ATV Midland News
Encyclopedia
ATV Midlands News was a regional television news
and current affairs
programme, produced by ATV
, serving the Midlands
area of England.
First broadcast on Monday 7 May 1956, ATV Midlands News was one of the first daily regional news services on British television, originally consisting of a short early evening bulletin of local headlines read by Patricia Cox (one of the first female newsreaders on British television) with stories often sourced from the Birmingham Evening Dispatch, a local newspaper.
Film footage of news and events was later introduced to the bulletins and shot by Birmingham Commercial Films, an independent company which specialised in providing newsreel and stock footage. From 1958, the nightly Midlands News bulletins were supplemented by Midland Montage, a weekly topical magazine programme presented by Leslie Dunn and ATV continuity announcer Pat Astley. A year later, ATV set up its own news film unit for both programmes.
In 1964, following pressure from the Independent Television Authority to improve regional coverage, ATV introduced a nightly news magazine programme, ATV Today
, which supplemented and eventually superseded the Midlands News bulletins in 1969. ATV Midlands continued providing Midlands news coverage within both ATV Today and shorter ATV News bulletins until 31 December 1981.
News program
A news program, news programme, news show, or newscast is a regularly scheduled radio or television program that reports current events. News is typically reported in a series of individual stories that are presented by one or more anchors...
and current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
programme, produced by ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
, serving the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
area of England.
First broadcast on Monday 7 May 1956, ATV Midlands News was one of the first daily regional news services on British television, originally consisting of a short early evening bulletin of local headlines read by Patricia Cox (one of the first female newsreaders on British television) with stories often sourced from the Birmingham Evening Dispatch, a local newspaper.
Film footage of news and events was later introduced to the bulletins and shot by Birmingham Commercial Films, an independent company which specialised in providing newsreel and stock footage. From 1958, the nightly Midlands News bulletins were supplemented by Midland Montage, a weekly topical magazine programme presented by Leslie Dunn and ATV continuity announcer Pat Astley. A year later, ATV set up its own news film unit for both programmes.
In 1964, following pressure from the Independent Television Authority to improve regional coverage, ATV introduced a nightly news magazine programme, ATV Today
ATV Today
ATV Today was a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ATV, serving the Midlands area of England. The programme aired from October 1964 until 31 December 1981 - the final day of broadcasting from ATV before the company was restructured and relaunched as Central...
, which supplemented and eventually superseded the Midlands News bulletins in 1969. ATV Midlands continued providing Midlands news coverage within both ATV Today and shorter ATV News bulletins until 31 December 1981.