Independent Television Authority

Independent Television Authority
Company type	Regulatory authority
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	August 4, 1954; 72 years ago
Defunct	July 12, 1972
Fate	Replaced by Independent Broadcasting Authority
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Key people	Sir Kenneth Clark (Chairman), Sir Robert Fraser (Director General)

The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was created under the Television Act 1954 to regulate the establishment of "Independent Television" (ITV), marking the United Kingdom's inaugural commercial television service. Functioning from 1954 until 1972, the ITA was responsible for selecting sites, overseeing the construction, and managing transmission stations for ITV. It also defined exclusive franchise territories and granted regional commercial broadcasting licenses. The authority began its activities on 4 August 1954, with Sir Kenneth Clark serving as chairman and Sir Robert Fraser appointed shortly thereafter as director general.

Because of the nature of VHF transmission, a relatively small number of transmitters could cover the majority of the UK population. Initially, the ITA designated three franchise regions: London, the English Midlands, and Northern England, which included industrial cities from Liverpool to Hull. These franchises were divided between weekday and weekend operations, with principal franchise holders responsible for most network-wide programming and smaller franchisees concentrating on regional content.

Franchises

Franchise licenses were awarded by the ITA based on applicants’ financial soundness, proposed services, and local ties. The first franchises were granted between 1954 and 1961, with stations commencing broadcasts within one to two years. In September 1963, the ITA called for applications to take effect in July 1964 for a term of three years or until a second commercial channel was introduced. No franchise alterations occurred at that time except for the consolidation of South Wales and the West (held by TWW) with Wales West and North (held by WWN) following WWN’s financial failure. The second commercial channel eventually launched in 1982 as Channel 4.

Initial franchises awarded in 1954

The London weekday franchise was granted to Associated-Rediffusion.
The London weekend and Midlands weekday franchises were awarded to the Associated Broadcasting Company, which later became Associated TeleVision (ATV).
The Midlands weekend and North of England weekend franchises were initially given to Kemsley-Winnick Television, which collapsed; in 1955, these franchises were reassigned to the Associated British Picture Corporation under the name ABC Weekend Television.
The North of England weekday franchise was allocated to Granada Television.

In January 1955, the ITA approved the formation of ITN (Independent Television News), a news organization jointly owned by ITV companies to supply network-wide news coverage.

ITV began broadcasting in London on 22 September 1955, reaching nearly twelve million viewers. The first commercial broadcast promoted "Gibbs SR" toothpaste.

Franchises awarded in 1956

The Central Scotland franchise was awarded to Scottish Television (STV), selected from three contenders.
The South Wales and West of England franchise was granted to Television Wales and the West (TWW), chosen from ten applicants.

Franchises granted in 1957

The franchise for the South of England was awarded to Southern Television, selected from thirteen contenders.
The North East England franchise was granted to Tyne Tees Television, chosen from eleven applicants.

Franchises granted in 1958

The East of England franchise went to Anglia Television, out of eight submissions.
The Northern Ireland franchise was assigned to Ulster Television (UTV), selected from four candidates.

Franchise granted in 1959

The South West England franchise was given to Westward Television, from a pool of fifteen applications.

Franchises granted in 1960

The Channel Islands franchise was awarded to Channel Television, from two applications, following the extension of the Television Act 1954 by the Television Act 1954 (Channel Islands) Order 1961.
The franchise covering the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man was granted to Border Television, also from two applications, pursuant to the Television Act 1954 (Isle of Man) Order 1957.
The North East Scotland franchise went to Grampian Television, selected from seven applicants.

Franchise granted in 1961

The Wales West and North franchise was awarded to the Wales Television Association, Teledu Cymru, operating under the name WWN.

WWN commenced broadcasting on 14 September 1962, thereby completing the ITV network. However, delays in transmitter activation restricted revenue, causing WWN to cease operations in January 1964. Subsequently, the Welsh franchises were consolidated, with TWW providing coverage throughout Wales.

Franchise review of 1967

The 1967 review of franchises introduced significant modifications:

The division between weekday and weekend franchises outside London was abolished.
The existing North of England franchise was split into North West England, awarded to Granada Television, and the three Ridings of Yorkshire, forming Yorkshire Television.
A new seven-day Midlands franchise was given to (ATV).
The ITA merged ABC and Associated-Rediffusion into Thames Television, which received the London Weekday franchise.
LWT secured the London Weekend franchise, commencing at 7 pm on Fridays.
TWW lost its franchise for Wales and West England to Harlech Television, later known as HTV.

These franchises were gradually extended with expiry dates set for 31 December 1981. For further information on the 1981 and 1991–92 franchise rounds, refer to the entry on the IBA.

Developments since 1972

The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 broadened ITA’s responsibilities to include commercial radio and restructured it as the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) effective from 12 July 1972. Later, under the Broadcasting Act 1990, the IBA was replaced by both the Independent Television Commission (ITC) and the Radio Authority. These bodies were eventually superseded by Ofcom in 2003.

Chairpersons

Positions held

Name (Birth–Death)	Term duration		Distinction(s)	Prime Minister	Monarch (Reign)
Sir Kenneth Clark (1903–1983)	4 August 1954	31 August 1957	Created Baron Clark for life in 1969	Winston Churchill	Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
				Anthony Eden
				Harold Macmillan
Sir Ronald Matthews (1885–1959)	1 September 1957	6 December 1957
Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick (1897–1964)	7 November 1957	6 November 1962
Sir John Carmichael (1910–1996)	7 November 1962	30 June 1963
The Baron Hill of Luton (1904–1989)	1 July 1963	30 August 1967
			Sir Alec Douglas-Home
			Harold Wilson
The Baron Aylestone (1905–1994)	1 September 1967	11 July 1972	Harold Wilson

References

Sendall, Bernard Independent Television in Britain: Volume 1 - Origin and Foundation 1946-62 London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1982 (reprinted 1984)