The
Independent Broadcasting Authority (
IBA) was the regulatory body in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
for
commercialPrivate television or commercial broadcasting is the United States first model of television born in 1920 decade, antithetical to the "public television" model born in Europe in 1930, 1940 and 1950 decads and dominant worldwide except America up until the 1980 decade. Today it is the historically...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
(
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
and
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
and limited
satellite televisionSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
regulation -
cableCable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...
was the responsibility of the
Cable AuthorityThe Cable Authority was the United Kingdom statutory body established by the Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984 to regulate the newly liberalised cable television industry. It came into existence on 1 December 1984 and took on its functions with effect from 1 January 1985...
) - and commercial/independent
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts. The IBA came into being when the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 gave the
Independent Television AuthorityThe Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
responsibility for organising the new Independent Local Radio (ILR) stations.
The IBA appointed and regulated a number of regional programme TV contractors and local radio contractors , and built and operated the network of transmitters distributing these programmes through its Engineering Division.
Approach
The IBA's approach to regulation was more robust than its successors, and it assumed the ultimate role of the broadcaster (whereas today, TV licensees are termed "broadcasters in their own right"). The IBA took a very "hands-on" approach and placed the interests of the viewer before anything else. For example, if two ITV licensees wanted to merge, or another wanted to change its broadcast name, this would require approval by the IBA. This direct approach extended to programmes also; the IBA could (and did) place limits on how many
soapA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
episodes could be shown per week, if they believed programme quality would be compromised.
The IBA set guidelines on the content of advertising and imposed strict limits on the quantity and timing of advertisements.
The IBA also operated monitoring systems for the quality of programme content and the technical quality of programme play-out.
Other regulation included a limit on the value of prizes that could be given away in television game shows. This resulted in British versions of popular American quiz show The $64,000 Question having a maximum prize initially of 64,000 sixpences (£1,600) in the late 1950s, and in the early 1990s of just £6,400, the format being adjusted so that "The Six Thousand Four Hundred Pound Question" was only asked every other week so as not to break the regulatory £3,200/week maximum.
Regional programming on
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
was a major concern for the IBA, particularly in the 1980 franchise round. The IBA was determined each franchise provided the best possible local service, so the South of England transmission region was split in two, with the successful applicant required to provide separate news services for the South and South East.
ATVAssociated TeleVision, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licenses to broadcast on the ITV network from September 24, 1955 until December 31, 1981.-Formation:...
's commitment to regional output in the Midlands had been a long-running issue for the IBA; in 1980, they were allowed to keep their franchise, but with several tough conditions; that the company was substantially restructured, their
ElstreeElstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5, north of London. It forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood . Elstree is in the Greater London Urban Area....
production base relocated to
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
and the company rebranded to reflect its increased commitment to the Midlands. The new name, chosen apparently in a viewer competition, was
Central Independent TelevisionCentral Independent Television, more commonly known as Central was the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
.
In the late 1980s the IBA was appointed as regulator and transmitter operator for the first DBS (
Direct Broadcasting by SatelliteDirect broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception, also referred to more broadly as direct-to-home signals...
) service for the UK and awarded the franchise to BSB (
British Satellite BroadcastingBritish Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
). The rival
Sky Television plcFor other uses, see Sky Television.Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
was able to launch a lower power service from Luxembourg regulated satellites with more channels in advance and subsequently forced a merger with BSB.
For many years the IBA put out a short weekly programme under the title
Engineering AnnouncementsEngineering Announcements for the Radio and Television Trade, sometimes abbreviated to Engineering Announcements, was a weekly magazine of news and information intended for technicians and salespeople, produced and transmitted by the Independent Television Authority from 23 November 1970 until 31...
, transmitted during network downtime and not otherwise advertised. These provided valuable technical information for members of the radio and television trade.
Succession
The IBA was disbanded as part of the
Broadcasting Act 1990The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, often regarded by both its supporters and its critics as a quintessential example of Thatcherism. The aim of the Act was to reform the entire structure of British broadcasting; British television, in particular, had earlier been...
, being replaced on New Year's Day 1991 by the
Independent Television CommissionThe Independent Television Commission licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003....
(ITC) (which also absorbed the Cable Authority), and the Radio Authority (RAu), which have since been merged with other regulators such as Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) and Oftel (Office of Telecommunications) to form one regulator,
OfcomThe Office of Communications or, as it is more often known, Ofcom, is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established in the enabling device, the , but received its full authority from the Communications...
. All of the IBA's engineering function, except for a limited number of Quality Control engineers, was transferred to a newly set-up private company, National Transcommunications Limited (NTL), which continued to run the former IBA transmitter masts and is now known as
ArqivaArqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company was formed by National Grid Wireless combining with Arqiva in September 2008...
. In 2008 the IBA's extensive archive was lodged with the University of Bournemouth.
Notable Independent Broadcasting Authority locations
Notable IBA locations included:
- Headquarters in 70 Brompton Road, London SW3
- Engineering Division Headquarters at Crawley Court, near Winchester, Hampshire (novated to NTL)
- the transmission sites now belonging to Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company was formed by National Grid Wireless combining with Arqiva in September 2008...
- the BSB satellite uplink at Chilworth, Hampshire
- Engineering Regional Operations Centres at
- Beulah Hill, Croydon
- Black Hill, near Shotts, Lanarkshire
- St Hilary
St Hilary is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales.- Location :It lies just south of the A48, a few miles west Cardiff and a mile east of market town of Cowbridge.- History & Amenities :...
, near Cardiff
- Emley Moor, near Huddersfield
- Harman Engineering Training Centre, Seaton, Devon