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Grampian TV Studio and Vehicles |
1.
Grampian TV Control Unit
©
Reproduced with acknowledgement Science Museum, Royal Wootton Basset,
Wiltshire, England
with acknowledgement also to William Brown, Aberdeen,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland for providing a copy of this photo.
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to William Brown, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
2.
Grampian's TV Studio, Calton Road
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to William Brown, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
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Recollections 1. William Brown Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
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Thank you to William Brown for sending me several photos of: - the Grampian TV Control Unit - Photo 1 above - other Grampian TV vehicles - an NTV Colour TV Control Unit - based at Colinton - Grampian TV premises in Edinburgh William wrote: |
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Grampian TV Photo 1 above "This Control Unit vehicle was used until 1969. It was an 1800 sq ft studio. I believe that it was controlled by an outside broadcast Control Room, SUU483, which incidentally also covered the Opening of the Tay Bridge in August 1966 by the Queen Mother. The Control Room had three Camera channels and was owned by Grampian until Colour arrived in September 1971. * The van was parked, of course, outside the Grampian Studio complex in Calton Road when it was in Edinburgh. * The building has changed a great deal, but the van still exists. It is now in the Science Museum reserve collection, near Swindon!" William Brown, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: 6 July (4 emails) + 14 July 2015 (4 more emails) |
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* Please also see 'Corrections' in Recollections 3 below. |
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Recollections 2. William Brown Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
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Thank you to William Brown for writing again and sending Photo 2 above. William wrote |
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Grampian TV Photo 2 above "Here is a photo of the Grampian TV Studio in Calton Road, Edinburgh. It has now become a Nightclub." William Brown, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: 30 July 2015 |
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Recollections 3. Kevin Bree Pollokshields, Glasgow, Scotland |
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Thank you to Kevin Bree who wrote after reading William Brown's comments in Recollections 1 and 2 above. Kevin wrote: |
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Grampian TV "I was interested to see the photographs and comments about Grampian TV Studio and Vehicles because I worked there at the time as a Technical Assistant in Sound, Cameras and Vision."
"When the ITA (now the IBA) decided to build the Craigkelly transmitting station in Fife in order to extend ITV's coverage in Central Scotland, they did not initially allocate the transmitter to STV. Grampian Television believed that they should could extend their region down the East coast and to this end converted the old 'Lady Haig's Poppy Factory' into a TV studio. They did this with the intention of putting pressure on the IBA by increasing awareness of Grampian TV and its programmes through local origination which included studio audiences and many studio visits. In the end, the "experiment" failed because the Craigkelly transmitter was allocated to STV and Grampian closed the studio shortly afterwards in 1969." Mobile Control Room "The Mobile Control Room (MCR) or Scanner had been taken to Aberdeen to be refitted with new cameras (mono, not colour) shortly before the closure. In fact, the announcement of the closure was made in the same week as the truck was delivered back with its new gear." Correction "William Brown is not correct in his Recollections 1 above when he says that 'The Control Room had three Camera channels and was owned by Grampian until Colour arrived in September 1971' and that 'the van was parked outside the Grampian Studio complex in Calton Road when it was in Edinburgh. In fact, the Calton Studio in Calton Road operated from 1966 to 1969. It was run from an Outside Broadcast truck parked inside a large garage adjacent to the studio floor. The OB truck could drive out and do occasional OBs. The truck had three Image Orthican cameras and had been bought from ATV, the ITV company based in the Midlands, at that time (superseded by Yorkshire TV etc). In the vehicle was the Operations Log from ATV and I remember reading about an incident with a Lighting Electrician having an accident during a programme called "Blackpool Night Out". This was a very popular series in the early days of ITV. My Other TV Work "Following my days in Calton Studio, I worked in: - London Weekend Television's Wembley Studio, - Grampian TV, Aberdeen and - (for 27 years) in Scottish Television where I was Outside Broadcast Manager until 2000. STV's first Edinburgh Studio was in Melville Street in a terrace house. I know that because I also worked there for some time. You couldn't walk in the studio when it was on air because the cameras bobbed about on the wobbly floor." Kevin Bree, Pollokshields, Glasgow, Scotland: 18+19 May 2018 |
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Recollections 4. Kevin Bree Pollokshields, Glasgow, Scotland |
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Thank you to Kevin Bree for sending me the photograph below. Kevin tells me that Grampian TV ceased to exist when STV took over the region. |
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Grampian Television - Edinburgh Crew - 1969
© Grampian Television Staff Photographer (name not known) - with acknowledgement to Kevin Bree for sending this photo to me. Kevin Bree, Pollokshields, Glasgow, Scotland: 19+20 May 2018 |
