-a-week Company operating under licence from the Authority.

At the outset of operations your Managing Director, Mr. Val Parnell, and his Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Lew Grade, resisted the pressures put upon them to equip large studios and to build large offices. The volume of programming both for ATV’s own domestic purposes and for the Independent Network as a whole has, however, necessitated a plan of expansion, carefully phased over the past and current years. Your Company has therefore purchased the important riverside site at Vauxhall. Moreover, the Company has proceeded to enlarge its Elstree Studios in order to meet the steadily increasing commitments of live, tape and film production for home and overseas television as a whole.

New Headquarters

During the past year the headquarters of Associated Television Limited have been moved from Television House, Kingsway, to an island site office block in Great Cumberland Place, W.1. The effect of this move has been beneficial to the Staff, and has resulted in a marked increase in inter-departmental efficiency.

The financial results reflect the confidence expressed by your Board in December 1959 when an interim dividend of 8s. per share, less income tax, was declared on the Ordinary Shares of £1 each, and 2s, per share, less income tax, on the ‘A’ Ordinary Stock Units of 5s. each.

Bonus Issue Approved

At an Extraordinary General Meeting held on the 21st January 1960 the shareholders passed a resolution, submitted by your Directors, for the capitalisation of £2,325,000 [£44.3m in today’s money allowing for inflation – Ed] of reserves by the issue of 9,300,000 ‘A’ Ordinary Shares of 5s, each, credited as fully paid, to the holders of the then existing issued share capital in the proportion of four new shares for each existing Ordinary Share of £1 each and one new share for every existing ‘A’ Ordinary Stock Unit of 5s, each. The new shares, on issue, were converted into ‘A’ Ordinary Stock Units of 5s, each.

Profits & Dividends

The Group profit before taxation for the year ended 30th April 1960 amounted to £5,388,330 [£102.6m] as compared with £5,316,493 [£101.3m] in the previous year. Taxation takes £2,711,820 [£51.65m] as against £2,715,076 [£51.72m]. The Group net profit is £2,676,510 [£51m] of which £1,031 [£19,600] is attributable to outside shareholders of subsidiaries leaving a profit attributable to the Parent Company of £2,675,479 [£50.96m] as against £2,601,048 [£49.54m] last year. The subsidiary companies retain £76,852 [£1.5m] leaving £2,598,627 [£49.5m] to be dealt with in the accounts of the Parent Company. To this amount must be added £1,711,215 [£32.6m], the balance brought forward from the previous year, and £445,000 [£8.5m] transferred from General Reserve – making a total of £4,754,842 [£90.6m] before appropriations. Your Directors propose recommend a final dividend of 6/- per share on the Ordinary Shares of £1 each and 1/6 per share on the ‘A’ Ordinary Stock Units of 5/- each. The interim dividend already paid and the proposed final dividend absorb £1,424,063 [£27m]. After deducting this amount, together with the sum of £2,325,000 [£44.3m] involved in the capitalisation effected in January and a transfer of £500,000 [£9.5m] to Investment Reserve, there is a balance of £505,779 [£9.6m] to be carried forward in the accounts of the Parent Company.

The accounts include provision for the distribution of £264,171 [£5m] for the Staff Profit-Sharing Scheme.

Home Investments

In the field of your Company’s home investments, it should be recorded that during the year British Relay Wireless and Television Limited made a bonus issue of one 5/- Ordinary Share for two 5/- Ordinary Shares. From this issue you Company obtained 134,000 new 5/- Ordinary Shares by way of capitalisation and the Conversion Right attached to your Company’s holding of £500,000 [£9.5m] 7% Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock 1967-1968 was increased from 184 to 201 shares for each £100 of stock. In March 1960 British Relay Wireless and Television Limited made a rights issue of two new 5/- Ordinary Shares for five 5/- Ordinary Shares and your Company subscribed for 562,800 new Ordinary Shares of 5 at 19/- each, which was its entitlement in respect of its shareholding and under the terms of the Loan Stock Trust Deed. The Stock is convertible on the 30th September 1961. The shares to which your Company would become entitled on conversion would, if there is no change in the present market price, have a value of approximately £1,100,000 [£21m]. British Relay Wireless and Television Limited has recently made a major extension in the Glasgow area and your Board remains confident that this investment will continue to grow.

New Franchise Acquisition

The subsidiary company which handles the sale of Muzak is developing most satisfactorily and a wide range of customers, including Banks, Hospitals, Hotels and Factories as well as Supermarkets, Restaurants and Shops, are installing this service. In the course of the current year operations have been extended to Birmingham and will shortly be followed by similar expansion in Manchester. In this connection shareholders will be interested to learn that we have acquired the Muzak franchise for Australia and New Zealand and it is felt that there is great opportunity for development of a background music service in this area.

Pye Records, in which your Company has a 50% interest, has been largely reorganised and the new plan of direct distribution to retailers has proved an outstanding success. This, together with the excellent reception given to the ‘Golden Guinea’ records, has had a marked effect upon the gramophone industry as a whole.

Your Group’s British production subsidiary ITC-Incorporated Television Company Limited continues to make good progress, During the past year the number of commercial television stations throughout the world has more than doubled and we are now actively selling programmes in a continually expanding market. The series ‘Danger Man,’ which is still under production Elstree, has been sold over the full Canadian network at a price higher than that previously paid for any similar series. Further series and pilot films are in the planning stage and will shortly commence production.

Overseas Investments

As regards investments overseas in the USA, Independent Television Corporation Inc., which, as at 30th April 1960, we held a 50% participation, has continued to handle the distribution of your Company’s film productions and has achieved a turnover of close to $10,000,000 [$103m]. During most of the period under review conditions have been particularly difficult, largely because of the increasing tendency by the three major television networks to assume an attitude of inflexibility towards programmes proposed by the independent producing companies. Recently, however, there have been signs of a slight improvement in business generally and your Board remains of the opinion that it is vital for the Group to have a direct outlet to the American market.

Since the end of the financial period under review we have purchased the balance of the share capital of Independent Television Corporation Inc. at a price which your Board regards as satisfactory. Having acquired control of the company we have taken steps to strengthen the management and to reduce the overheads of the operation and are confident that in time, and with adequate product available for distribution, this company should prove profitable to the Group. Nevertheless, in view of present uncertainties, you will see that your Board, as a measure of prudence, has set aside in the accounts before you a sum of £500,000 [£9.5m] to Investment Reserve.

In Canada your Company has purchased 25% (the maximum permitted under Canadian law for non-Canadian investors) of CJCH – the Halifax, Nova Scotia, radio station which has been awarded the licence for independent commercial television in that area.

The diversified interests of your wholly owned Australian subsidiary continue to prosper. Commercial radio in general is maintaining its level of profit and commercial television is expanding rapidly. The Sydney Commercial Television Station showing increasing profits and the Queensland and Adelaide Stations are rapidly advancing to profit-making stage. Altogether the Group’s television investments in Australia, which have a book value of nearly £250,000 [£4.8m], have grown in value to a sum greatly in excess of the amount invested. Since the end of the financial period under review ATV (Australia) Pty. Limited has sold the Artransa studios and the film production side of the business to Station ATN, the Sydney Commercial Television Company, in which we hold 9.7% of the share capital. We have retained the profitable radio transcription side of the business.

Level of Acceptability

All these investments business at home and it should ancillary to the Company’s main be recognised that the success of forward in the accounts of the any independent television company must depend upon the degree of popular acceptance of its those programmes by those members of the British public whom it serves. Here, it is noteworthy to add that during the calendar year January to December 1959 the level of acceptability in London (where the weekday programmes are provided by another company) has been 69% against the BBC’s 31%, whereas in the Midlands (where Associated Television Limited has the five-day operation) during the same period the level of acceptability has been 74%, against the BBC’s 26%.

Documentary and Religious Programmes

Despite the fact that such popular productions as Mr. Val Parnell’s ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ have continued to occupy a high place in the ‘Top Ten,’ your Company has been responsible also for such serious documentary programmes as ‘We Dissent’; ‘The Western’ – an enquiry into the popularity of Western films; a medical programme, ‘Fear Begins at 40’: ‘The Art of Architecture’; the series of five lectures by Sir Kenneth Clark on ‘Revolutionary Painters’; the lectures on British Prime Ministers by Dr. A. J. P. Taylor; and the ‘Right to Reply’ series in which Mr. William Clark interviewed among others, Mr. Selwyn Lloyd. Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, the late Aneurin Bevan, Father Trevor Huddleston, M. Jacques Soustelle, M. Hammarskjöld, the late John Foster Dulles, Mr. Krishna Menon, Mr. Henry Cabot Lodge, Mr. Paul Hoffman, and Mr. Norman Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica.

It will be remembered that Associated Television Limited was the first company to introduce regular religious programmes in Sunday television and those who took part during the past year included their Graces the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of Kensington, Lincoln, Manchester, Woolwich and Bedford, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, Dr. Heenan, Dr. Donald Soper and Lord Woolton.

Notable Achievements

Notable also have been those series which, while serious in content, have nevertheless secured maximum audiences. The series ‘Emergency – Ward 10’ has throughout the greater part of the year played to a weekly audience in excess of 20 million viewers. The new series ‘Probation Officer’ has proved equally successful and has earned wide praise from social workers and the Church alike.

Among British companies, your own Company has maintained its lead in the field of international television film production. In addition to such series as ‘Four Just Men’ and ‘Danger Man,’ produced in this country, the Company is just completing a series, ‘Whiplash,’ in Australia.

Company’s Major Role

Your Company has continued to play a major part in the independent television industry itself. Your Deputy Chairman, Mr. Norman Collins, has for the past year acted as Chairman of the Independent Television Companies Association and is currently also the Chairman of Independent Television News Limited, the company which provides the news bulletins for all stations. Mr. James Drummond, the Financial Director of your Company has for the past year acted Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of the Independent Television Companies Association. Mr. Bill Ward, Productions Controller of your Company, is the current Chairman of the Society of Film and Television Arts and I am pleased to place on record that he is the recipient of the Award of the Guild of Television Producers and Screenwriters for the best Light Entertainment Producer of 1959.

The Industry’s Growth

The television industry as a whole continues to grow and it is pleasing to note that during the year under review the ITA has appointed new companies to serve East Anglia and Northern Ireland and has erected a satellite station to give coverage to the Dover area.

By April 1960, 47,578,000 viewers were within reach of programmes broadcast from the ITA transmitters and the average total peak viewing audience for independent television is now over 13,000,000, compared with the BBC’s 5,500,000, as measured by TAM in homes with a choice of programmes.

Your Company’s operations have from the outset been divided between London and the English Midlands and the proportion of locally produced programmes in the Midlands is higher than that of any other independent company.

Your Company, nevertheless, continues to feel that an uninterrupted seven-day-a-week operation in any one area is calculated to provide the most satisfactory service to viewers, and your Company again places on record the fact that, in the public interest, it would welcome the introduction of new stations providing alternative services, so that genuine competition could be assured.

Relations with the Independent Television Authority, under its Chairman Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., have been most closely maintained and I would like to express the gratitude of your Board and more particularly of the Executive Directors for the unfailing service rendered by the officers of the Authority at all levels

Tribute to Management and Staff

As in other years I would, as Chairman, like to pay tribute to the services rendered by the Management. Your Company’s Managing Director, Mr. Val Parnell, and your Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Lew Grade, have continued not only to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the manifold interests of the Company but have added to their other duties by arduous business missions abroad. In addition, non-Executive Directors have continued to render most valuable services to the Company. They have given generously of their time and I would like to express my thanks to them.

Finally, I am happy to report that the Staff in all departments continue to reveal all those characteristics of enthusiasm which have served to build up the Company and I am sure the shareholders will wish to join me in thanking them for their loyal services rendered during the past year. It is gratifying that the Staff Profit-Sharing Scheme again enables the Company to show its appreciation of their efforts.

The post ATV financial results: 1960 appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

YEAR OF CONTINUED PROGRESS AND EXPANSION

OVER TWENTY-FOUR MILLION VIEWERS ON I.T.V.

SIGNIFICANT WIDENING OF PROGRAMME RANGE

MR. PRINCE LITTLER’S REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES

The fourth annual general meeting of Associated Television Limited will be held at the Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, London, W.C.2., on Thursday, September 3rd, 1959, at 3 p.m.

The following is the statement by the chairman, Mr. Prince Littler, C.B.E. which has been circulated with the report and accounts:–

The year under review has shown continued progress and expansion both for your Company and for Independent Television as a whole. New programme companies have been appointed for southern and north-eastern England, and the number of viewers able to receive Independent Television has risen to a total of more than 24 millions. Apart from the natural growth of the television audience through the purchase of new receivers, an entirely new Independent Television audience will arise from the opening of three new transmitters which will be on the air by the end of the year, thereby bringing Independent Television to an additional four million viewers in East Anglia. Northern Ireland and south-eastern England. All Independent Television companies, the pioneer companies as well as the newcomers, benefit from this expansion because network arrangements between the various companies enable basic production costs to be spread.

Planned Expenditure by Advertisers

With the nation-wide growth of Independent Television, advertisers are now able to be more selective in their buying of time, and the industry is entering into a new phase of overall planned expenditure on the part of the advertisers and their agencies. This is a thoroughly healthy development and it is supported by increased budgets which amply demonstrate the faith that advertisers have in the television medium.

While advertising revenue increased in the period under review as against the previous year, it must be recognized that saturation point may soon be reached. On the other hand programme costs continue to rise, both as a result of our confirmed policy of improving programme standards and as a result of wage increases arising from negotiations with the various trade unions concerned in the industry. Continuous watch is kept on expenditure and, although various substantial economies have been effected, the present extremely high level of profitability may become increasingly difficult to maintain.

Capital Structure

In the past 12 months there have been considerable changes in the capital structure of your Company. On September 30, 1958, the remaining £207,120 [£3.9m in today’s money allowing for inflation – Ed] of the 6 per cent. Convertible Unsecured Loan stock, 1960/63, was converted into “A” Ordinary shares of £1 each, but with a reduced right to dividends in respect of the year ended April 30, 1959, and the Company’s 6 per cent. Unsecured Loan stock, 1960/63, was redeemed at 102½ per cent.

On December 11, 1958, the authorized capital of the Company was increased to £5,000,000 [£94m] by the creation of 2,980,000 additional “A” Ordinary shares of £1 each, and 305,000 new “A” Ordinary shares of £1 each were issued credited as fully paid by way of capitalization of reserves and distributed to the holders of the Deferred shares and the 400,000 Deferred shares of 1s. each were converted into 20,000 “A” Ordinary shares of £1 each. On the same date each of the Company’s 4,850,000 “A” Ordinary shares of £1 was sub-divided into four “A” Ordinary shares of 5s. each.

On March 19, 1959, 7,871,520 fully paid “A” Ordinary shares of 5s. each numbered 1 to 7,871,520 inclusive were converted into stock transferable in amounts and multiples of 5s. The 828,480 “A” Ordinary shares of 5s. each, arising from the conversion of the Loan stock on September 30, 1958, will be converted into stock after the payment of the final dividend in respect of file year ended

April 30, 1959, at which time these shares will rank pari passu with the remaining “A” Ordinary stock.

Group Profit and Dividend

The Group profit before taxation, for the year ended April 30, 1959, amounted to £5,316,493 [£100m]. Taxation takes £2,715,076 [£51.2m] and there remains a Group profit of £2,601,417 [£49m], of which £369 [£7,000] is attributable to outside shareholders of a subsidiary company, leaving a profit attributable to the parent company of £2,601,048. Of this amount £38,373 [£724,000] was retained by the subsidiary companies and there remains £2,562,675 [£48.3m] to be dealt with in the accounts of the parent company. To this must be added £333,040 [£6.3m], the balance brought forward from the previous year, and £153,123 [£2.9m] in respect of taxation provisions no longer required due to the reduction in the rate of income tax, producing a balance of £3,048,838 [£57.5m] available for appropriation.

Your directors propose to recommend a final dividend of 12s. per share on the Ordinary shares of £1 each and 3s. per share on the “A” Ordinary stock units of 5s. each. “A” Ordinary shares numbered 7,871,521 to 8,700.000 inclusive rank for dividend of ⁷⁄₁₂ths of that payable on the “A” Ordinary stock. The interim dividend already paid and the proposed final dividend absorb £1,337,623 [£25.2m], leaving £1,711,215 [£32.3m] to be carried forward in the accounts of the parent company.

The accounts include provision for the distribution of £213,897 [£4m] for the staff profit-sharing scheme.

The balance of the mortgage on National Studios was repaid in September, 1958.

Proposed Capitalization of Reserves

On February 5, 1959, your Company applied to the London Stock Exchange for a quotation of its “A” Ordinary share capital which was granted. In the statement submitted with the application your directors indicated their intention of recommending in December, 1959, the capitalization of £2,325,000 [£43.9m] of reserves by the issue of 9,300,000 “A” Ordinary shares of 5s. each credited as fully paid to the holders of the present issued share capital in the proportions of four new shares for each existing Ordinary share of £1 each and for every four existing “A” Ordinary stock units of 5s. each. It is still their intention to make this recommendation.

Last year you were notified of the acquisition at par by your Company of £500,000 [£9.4m] 7 per cent. Convertible Unsecured Loan stock, 1967/68, in British Relay Wireless and Television Limited under the terms of issue of which the Company has options, exercisable on September 30, 1961, or September 30, 1962, to convert the whole or part of the stock into fully paid Ordinary shares of 5s. at the rate of 134 shares for each £100 stock converted. In February, 1959, British Relay Wireless and Television Limited made a rights issue and your Company subscribed for 268,000 new Ordinary shares of 5s. at 20s. which was its entitlement under the terms of the Loan Stock Trust Deed. The operations of British Relay Wireless and Television Limited continue to expand and your board is confident that this investment will prove profitable.

Recent and Proposed Acquisitions

In September, 1958, your Company received the consent of the Australian Federal Government to the acquisition of file commercial radio and television interests of the Daily Mirror Group in Australia. In March, 1959, the wholly owned Australian holding company, formed by your Company to control its Australian interests, subscribed for 75,000 shares of £A.1 each in the company operating the new Brisbane commercial television station.

It is anticipated that this station will go on the air in August, 1959. The Sydney commercial television station in which your company has a 9.36 per cent interest, is now operating on increasingly profitable terms.

As I reported in my statement last year, your board was then negotiating for file acquisition of a prominent United Kingdom production company engaged in the production of films for television. These negotiations were successfully concluded last autumn when the share capital of Incorporated Television Programme Company Limited, which has since changed its name to ITC—Incorporated Television Company Limited, was acquired. This company owns a 50 per cent interest in the voting equity of one of the three most important television film distribution companies in the United States. Preparatory work for the production of television film series is in hand and will be carried out in your Company’s studios in the United Kingdom and also in its studios in Australia.

Agreement with Pye Records

As indicated in the statement accompanying the application for quotation to the London Stock Exchange, your Company has completed an agreement to buy for a nominal consideration, half of the issued share capital of Pye Records Limited, a gramophone record manufacturing company, and has undertaken to advance to Pye Records Limited up to £300,000 [£5.7m] by way of loan. Although it is anticipated that certain initial losses will be incurred, your directors are confident that this will prove a profitable venture.

The Company has also concluded its negotiations with Muzak Corporation. Subsidiary companies have now been formed to operate the concession acquired on a royalty basis in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the distribution of background music on the lines developed by Muzak Corporation in North America.

Preparatory development work is now in hand and a sales force is being built up to develop this franchise commencing in August of this year. An encouraging number of inquiries for the use of this service has been received and it is hoped that there will be a steady growth in demand once the operation is established.

New Head Office and Studios

The first stage of the transfer of the Company’s head office to its new office building at ATV House, 17, Great Cumberland Place, W.1, was.completed on June 29, 1959, and it is anticipated that the transfer of the second stage will be completed in the spring of 1960. These offices are among the most modem and efficiently planned in London and your Company has been able to set an example in providing such agreeable working conditions for its staff. The amenities include a Muzak service throughout the building.

Plans are currently under review for the Company’s permanent studios. From the outset the staff has been working under considerable difficulties in temporary accommodation converted to television production purposes and it is remarkable that programmes of such excellence should have been produced in the existing studios. The consolidation of the London production facilities has been consistently postponed until the Company’s financial position warranted the considerable expenditure involved. Plans have already been approved for the rebuilding of the Midlands centre, Alpha Studios, which are shared and jointly financed by ABC Television and ourselves.

Distinguished Artists and Public Figures

The range of ATV’s programming has significantly widened. During the past year not only have such distinguished artists as Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud and, more recently. Sir Michael Redgrave and Miss Leslie Caron, made their world debuts in major TV drama, but a succession of public figures, politicians, philosophers, scientists, educationalists, and the clergy of the main denominations, have all appeared in ATV’s various topical series. Thus, in “Right to Reply,” the speakers have included the late John Foster Dulles, the Right Hon. Selwyn Lloyd, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Lord Russell, General Norstad, M. Soustelle and Mr. Aneurin Bevan. In “Free Speech,” Lord Boothby, Mr. Michael Foot, Mr. A. J. P. Taylor, Mr. W. J. Brown, to name four of the regular debaters, have kept the conduct of current controversy not merely balanced but also bold. Sir Kenneth Clark’s series “Is Art Necessary?” has now reached its eleventh programme and, in the field of documentary studies, ATV’s treatment of such subjects as Polio and World Population have achieved audiences in excess of five and a half million. The Religious programmes, moreover, have grown in audience from an average of under three million in 1958 to an average of nearly four and a half million in 1959. Among the many outstanding religious figures who have taken part in the “About Religion” series are the Reverend Father Trevor Huddleston, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Liverpool, Dr. John C. Heenan, and, more recently. Dr. Billy Graham, the American evangelist.

Popular science has been most successfully presented by Mr. Gerald Leach, a 26-year-old Cambridge scientist, who, in the series “It Can Happen Tomorrow” now addresses the largest home schoolroom audience of children and adults in British television.

A Notable Outside Broadcast

Notable among the many outside broadcasts was the first coverage in Independent Television of polo, with H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh playing at Windsor Great Park. Not less notable in another context is “Emergency – Ward 10” which has now entered its third year of twice-weekly series, with more than 10 million viewers for each episode.

Undoubtedly, however, the outstanding ATV record belongs to “Sunday Night at the London Palladium,” which on March 29, 1959, celebrated its 139th performance, having appeared no less than 130 times among the Top Ten most popular programmes in this country. “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” has brought into the homes of nearly 12 million viewers the best in light entertainment and, together with “Saturday Spectacular” has presented such internationally famous stars as Arthur Askey, Max Bygraves, Margot Fonteyn, Bruce Forsyth, Benny Hill, Bob Hope, Sally Ann Howes, Jewell and Warriss, Dave King, Liberace, Johnny Ray, Harry Secombe, Jo Stafford, Sophie Tucker and Norman Wisdom.

Recognizing the importance of maintaining the highest standards in children’s programmes your Company, in association with ABC Television, has appointed Miss Mary Field as Childrens Adviser. The work that Miss Field has already done as chairman of the Children’s Film Foundation earned her unique authority in this field.

The Midlands

Your Company is unique among the main Programme Companies in having responsibility not only for week-end broadcasting in the Metropolis but also for providing the week-day Independent Television for some six million inhabitants in the Midlands. In this important Midlands operation not only do we broadcast regular programmes for the farming community but, in the series “Where Are You Going?’ the Midland teenagers are helped by Midland educationalists and by the large industrial organizations in arriving at the right choice of career. The Midlands programmes include the popular “Lunch Box” programme of Noele Gordon’s and many programmes not seen on the London screens. The latter include the daily “Midlands News”; “Midland Montage,” the weekly magazine-type programme which presents news, views and comment about the Midland scene; daily religious programmes; “Paper Talk,” the regular discussion programme which had the longest run of any weekly television senes in Britain; and “Cover Girl,” a new type of teenage show produced in ATV’s Midland studios.

Your Company has continued with its policy of publishing in pamphlet and booklet form various of its outstanding television programmes. Particularly notable is the fact that by adopting new techniques we were able to place the text of the broadcasts of Mr. Dulles. Mr. Selwyn Lloyd, General Norstad and M. Soustelle in the hands of Members of the House of Lords, M.P.s and newspaper editors on the morning following the broadcast.

Your Company during the past year contributed £26,000 [£491,000] out of the total of £100,000 [£1.9m] from the four main companies by way of grants to the arts and sciences. Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, chairman of the Independent Television Authority, said of these grants: “The money will rescue many a valuable enterprise from extinction and will help others to improve their standards.”

Competition Welcomed

In my last statement I referred to the fact that this Company would welcome competition by another Independent Company seeking to attract viewers on the same days of the week and in the same areas. I reaffirm this view. Indeed, I feel that the competitive requirements of the Act call for such a second service. Moreover, your Company feels that the present restrictions on broadcasting hours are unrealistic and should be reviewed. The Company is at the moment precluded, solely by lack of opportunity, from scheduling many new programmes which it would like to be able to present to the British public. Furthermore, your Company has always been in the forefront of those which have supported the view that British television should progressively adopt the 625-line Continental standard and should not be permanently shackled to the outmoded standard of 405-lines to which this country reverted after the close of World War II.

The problems confronting any Programme Company are many and various and, once again, I should express our sincere appreciation for the invaluable guidance and advice always made readily available to us by Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick himself and by his two chief officers, the Director-General, Sir Robert Fraser, and the Deputy Director-General, Mr. Bernard Sendall.

The thanks of this Company, as of the other Independent Television Companies, are due also to Mr. Paul Adorian, managing director of Associated-Rediffusion, who for the past year has acted as chairman of the Independent Television Companies Association, an office in which he has from July 1 been succeeded by Mr. Norman Collins, deputy chairman of your own Company.

I have to report the resignation as executive director of Mr. Richard L. Meyer, whose wide experience of sound broadcasting matters proved so valuable to the Company during its initial stages. Mr. Meyer has been succeeded as an executive director by Mr. J. A. L. Drummond, whose City background and knowledge of financial matters has already proved of the greatest possible benefit to the board.

Tribute to Management

It is customary for the chairman to pay a tribute to the services rendered by the management. This I am most happy to do. I would like to thank all the directors, not least the non-executive directors, who have so generously given of their time and services.

No tribute to management would, however, be complete without a specific reference to the unique services rendered by your Company’s managing director, Mr. Val Parnell, thanks to whom the Company has not only become highly profitable but has laid sound foundations for the future. Moreover, Mr. Parnell, no less than I, would, I am sure, wish to include a special mention of your deputy managing director. Mr. Lew Grade, on whose shoulders fall so much of the detail of the day to day running of the business.

In conclusion, as regards the staff of your own Company, it will be apparent that such excellent results could not have been achieved without arduous and unflagging efforts on the part of all concerned. I therefore extend to them our heartiest thanks, and I am glad that the staff profit-sharing scheme enables our appreciation to take a tangible form.

The post ATV financial results: 1959 appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

WIDENED FIELD OF PROGRAMMES

INCREASING VOLUME OF ADVERTISING

MR. PRINCE LITTLER ON EXPANSION PLANS

The annual general meeting of Associated Television, Ltd., will be held on July 29 at Television House, Kingsway, London, W.C.

The following is the statement by the chairman, Mr. Prince Littler, C.B.E. which has been circulated with the report and accounts:–

When I addressed you at the last Annual General Meeting the Company was only just emerging from the financial shadows of the the opening period when every week of operation meant an additional heavy loss to your Company. It is not too much to say that your Company, the first to come forward ready to take the challenge of operating an independent service, was more heavily penalized by events than any of its competitors. The unavoidable delay in opening the Midlands transmitter meant that for a period of five months the Company was burdened by full overheads while forced to forgo approximately 50% of its legitimate market.

Those days are now past. In the result your Company has taken its full share in the expansion of the television broadcasting industry. Advertising revenue has continued to build up with the growth of the Independent Television network. New stations have come into operation in Scotland and Wales the past year – and the number of viewers able to receive Independent Television programmes is now approximately 20,000,000. The continued increase in the volume of advertisement bookings confirms the growing confidence of advertisers in the value of television as the best means of reaching and holding the public. On the other hand, programme costs have also risen despite increased networking, but this is unavoidable if we are to pursue our policy of improving on past standards.

Profit and Dividend

The profit after taxation for the year ended 30th April, 1958, amounted to £1,997,909 [£38m in today’s money allowing for inflation – Ed], eliminating the debit balance of £483,794 [£9.2m] brought forward on the Profit and Loss Account and providing for the arrears of dividend paid on 16th December, 1957, amounting to £125,832 [£2.4m], and the interim dividend of 10% paid on the 25th April, 1958, amounting to £91,786 [£1.8m], there remains a credit balance on Profit and Loss Account of £1,296,497 [£24.6m]. From this your Directors have recommended payment of a final dividend of 20% on the “A” Ordinary and Ordinary Shares, absorbing £183,573 [£3.5m], to which must be added a Deferred Share dividend of £29,884 [£568,000], in accordance with the Articles of Association. The Directors also recommend that the sum of £750,000 [£14.3m] be transferred to General Reserve, leaving £333,040 [£6.3m] to be carried forward on Profit & Loss Account.

During the year, a staff profit-sharing scheme was introduced, and provision has been made for a distribution of £146,562 [£2.8m]. For the first time since inception of the Company, provision has been made for the payment of Directors’ fees amounting to £29,000 [£551,000]. You are accordingly asked to pass the necessary resolution for this purpose.

Balance Sheet Items

Turning to the Balance Sheet, you will see that the amount of “A” Ordinary Shares issued and fully paid has increased by £292,880 [£5.6m], as a result of conversion of a similar amount of 6% Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock 1960-63. Fixed assets after provision for depreciation have risen by £77,977 [£1.5m]. The principal addition to fixed assets comprises a freehold property and buildings which are being adapted for urgently needed storage and studio space. The liquid position of the Company again shows marked improvement in the Bank Balances, Sums on deposit and Cash in hand standing at £8,203,732 [£156m]. The balance of the mortgage on the Company’s studios at Elstree has been called for repayment on the 31st January, 1959.

With the Company’s increased trading and with the large number of programmes produced for the I.T.A. network as a whole, the Company has experienced a grave shortage of essential office and studio accommodation. Accordingly, the lease has now been negotiated for new office premises, adequate to the expanding needs of the Company in a centrally situated block which is being designed to meet the Company’s requirements. Moreover, a suitable studio site within easy reach of the West End has now been selected and negotiations for its acquisition are currently proceeding.

Improvement in Liquid Position

With the improvement in the liquid position of the Company, the Board has given its attention to investing in the United Kingdom in allied and ancillary fields. As a first step in this direction your Company acquired on the 9th May, 1958, £500,000 [£9.5m] 7% Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock in British Relay Wireless & Television Limited with attractive conversion rights into ordinary shares in 3 and 4 years’ time. British Relay Wireless & Television operates television and radio relay services over parts of London and in many other urban areas, as well as a television and radio rental business, and by the extension of its operations creates new television viewers for our own programmes.

Your Board, moreover, is currently seeking to negotiate the purchase of one of the major producing companies specialising in the production of films for television. The company question has an outstandingly successful record, notably in the American market. Your Board feel that, in the acquisition of this company, your own Company’s position in the production field would be greatly strengthened.

Development Overseas

During the year the Board has given considerable attention to opportunities for participation in the development of commercial television and radio broadcasting in English-speaking territories overseas, including the U.S.A. Two of your Directors, Mr. Norman Collins, the Deputy Chairman, and Mr. Richard L. Meyer, have made a number of visits overseas to carry out on-the-spot investigations. One major project to which the Company has signified its assent is at the moment before a Commonwealth Government for their approval; and, in readiness for anticipated developments elsewhere within English-speaking world, the Company either has registered, or is in process of registering, Companies in Canada, East Africa, the West Indies and Bermuda.

Position Notably Maintained

The Company’s pioneer position in providing programmes of wide appeal has been notably maintained and, at the same time, the range of productions has significantly expanded. Since my last report, the Company has embarked on a widening field of programmes dealing with Religion, the Arts, public affairs and matters of general sociological interest. Notable among the religious contributions have been “Christ in Jeans” (as the modern dress Passion Play was entitled by the Press) and a specially filmed documentary record of the British Pilgrimage to Lourdes in the Centenary year; among the outstanding individual contributors have been Dr. George MacLeod, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, 1957-1958, and such leading Nonconformists as Dr. Leslie Weatherhead and Dr. Donald Soper. Moreover, a series of six programmes, introduced by the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been arranged to cover the major issues raised at the 1958 Lambeth Conference.

As regards the Arts, Sir Kenneth Clark, the ex-Chairman of the Independent Television Authority, recently agreed to become Adviser to the Company and initiated a series of widely-acclaimed programmes on which he personally appeared. In the field of public affairs, the series of balanced but still highly controversial programmes, “Free Speech,” continued under the Chairmanship of Mr. Edgar Lustgarten, and the lectures of Mr. A. J. P. Taylor helped still further to widen the scope of Independent Television. The Company has, moreover, recognised its responsibility as a public service by the creation of a special programme unit equipped to deal at short notice with such important and emergent issues as Polio and the Cult of Tranquillizers. Meanwhile, in the general field of programming, Mr. Val Parnell’s “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” continues to maintain its place as a national institution and, to cite another example at random, the dramatic serial, “Emergency – Ward 10,” now enjoys an audience of some ten million viewers twice a week.

Future of British Television

Your Board has considered the Company’s future position in the field of British television as a whole and is firmly of the opinion that in television, as in other fields of life, competition is not only desirable but necessary. Accordingly, I am happy to place the Company on records as saying that it would welcome the introduction of a third television service – in competition with your Company’s own operations – and I feel that it would be in the best interests of the country if it were run on commercial lines. The fact that competition leads to better programmes has already been sufficiently proved. Television entertainment from all sources – including the British Broadcasting Corporation – has improved beyond all measure. New opportunities have been offered to artists, writers and technicians, and British television is, in consequence, richer in talent than it has ever been before. Moreover, in the result, the export business of British television programmes has, for the first time, been established on a substantial basis.

Your Company is at the moment unfortunately handicapped by the fact that its licence from the Independent Television Authority provides for no more than part-time working on two different transmitters, i.e. London and the Midlands. With a third television network run on commercial lines this unsatisfactory state of affairs could be remedied. It is your Company’s firm desire to provide the public of the Metropolis – and through the new network such parts of the country as wish to take the programmes – with an unbroken seven-day-a-week service, exhibiting to the full the potentialities of independent and truly competitive television.

Independent Television Authority

I would like also to refer to the Independent Television Authority, the statutory body set up by Parliament to administer the affairs of Independent Television as a whole. Under the able and experienced Chairmanship of Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, as under the Chairmanship of his predecessor, Sir Kenneth Clark, the Authority continues to act in the fullest degree as guardian to Parliament and public alike. Moreover, the untiring efforts of the Authority’s Director-General, Sir Robert Fraser, have done more than the viewing public will ever realise to make a practical reality of the provisions of the Television Act of 1954.

In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues on the Board for their unfailing assistance and advice and also to pay tribute to the loyal service rendered to the Company by the Executives and the Staff in both London and Birmingham.

The post ATV financial results: 1958 appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

EVERY Sunday morning, soon after dawn, a blue van draws up outside the London Palladium and parks among the debris left over from Saturday night’s fruit-barrows.
The van is the mobile television control room which brings viewers Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

“It is all done in the van,” the show’s producer Brian Tesler, told me. “Viewers probably imagine that this great variety show is directed from some mighty control desk. People just would not believe that it is in fact controlled from this van parked in the street!

“Inside the van are my production assistant, the vision engineers, sound engineers, wardrobe and make-up experts, the driver… oh, yes, and I manage to squeeze in somehow.”

This may sound a make-shift arrangement, but it isn’t. This ATV control van, in its smart blue livery, is one of the most up-to-date headquarters of television
equipment. It contains TV and sound equipment valued at about £30,000 [about £565,500 now, allowing for inflation – Ed].

“During the earlier part of the week,” said Brian Tesler, “we get the show into shape in the empty theatre, using every precious hour until they have to set the stage for first house of the Palladium’s normal show.

“On Saturday our night crew go in immediately the curtain is rung down for the end of the second house and work all night rigging the extra lighting, the cameras and cables.

“By the time the van draws up early on Sunday morning, we are ready to link up to the theatre.”

Tesler, who has an Oxford first class honours degree, has a tidy mind, and great organising ability. At his elbow all the time is his production assistant – blonde, quick-witted Audrey Maclean.

“Here’s how the time-table goes for the rest of the day, in and out of the van,” said Tesler:

10.0: Try to commandeer one of the Palladium dressing-rooms for our personal gear. There are about 150 people back-stage today.
10.10: Go around chatting to all the artists in the show, listening to their numbers and discussing any special effects.
11.0: Band-call. Cyril Ornadel and the 25 members of the London Palladium Orchestra. Audrey is busy with her battery of stop-watches while we listen to the music, time it, and run through some of the numbers several times to make cuts.
1.0: Val Parnell entertains us to lunch. Around the table usually are Charles Henry (Production Chief of Moss Empires), dance director George Carden, Cyril Ornadel, Audrey and myself.
2.15: Rehearsal with cameras. Now we are out in the van, watching on the TV screens for the first time. I have a mike in front linked through loud-speakers and head-phones to all key people inside the Palladium.

We use Outside Broadcast equipment in the van, and on this the cameramen themselves also have microphones and can speak back to the producer. I sit in the centre of the control desk at the rear of the van. On one side is the vision mixer, on the other the sound mixer.

We watch the monitor screens up front, with a radio engineer in charge of each. Behind us are other technicians at their switches. I relay comments to the people inside the Palladium, and Audrey gives instructions about running order and timing.

The van is a maze of wiring, for in addition to the monitor TV screens that link with each camera in the building, there are two separate screens, known as radio-check monitors, enabling us to see how the show is coming over the air.

4.30: Back from the van to the Palladium, break for tea.
4.35: Talk during tea-break with the dance director and others who have been too busy for conference. Then back to the van.
5.0: Complete run-through with band.
6.0: Now is the time to make any last-minute changes. During the run-through, I may spend part of the time in the van, or part at the production desk in the Palladium. This is a position next to the two cameras mounted in the stalls.
6.30: A round of the dressing-rooms to wish the artists good luck.
7.15: The audience, which has been queueing in the street, begins filing in.
7.30: The house-lights are on, and I go on stage and begin the “warm-up warm-up” with whoever happens to be compering the show. The clock ticks on towards 8pm. I dash back to the van, take my seat at the controls, and there is a momentary hush in the babble as Audrey begins counting the seconds… “Ten… nine… eight – three… two… one…” SOUND ON. VISION ON. We’re on the air!
9.0: Moment of elation. But no time for celebration. I go back-stage again to the dressing-rooms and thank all the artists. The engineers and stage-hands attack the Palladium, knocking down the scenery, wheeling out the cameras.

And then, around midnight, the blue van drives away… until early next Sunday morning.

The post The Palladium Show is ‘in the van’ appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

MANY top BBC producers have quit the Corporation and joined the “opposition” — Bill Ward, Dickie Leeman, Stephen Wade and a retinue of others.

But when Brian Tesler, senior among the BBC’s talented Younger Set, discloses he has signed a three-year contract with Val Parnell for ATV, well, things are getting serious. I went along to find out the facts from him.

Brian lives only ten minutes from the studios, and as it would seem like a stab in the back to discuss his ATV future on BBC premises, we met on strictly neutral territory.

But the BBC was phoning all the time, as technically Tesler has not yet quite left.

“Pet? No, she won’t be wanted for rehearsals until tomorrow,” Tesler was saying. “The Billy Cotton office? Oh, I would you tell him I wanted to discuss those back-projection shots with him…”

Out with a bang

Tesler laughed: “Here I am, supposed to be leaving the BBC, but after more than four years it takes a lot of stopping. Why, in my very last week at the studios I had three shows — the last of the Billy Cotton series, and the first two Petula Clark shows. I was able to produce those personally, and I have cast and laid out the rest of the series before leaving. It used to be a 15-minute show. Now it’s 30.”

“Let’s forget the BBC for a minute,” I suggested. But Tesler has certainly gone out with a bang. His first BBC TV show was on January 2, 1953, and his first programme for ATV will be January, 1957. A lot has happened in those four years.

He devised the original Ask Pickles show and produced it during its first year when it won the National Television Award as “the most entertaining programme.” He produced Bob Monkhouse’s Fast and Loose, and many other programmes including And So to Bentley, Bath Night with Braden. He also originated and produced many of the BBC’s panel games, including The Name’s the Same, Guess My Story, Find the Link and Tall Story Club.

“I might go back”

“So why quit now?” I asked bluntly.

“I’ll tell you,” he said. “Since ITV started, I’ve had several offers, and also counter-offers from the Corporation. It has been a tremendous privilege to work for the BBC, but I was only 23 when I joined, just over four years ago, and there is a great deal yet to do.

“Personally I think that this is the right time for me, having enjoyed the privileges of BBC television, to go out into the cut-and-thrust of commercial TV, instead of tying myself to the Corporation for another three years.

“It’ll mean at least ‘three years hard’ in a tougher, sterner Show Business world but, after all. I’ll only be thirty when my ATV contract expires, so there’s plenty of time to decide what comes afterwards. Who knows? I might go back to the BBC again!”

“Why didn’t you leave when some of the other BBC producers did — Dickie Leeman for instance?” I asked.

“I was under contract,” he explained. “And, although I was invited then, I did not think that was the right time. A producer has an obligation to the public he serves, and when rumours began going round I was leaving, I was actually very busy on a long programme schedule — so that, quite apart from my BBC contract, it would have been wrong then to make a change.”

On the fence?

Certain critics have suggested that several big BBC producers sat on the fence, waiting to see if commercial TV would be a success. Then, when ITV was able to provide all the best equipment, they went over.

“That’s not my point of view at ail,” stated Tesler. “True, many branches of commercial TV had new equipment, but in many respects the BBC still has the finest technical resources. The cameras and electronic gear at the King’s Theatre, Hammersmith, for instance, are among the best in the world. Even the Americans admit it. The BBC has all the electronic gadgets like interlay and overlay, which at present ATV and the other commercial companies have not.

“No, I am not going to the rival camp expecting to get better equipment. I am going because — especially at my age — I don’t believe in staying in a rut. And of course, working with the big Show Business groups such as Delfont and the Grades, I hope to have many top names at my command — celebrities who seldom televise on a BBC budget.”

Too young

“Your ATV appointment came as a surprise to some who regard you frankly as a highbrow,” I said, for Tesler is an Oxford man, with a first in English Literature, and an M.A. degree. Well, do you picture a Master of Arts running a TV cash quiz?

He laughed. “That’s only part of the story. I wrote songs — and plugged them — before I joined the BBC. But I was too young to be Big Time, so I never became an Irving Berlin or a Gershwin!

“Why should I be ashamed of having a rather academic background? I have proved to myself that I have a certain flair for popular presentation in TV. I get a kick out of producing series like that of Billy Cotton and am absolutely in sympathy with the medium.

“There is hardly a BBC panel game that I haven’t either produced or helped to originate. A good television producer should have the most catholic tastes. I should hate to be typed as a highbrow — or a lowbrow.”

“How do the ATV studios compare with the BBC’s?” I asked.

“I’ll know when I’ve seen them!” Tesler said. “With the Pet Clark and Billy Cotton series on my plate, I haven’t even had a chance to see the TV variety theatre at Wood Green. My office will be at Television House, but I haven’t seen that either.”

“Was there a big meeting with Val Parnell?” I asked, believing that most viewers are curious to know how an impresario puts a producer under contract.

“There hasn’t been time for us to meet,” Tesler astonished me by saying. “In fact it all began with a phone call from Bill Ward, ATV’s production chief, It was generally known that my present BBC contract expired in December, and there had been two sorts of rumours— that I was wedded to the BBC and wouldn’t leave and, contrary, that I was going off to commercial.

“Bill rang to find which rumour was true, and from that opening conversation it all started. But there have been no big business meetings, no elaborate lunches. Not even a coffee!”

Familiar faces

As Tesler has done so many BBC panel games, it is natural to expect him to be Panel Game King of Commercial. He made a wry grimace.

“I think it would be true to say I have had my fill of panel games,” he said. “You must remember that while there is a special sort of satisfaction in producing a panel game, the real satisfaction in my line of TV producing comes from the musical and variety shows.

“It’s a strange thing, but my very first artist, when I produced Starlight back on January 2, 1953, was Pat Kirkwood. And since then she has really become my TV mascot. One of the most satisfying musical programmes I’ve done (well, satisfying to me!) was the ninety-minute Story of Vesta Tilley, which the BBC commissioned from Hubert Gregg, and which starred Pat.”

“Do you think that working for commercial will be a refreshing change?” I asked.

“In some ways it’ll seem like being back home,” he grinned. “Why, apart from working again with old colleagues like Dickie Leeman, Bill Ward and Stephen Wade, there are many former BBC cameramen… Colin Clews, for instance, and many more, now producers and directors for commercial. So I’ll be once more among the familiar faces.”

“What difference will it make to you economically?” I asked, knowing that he will be getting much more at ATV. He looked gloomy.

“Oh, that’s pretty difficult,” he admitted. You see, I live ten minutes from the BBC studios, but now it’s going to take me 45 minutes to get to the Wood Green Theatre, and to Television House. I ask you. The petrol coupons——!”

“Never mind. There’ll be a celebration party I suppose?”

“I’m having a small farewell party. Not a celebration. Frankly it will be a sad thing, leaving the friends I’ve made in over four happy years.”

“And who’s going to take over the Billy Cotton Show after you’ve gone?” I asked.

“That, said Tesler, straightfaced and in his best BBC manner, “is a major policy decision. You should address your enquiry through the proper channels…”

The post ‘I’m getting three years is hard’ appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

Despite this crack, the Paladin of the Palladium is no ruthless tyrant or despotic czar.

He is the genial boss of the Moss Empires music hall circuit of 24 theatres that provide entertainment for nearly half-a-million people every week.

He is also Chief Executive of Associated TeleVision, and, in a fortnight’s time, will again be presenting Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

It takes a long time to get to know Val Parnell. Unlike most of the people in the profession, he doesn’t go in for the hail-fellow-well-met approach and a lot of effusive conversation.

He is head backroom boy of a vast domain of show business, and mostly he keeps himself to himself.

Audiences can raise the roof

After his wife Helen, Val Parnell loves the Palladium best of all. It is his pride and joy, and he can rightly boast that it is the greatest and most famous music hall in the world.

To top the bill at the Palladium is the ultimate ambition of every variety act in both hemispheres.

Stars like Danny Kaye and Bob Hope sacrifice enormous fees in America to experience the thrill of hearing a Palladium audience raise the roof.

Jack Benny tells a story of how he met Danny Kaye in New York, just after Danny had returned from enjoying London’s twice-nightly applause.

“What time is it?” said Jack to Danny.

“Six-fifteen and eight forty-five,” replied Danny.

Val has the happy knack of making friends of the stars he employs.

On his desk is a paperweight with the inscription: “To Val — the real star of the London Palladium — from Frank Sinatra.”

Guest of honour

Comedian Danny Thomas gave him a Christmas present of cigars with the comment: “To Val, my friend and boss — a rare combination.”

They like him as a man and they respect the fact that he knows the business inside out. And so he should, as son of the once-famous ventriloquist, Fred Russell — still sprightly at the age of 94.

When Fred Russell was a guest of honour at a Press Club dinner some time ago, Val was there as well.

Someone introduced the grand old man as “Fred Russell, the father of Val Parnell.”

“No,” corrected Val, “I’m the son of Fred Russell — and proud of it.”

In the photograph above you see him standing beside the portrait of his father that he keeps on the piano in his office.

“What about a smile?” asked the photographer as he posed for the picture.

”I never smile,” said Val. He looked at me and asked: “What have I got to smile about?”

But there was a twinkle in his eye.

Come to think of it. I’ve rarely seen him smile. For years I’ve met him backstage, front-of-the-house, in the auditorium rehearsing a Royal Variety Performance, and at all sorts of private parties — and I’ve hardly ever seen him smile, except in greeting a friend.

It’s not that he hasn’t a sense of humour or an appreciation of fun; he can judge the effect of a comedian on an audience long before he hears the laughter.

Once he gave an audition to a not-very-funny comic.

Judging effect

“I’m sorry,” said Val, “but I don’t want any profanity at the Palladium.”

“But,” the man protested, “I don’t use any swear-words.”

“I know,” said Val. “But the audience would.”

Though born into show business, Val did not hanker after grease-paint and footlights. He preferred the business side. He eventually became assistant to the famous George Black, whom he succeeded as boss of Moss Empires when Black died in 1945.

Val’s love of the Palladium amounts to a sort of fanaticism. With a gleam in his eye usually associated with fathers speaking of their first-born, he said to me:

“Do you know that up in the half-crown gallery they’ve got the same carpet as the fourteen-and-sixpenny stalls… at £4 17s. 6d. a yard?

Down in the cellar

“Do you know that it cost £6,000 to put in a new cloakroom downstairs? That’s because we’re over some wine cellars, and thousands of bottles of wine had to be moved out for the job — and then moved in again.”

A final anecdote…

Early in the war a neurotic Negro artist tried to get a Palladium date — and failed.

He called at the Moss Empires’ offices, declaring drunkenly that he would shoot Val Parnell if he didn’t give him a job.

“Mr. Parnell,” said an anxious secretary, “there’s a man downstairs who says he’s going to shoot you.”

Replied Val: “Tell him to get in the queue.”

The post Val Parnell – Paladin of the Palladium appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

And her one regret is that her double shift makes it impossible for her to see Shakespeare at the Stratford Memorial Theatre. For five evenings a week she reads the news from 5.55 to 6 o’clock.

“It’s almost 6.30 by the time my make-up is removed,” she says. “The Memorial Theatre performance begins at 7.30 and I just can’t make it by bus.”

I don’t think it will be long before she has a car — and then she’ll be able to go again.

Last year she went to the Memorial Theatre nearly 50 times and saw each play six times. In 1951 she saw each play in the historic cycle seven times.

Her ambitions are to do more TV work and to act at the Memorial Theatre.

Patricia, who is 25, was auditioned, with scores of other girls for Midlands newscaster at the beginning of May. Producer Ned Sherrin liked her immediately. So did ATV’s Midlands controller Philip Dorte. A private transmission was piped to Val Parnell, in London. Patricia was called for a further test and given a contract.

Apart from a two-week holiday she has been seen every week-day since.

It’s a long day for Patricia. She arrives at the gown-shop in a suburb of Birmingham at 9 o’clock each morning. She models and sells gowns till after 4, when she leaves by taxi for the television theatre at Aston. She reaches the theatre at 4.40, is made up, and runs through the news with Sherrin and Raymond Roden, the man who scripts it for TV. She uses the intervening time before 5.55 to memorise as much as possible of the script.

Her calm, sympathetic approach to the news has won her many admirers. She receives a lot of fan mail and people recognise her in the street.

“I try to be as personal as possible when reading human interest stories,” she says. “I find the best way of putting anything over is to forget the camera and technicians and imagine I am talking to mother at home.”

Though newscasting was Patricia’s first experience of television, she has broadcast in several plays. She set out to be an actress while at Wolverhampton Art School and studied for 18 months with an elocutionist. She won the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art’s gold medal for elocution.

Then she took a drama course at Birmingham Theatre School and appeared in many plays. No wonder the theatre — and music — are her hobbies.

She likes to spend her weekends in the country. Usually this means a trip to the Cotswolds — more often than not to Stratford-on-Avon. Just to look at the Memorial Theatre.

The post Girl behind the news appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

Mr. Val Parnell is very pleased to announce that Brian Tester, one of television’s top producers, will join the staff of Associated TeleVision…

So ran the official announcement of the switch of Brian Tesler from producing BBC shows to those of ITV.

Tesler who joined ATV this month is 27. He is dark and good-looking, and you might think his place is in front of the cameras instead of behind them. He specialises in variety and musical shows. His office walls at Lime Grove were covered with signed photographs of artists he has worked with.

He is unmarried — “Girl friends resent having to wait until I finish work, which is not usually before nine p.m.”

He gained a First in English Literature and an M.A. at Oxford.

There he began to dabble in show business. He wrote songs and plugged them and took part in the formation of the Oxford Jazz Club. In the Services, with the Forces radio in Trieste, he gained his first experience of broadcasting. “I used to sing,” he said, “do boxing commentaries, produce shows and write songs. It was good experience.”

Does he still write songs? “When I get time.” Any hits? “One — The Girl Next Door was recorded by Ted Heath.”

At the end of 1952 he joined the BBC and early in 1953 produced his first show. He says: “I didn’t know what cameras were for the first three shows. But I learned.

“At that time Ernest Maxin and I were looking for the music for duets. He came to me one day and said he’d found enough for his show and he thought this one might do for mine. I thought it looked familiar. I turned to the name of the man who wrote it — Brian Tesler!”

Soon after this a request programme was suggested and Wilfred Pickles agreed to do it. Tesler was given the job of producing.

He says: “It started as a straight request programme without an audience, but as soon as I saw the kind of requests I realised the possibilities of the gimmicks. We brought in an audience and it went like a bomb.”

Tesler has originated and produced many BBC panel games. He worked out Guess My Story from a viewer’s postcard. He has been connected with The Name’s the Same, Find the Link, Tall Story Club and, more recently, worked on the camera plans for Twenty Questions.

Says Tesler: “I like people, so I fitted into the panel games. There isn’t a panel game on the light entertainment side that I haven’t worked on.

“Thinking quickly came in handy once when a panellist — who shall be nameless — was only just cut off in time. What viewers would have heard him say was, ‘should have guessed all the challengers if I hadn’t had an attack of worms.’ There was worse to come, but we stopped in time.”

Brian Tesler has worked, too, on many big variety shows.

He told me: “In the Ask Pickles programme a woman asked to cuddle a lion. We thought we were getting a lion cub but it turned out to be a monster and refused to move from the warmth of the studio lights at rehearsal. I was worried about the woman cuddling it, as it looked ferocious. In the show the woman rushed towards it with open arms — and the lion ran away. The audience never saw it.”

I asked him for his most embarrassing moment. “I had never been to an audition for dancing girls for a new show until someone persuaded me to go. It was embarrassing. I defy anyone to say that they have clapped and said ‘Bring on the dancing girls’ — and 200 have appeared!”

Tesler will bring his experience to the production of some big variety and spectacular shows in 1957.

The post Brian Tesler makes his ITV bow appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

It was, however, Hugh Jenkins, MP, when he was Labour’s Minister for the Arts, who gave the most succinct expression to misgivings about the system which enables men like Lew Grade to consolidate such an empire.

‘I agree Lew Grade is a nice man,’ said Jenkins without much fear of contradiction, ‘but what is dangerous is that such a concentration of power should rest even in the most moral hands. It is a dangerous situation in which a man has such power that the question of whether he’s a nice man or not is not important. Even Lew Grade is not immortal.’

When a government minister expresses his alarm in such strong, unequivocal terms, it is worth while to examine more closely the causes for his concern. Niceness and straight-dealing are not the issue; nor is plutocracy. Something far more difficult to define, yet all the more insidious for that, is at stake. ‘The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse,’ said the eighteenth-century philosopher Edmund Burke two centuries before such a force as television was ever imaginable. Even the high priest of free enterprise, Benjamin Disraeli, qualified the Victorians’ unswerving belief in personal empire-building by writing: ‘I repeat that all power is a trust – that we are accountable for its exercise – that from the people, and for the people, all springs and all must exist.’

To justify his own position, Lew Grade can point to his ratings. If that is not power from the people and for the people, what is it? He is genuinely perplexed by the sophistication of Mr Jenkins’s arguments, and will maintain with sincerely wounded feelings that the accumulation of money is the last thing he thinks about. ‘Multimillionaire? Baloney!’ he protests, a small, finely boned hand raised in horror so that the gold jewellery winks away up to his cuffs. ‘I have no money. I spend my money. I have perhaps been very generous with my money, but let’s not go into details about that. Making money, having power, that’s just an incidental part. If people let it change their lives, they don’t love their work.’

All this, as we shall see, is the case. He does love his work. He is nice. He does produce popular programmes. He does give the public what they seem to want. He is not interested in amassing wealth for wealth’s sake. He is the benefactor of countless untold good causes. The epitaph he once asked for was: ‘I always kept my word’ (subsequently altered to: ‘I didn’t want to go’!) But go, one way or another, he must. He himself has fixed his retirement at the year 2000. Be that as it may, as Hugh Jenkins points out, even the most moral men are mortal.

However or whenever he goes, he will leave behind that ‘dangerous concentration of power’, and given the vagaries which put it into those sensitive, delicate hands in the first place, who can tell what manner of man will succeed him?

When Lew Grade finally emerged from the fascinating early musical chairs at Association TeleVision, his company’s assets stood at £9,400,000. Within the first ten years of his single-minded stewardship, this tiny, rotund and genial man had husbanded his empire so shrewdly, and with such canny flair, that its assets topped the £35 million mark and its interests spread around the globe. By the time the centre of his all-consuming interest had shifted from television to the making of movie spectaculars and he took the title of president, it is fair to say that he had stamped his personal mark on all branches of the entertainment industry from his vast office in ATV House, Great Cumberland Place, adjacent to London’s Marble Arch; he had become a showman mogul cast in a heroic mould, as Lord Annan was to agree.

By then the chances were that when you turned on your radio, went to the cinema, bought a record or a theatre ticket, relaxed at home in front of the box or merely whistled a tune, this amazing man would own a slice of your consumption. For his £210,000 a year president’s salary, he brought a Sam Goldwyn touch to the television industry. No other man has been so successful in selling what the public wants to buy. There are few who would deny Lew (later Sir Lew and latterly Lord) Grade the status of the real founding genius at ATV. The one man who might have put in a counter-claim was Val Parnell, and Val Parnell is dead.

Grade himself enjoys telling how he first came to be in television. Like most stories concerning him it has a nub of truth and is packaged with a showman’s relish for the quotable anecdote. It started, he says, with the advertisement placed by the ITA inviting interested parties to tender for the original contracts. His version of what followed has all the hallmarks of his own bravura simplicity:

‘Now it was bandied about at the time that you needed £3 million. I said how was I going to get that kind of money? Well, my friend said he had someone who could find £2 million if I could find the rest and a board consisting of people well known enough in entertainment. I said “Okay” and I told my brother Leslie he was in the entertainment industry.

‘At that time we hadn’t got much money. We put in all we had – about £15,000 each. Then I rang Val Parnell and told him: “You’re in the television business” and he put in £10,000 to £15,000. Then I called other friends and we virtually formed the group.’

Among the most influential of those other friends was Prince Littler, chief of the Moss Empires variety chain. It was an impressive showbusiness consortium by any standards. There are people who remember hearing Val Parnell tell a similar story with the calls reversed. Exactly who picked up the phone and called whom is not, however, the real point. It is a good story and it is a revealing story, for it demonstrates lucidly what a modest outlay was needed for these leading showmen to buy their way into the ground floor of a multi-million pound venture. It is also some indication of how much (or little) they judged that new industry to be worth.

For what Grade’s throw-away anecdote disguises is in fact how slow any of them was to pick up the phone. It was certainly not a case of sizing up the potential of the new service, as both Norman Collins and Lord Woolton had done five years before, and rushing in to bag a claim. The bandwagon had been rolling, albeit bumpily, for a long time before Lew Grade jumped aboard. He actually missed the ITA’s advertisement in the newspapers. And even after it had been brought to his attention and the cavalier phone calls had been made, there was no direct route to the handsome blue-carpeted office with its table-tennis sized desk which was to become the seat of all power within ATV. It was a circuitous and quite improbable series of events which finally brought him there.

When the ITA advertisement appeared, Lew Grade (as he then still was) was totally immersed in the business affairs of his vast theatrical agency. It is both his strength and his weakness to be almost obsessively absorbed in his own current project. Part of the project he was then concerned with was a tour of the American singer Jo Stafford, and it was two of Miss Stafford’s entourage who played the most prominent roles in launching him into television. Her manager, Mike Nidorf, over in London from the United States to iron out various details of her contract and her performance schedules, spotted the advertisement and enthusiastically outlined its possibilities into Grade’s receptive ear, one of his most abiding qualities being his willingness to listen to new ideas. It is, indeed, among his proudest boasts that his office door in Great Cumberland Place has always remained open to anyone from tea lady or office boy to top executive if they have an idea which they think might be useful to him.

Lew listened carefully as Nidorf argued how, once it got under way, commercial television would have about as much chance of losing money as a fruit machine in Las Vegas. He was backed in his assessment by a most persuasive lady, Suzanne Warner, who was also prominent in the Jo Stafford menage. Added to her obvious Californian glamour was a spirit of daring enterprise. It was, in fact, Suzanne Warner who ‘had someone who could find £2 million’ to put alongside Lew, Leslie and Val’s £45,000. By one of those happy chances, the stuff that television’s dreams are made of, she was being treated by one of London’s most fashionable medical practitioners, who also happened to number among his patients one Mr H. Grunfield. Mr Grunfield was a senior partner in the merchant banking firm of Warburg & Company; what is more, he had already formed his own shrewd conclusions as a banker that commercial television in Britain could be as big and bountiful as it had been in the United States, if used effectively.

It took only an introduction from their mutual doctor to fuse the ambitions of Suzanne Warner to the resources of Mr Grunfield and to deliver them both at the doors of Lew, Val and Prince. Thus was the Incorporated Television Programme Company born, and no one who had any part in it – except, as it proved later, Dr Nathaniel Mayer Green, the accommodating practitioner – had any cause to rue their participation. Their company was to become the most profitable of all the commercial empires, and when it did so, Dr Mayer Green sued both his former patients for a portion of the fortunes they had amassed from their founder shares; shares which he had at the time declined. The cases were settled out of court.

Compared to the slippery, rock-strewn trek they had to make to reach the top of the mountain, the doctor’s litigation was merely a pebble to be cast lightly aside. By then they had survived far worse vicissitudes. When the ITA came to award contracts, the Incorporated Television Programme Company was the only one of the five competing contenders whose bid was rejected. The first three, announced on 27 October 1954, went to Lord Kemsley’s alliance with the television producer Maurice Winnick; to Associated-Rediffusion; and to Sidney Bernstein’s Granada chain, those former pious opponents of allowing anything but a public corporation to invade the sanctity of the home via the cathode ray tube.

Before going in with Lew Grade, however, Prince Littler himself had begun by vehemently mistrusting the advent of commercial television. He saw it as a real threat to his theatre empire, and in this proved quite correct. But he rationalized his fears with a businessman’s innate instinct for survival. He realized in time that, if television was going finally to complete the erosion of popular variety which the cinema had begun, he would guard his interests better by exerting his influence from within the enemy camp. He quickly became chairman of the board of the Incorporated Television Programme Company. A similar logic must also have had as much to do with Sidney Bernstein’s volte-face as his undeniable socialist desire to make his mark on the progress of the new mass culture. And though Associated-Rediffusion were the only experienced operators in the broadcasting field, they too had gone on record as believing that commercial television would not be in their best interests before waking up to the inevitable and putting in their bid.

Norman Collins, perhaps the only one among the contenders who was not counting the possibilities of the new service in terms of business expansion, was offered the franchise to broadcast London’s weekend programmes and weekday to the Midlands. That he should have been awarded such a rich base for his Associated Broadcasting Development Company was only to be expected, and was only fair. His role had been crucial in bringing the ITA into being.

Had he been more of a businessman and less of an idealist, had he seen his new brainchild in the same light as his competitors, he might well have hung on to that franchise. It was, however, significant that he took a week longer than the rest to accept the offer. Benson, Lonsdale & Co., the bankers Lord Bessborough had brought into his deal, were already dragging their feet. Their over-hesitant caution caused them to under-invest and ultimately cost Collins his contract. Winnick’s group was also in dire financial need. His Kemsley backers developed cold feet at the last minute and withdrew. The financial hiatus took Winnick, the clever operator who had introduced the popular panel game What’s My Line? to the BBC, out of the running before the starting-pistol was even fired.

The collapse of the Collins enterprise – on the face of it, the safest and most public-minded of all the companies – gave Prince Littler’s conglomerate the breathing space it needed to regroup for a fresh attack. Lew Grade’s explanation of their failure to capture one of the four contracts was probably the correct one. ‘It was the result,’ he said, ‘of too great a publicity campaign in which we made it look as if we owned the world.’

The ITA members were deeply reluctant to hand over one of their precious contracts to such a daunting array of vested interests: the complex web of the Grade Agency (of which more later) allied to the might of the Moss Empires variety chain along with the commercial radio interests represented by Harry Alan Towers and the powerful spending potential of Warburg’s merchant bank.

It is still a part of Lord Grade’s charm that the best stories against him are invariably the ones he tells himself. ‘As far as I was concerned, Warburg’s might have been a chocolate company when their name was first mentioned to me,’ he confesses. ‘So I called up a friend of mine, Sid Hyams, and asked him if he’s ever heard of them. He said: “Yes, they’re merchant bankers.’” Which was also how Warburg’s became part of the act.

The ITA held out for many months against the Littler-Grade-Warburg conglomerate. But a neat side-step, as neat as anything Lew Grade ever accomplished in his early days as a novelty dancer on the variety stage, shook the authority’s determination. Littler, having started as a reluctant recruit to the joys of commercial television, had grown incensed by the ITA’s refusal to recognize his group’s claims. He began to fight an ever more determined campaign, and when Norman Collins finally had to capitulate to the parsimony of his bankers and bow out, Littler was ready to advance his forces. The remnants of Collins’s Associated Broadcasting Development Company merged with Littler’s light entertainment giant, and the weight of Collins’s reputation clinched the matter. In the spring of 1955, ITA announced that the newly formed Associated Broadcasting Company – almost immediately the title was changed to Associated TeleVision (ATV) – would fill the breach by taking over the contract to broadcast London’s weekend programmes and the weekday schedules in the Midlands. Littler, Parnell, Grade and their holdings were in the race after all, and again it was Collins more than anyone who had made the success possible, though he could hardly be expected to feel altogether happy at this outcome to events. In such company he had effectively lost control of his own brainchild.

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