Writing the History of Southern Television: 1958-1982

书写南方电视台的历史：1958-1982

• 批准号: AH/I023996/1
• 负责人: Catherine Johnson
• 金额: $ 6.91万
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Training Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2011 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FI023996%2F1
• 关键词: Writing; History; Southern; Television; 1958

ITV has been a significant force in Britain's cultural life since it began broadcasting in 1955. Its introduction broke the BBC's monopoly on broadcasting and brought commercially funded public service television to the UK for the first time. ITV was deliberately established as a series of regional franchises designed to counter the London-centric, metropolitan structure of the BBC. Despite the centrality of ITV to the history of British culture, it has been relatively neglected in comparison with the BBC. In particular, there are very few institutional histories of the ITV regional franchises. While some of the regional film archives in the UK hold audio-visual material from the ITV franchises, it is rare for the archives to hold supporting paper documentation which would give an insight into the workings of these companies. An initial survey of regional film archives in the UK suggests that the British Film Institute's Southern Television collection is the only complete paper archive for an ITV franchise. Yet at present this unique collection is un-catalogued and so not available for public use.The overall aim of this project is to enhance understanding of the institutional history of the Independent Television (ITV) regional franchises through the specific case study of Southern Television (the ITV franchise for the south of England from 1958 to 1982). Institutional histories offer insight into decision-making processes, negotiations with other bodies, and the implementation of policy. The case of Southern Television provides a particular opportunity to explore issues of regional identity, to examine how commercial and public service demands were negotiated, and to complicate understanding of the historical development of television over the period within which it became a mass medium. As such, this research has three specific aims and objectives. First it will further understanding of the role of television in the construction of regional identities in the UK. Southern Television is an important case study because it offers the opportunity to examine how the company attempted to serve a diverse geographical region in the shadow of London that is overlooked in histories of regional television and identity. Second it will examine the relationships between the different regional franchises, the regulator and the BBC in order to increase understanding of the ways in which commercial and public service demands were balanced by the ITV franchises. While this period in British television history is often referred to as a duopoly between the BBC and ITV, such historicisation fails to acknowledge that ITV was not a single and coherent body and this project will correct the lack of research into the ways in which the ITV franchises were structured and operated. Third, this research will enhance understanding of the historical development of television by examining how changes in technology, regulation and policy, and relationships with the unions and other industries were negotiated by a commercial public service broadcaster. As well as benefiting television historians, this research will also contribute to broader research on regional and national identities in the UK, the operation of British creative industries, and the commercial funding of public services. The project will demonstrate the value of the Southern Television paper collection for scholarship and make the collection available for future research. It will also enable public dissemination of and engagement with the Southern Television paper collection and the research based on it through contributions to BFI initiatives designed to promote access to and appreciate of film and television as a record of British society and culture. The project will also provide a doctoral student with unique insight into the workings of the BFI, as well as training and experience

自 1955 年开播以来，ITV 一直是英国文化生活的一支重要力量。它的推出打破了 BBC 对广播的垄断，并首次将商业资助的公共服务电视引入英国。 ITV 是有意建立的一系列地区特许经营权，旨在对抗 BBC 以伦敦为中心的大都市结构。尽管独立电视台在英国文化史上占据着中心地位，但与英国广播公司相比，它相对被忽视了。特别是，独立电视台地区特许经营的机构历史非常少。虽然英国的一些地区电影档案馆保存有独立电视台特许经营权的视听材料，但很少有档案馆保存有支持性纸质文件，可以让人们深入了解这些公司的运作情况。对英国地区电影档案的初步调查表明，英国电影学院的南方电视台收藏是独立电视台特许经营权唯一完整的纸质档案。然而，目前这一独特的收藏尚未编目，因此无法供公众使用。该项目的总体目标是通过南方电视台（1958 年至 1982 年英国南部的 ITV 特许经营权）的具体案例研究，加深对独立电视 (ITV) 地区特许经营机构历史的了解。机构历史提供了对决策过程、与其他机构的谈判以及政策实施的洞察。南方电视台的案例提供了一个特殊的机会来探讨区域认同问题，研究商业和公共服务需求是如何协商的，并使对电视在成为大众媒体期间的历史发展的理解复杂化。因此，这项研究有三个具体目的和目标。首先，它将进一步了解电视在英国地区身份建设中的作用。南方电视台是一个重要的案例研究，因为它提供了机会来研究该公司如何尝试为伦敦阴影下的多元化地理区域提供服务，而这一点在地区电视和身份的历史中被忽视。其次，它将研究不同地区特许经营权、监管机构和 BBC 之间的关系，以加深对 ITV 特许经营权平衡商业和公共服务需求的方式的了解。虽然英国电视史上的这一时期通常被称为 BBC 和 ITV 之间的双头垄断，但这种历史化并没有承认 ITV 不是一个单一且连贯的机构，而该项目将纠正对 ITV 特许经营权的结构和运营方式缺乏研究的情况。第三，本研究将通过研究商业公共服务广播公司如何谈判技术、监管和政策以及与工会和其他行业的关系方面的变化，加深对电视历史发展的理解。这项研究不仅使电视历史学家受益，还将有助于对英国地区和国家身份、英国创意产业的运作以及公共服务的商业资助进行更广泛的研究。该项目将展示南方电视台论文集的学术价值，并使这些论文集可用于未来的研究。它还将通过向 BFI 倡议做出贡献，促进公众传播和参与南方电视台的论文集以及基于该论文集的研究，这些倡议旨在促进人们获取和欣赏作为英国社会和文化记录的电影和电视。该项目还将为博士生提供对 BFI 运作的独特见解以及培训和经验