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Yorkshire Television Limited is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. It went on air on 30 July 1968. The main studios are in Leeds.

Yorkshire Television is often known on air as YTV. Its logo since 1968 has been a chevron and the identification theme was based on the traditional Yorkshire song 'On Ilkla Moor Baht'at'. YTV's first startup tune was the striking Yorkshire Television March, written by Derek New and arranged by Ron Goodwin; this was changed in 1982 for the Yorkshire Theme written by Chris Gunning.

Major Yorkshire Television programmes include the soap opera Emmerdale (originally Emmerdale Farm) and drama Heartbeat, as well as the quiz shows 3-2-1 and Countdown for Channel 4. Local programmes include the news service Calendar. In 1975 Yorkshire produced one of ITV's few critically-acclaimed sitcoms: Rising Damp, starring Leonard Rossiter.

Mergers and branding

Tyne Tees

On 1 January 1974, Yorkshire Television merged with its neighbour Tyne Tees Television to form Trident Television Limited. The other point of the trident was intended to be another neighbour, Anglia Television, but in the event Anglia decided to remain independent. The two stations remained separately run and were required to demerge in 1981 as a condition of the re-award of their ITV contracts. However following rule changes in 1993, the two stations resumed their alliance under the name Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television plc.

In 1996, Yorkshire Tyne Tees Television made the controversial move of dual branding its stations as "Channel 3". Yorkshire Television had a scaled back version of this branding "Yorkshire Television, on Channel 3", but its neighbour Tyne Tees Television was forced to use the rather long winded name "Channel 3 North East - Tyne Tees Television".

Granada

In 1997 Yorkshire Tyne Tees Television plc was acquired by Granada Group plc (now ITV plc). Granada's first move was to scrap the hated-in-some-quarters Channel 3 branding. However dual branding with the "ITV" name was introduced a year later.

Yorkshire Television was placed in charge in transmission control and presentation for all of Granada's television stations in the North of England. The presentation department closed down in 2002 after a unified presentation department for ITV1 in England was set up by LNN in London.

On 28 October 2002, Yorkshire Television was rebranded as ITV1 Yorkshire. The "Yorkshire" name only appears before regional programmes, the rest of the time only the name "ITV1" is shown. The famous chevron continued to appear after programmes made by Yorkshire Television, until 31 October 2004. However from 1 November 2004 the Granada logo appears at the end of Yorkshire programmes, accompanied by the words "A Granada Yorkshire Production". The chevron is therefore no longer used on screen.

Notable productions

• Calendar — local news programme usually presented by Richard Whiteley
• Countdown
• Emmerdale
• Flambards
• Heartbeat
• Hello, Cheeky!
• Home to Roost
• Jimmy's
• Local Heroes
• The Raggy Dolls
• Rising Damp
• 3-2-1

External links

• ITV1 Yorkshire Home Page

See also

• ITV
• ITV plc

• ITV
• Yorkshire