TV-am 1983 to 1992

A look at TV-am from 1983 to 1992

[@Aaronator19842009]

I miss TV-AM alot.

[@One10Media]

Wow... Great Memories! Absolute classic TV, which included the Wake Awake Club, WAC-A-DAY, Roland Rat (Superstar - yeahhh, rat fans) and more.
Bit of trivia... the reason TV-am went off air at 9.25am every day was because the switching over to the local tv stations was done manually (I think at the London TV Centre or within the IBA). A 5 minute gap had to be allowed so this could be done in time for the local network start up of 9.30am.

[@simonipswich]

She is now a writer, public speaker and conservationist, and presents a weekly show on BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire.

[@simonipswich]

Yes amazing to think that 15 years ago we lost TV-am, Thames, TVS, TSW and Oracle Teletext. Central didn't disappear but sadly Carlton ruined the Midlands station in 1994 when became the major shareholder; closed Broad Street down and moved to a small complex in Gas Street, Birmingham. The former ATV Studios/Central House is in the process of being demolished as I write!

[@wrestlingnewsdesk]

cool

[@saintmirrenmalky]

A very professional job, simonipswich. Whatever happened to Wincey Willis?

[@simonipswich]

The loss of the licence was down to the then Conservative Government turning the ITV franchises in an auction. TV-am bid something like £14.5m whereas GMTV bid a stupid amount of around £34m!

[@simonipswich]

She was indeed sadened by the outcome, but it was her Conservative Government at the time that created the franchise auctions. It was the greed of the Government at the time that caused the loss of 4 franchises.

[@meowthx1985]

GMB maybe used as half of TV-am's revival but its not the same, especially now Mike Morris died, David Frost and those famous eggcups. ITC and Thatcher were like party poopers due to the 1990 Broadcasting Act that replaced TVS, TSW, ORACLE and of course TV-am. It's no wonder things hadn't been the same and better after 1992.

[@simonipswich]

+meowthx1985 Had TV-am survived it would have been absorb into ITV now and likely that the Camden Lock studios might have got another 10 years use to 2003. The egg cups on the former TV-am studios still stand proud but the frontage of the building has changed and studios A & B have been demolished.
The 1990 Broadcasting Act was brought about to mainly see off Thames Television which it did when it was replaced by Carlton Television, and of course TVS which was actually on it its knees after taking over MTM in America, TVS probably would not have survived even had it won the franchise. The three biggest losers were little TSW in the south west and TV-am along with Oracle Teletext.
Even if all the companies had survived, with the change in regional identities by ITV in 2002, they would have gone, the studios sold off for development. Even the former Thames studios at Teddington Lock are currently being demolished to be replaced with expensive flats and some social housing, just like at Television Centre, but at least three studios (TC1, TC2 and TC3) have survived. Sadly the way television is made now is changing but with that change, it has enabled the other studio complexes to prosper such as The London Studios (formerly home to LWT).

[@christmt]

has any one got a full program of tv-am or know where i can download it. please can any one help been looking every where for one but cant find it, it doesnt matter which one as long as it starts from opening music to end credits. ;-)

[@geography27]

Ahh, great times. TV-am was great! I loved WAC-A-DAY! I don't care who slags it off - it was ace!
GMTV = Utter Rubbish, always has been, always will be. They even had to end up coping off TV-am just try and get the viewers! Didn't work with me!

[@fraserkatie]

Did you work for it Simon? Sounds like David frost is drunk when they first come to him!

[@domparis1978]

God, David Frost was so boring! He's even more boring now though. I dont know how he ever got on TV. I remember seeing the cushions (or pillow) on the windowsill behind the couch in the tv-am studio and wondering if someone sleeps there overnight.