From: A.L.Radtke@bradford.ac.uk (Drew Radtke)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: What The Papers Say (was Re: Come back Thames all is forgiven!)
Date: 9 Jan 93 22:07:51 GMT
Organization: University of Bradford, UK
Originator: s3535@muser

dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones) writes:
>Mark Cooper (markc@compnews.co.uk) wrote:
>
>> As it is, ITV companies already sell programmes to other ITV stations - 
>> and, for that matter, BBC.  For example, the BBC prog "What the Papers Say" 
>> is a Granada production.  
>
><splutter> <cough> <cough>....
>
>You mean Brian Inglis's baby is still going?  Whew, that's a long time to
>be running, 30 years at least.  And to be on the Beeb now: well, that sort
>of laid back look at things never did sit too well on ITV, unless they
>shuffled it off the pre-Epilogue slot.

WTPS is rather an interesting programme and its various moves about show
a lot about what is wrong with UK TV and how it works.

It is the longest running current affairs programme on TV, possibly in
the world. I think it's in the Guinness Book.

Granada started to make it almost as soon as they started. They are now
the oldest ITV company, and in fact the only one to survive from ITV day
one. The trouble was, the ITV companies started to really mess around
with the timing of WTPS, even to the extent of not showing it at all. I
think it may never have had a networked (ie same time all over the UK)
slot on ITV.

Anyway, Granada got so annoyed with the way (what they see as) one of
their important programmes being fiddled around with that when Channel 4
started in 1982 they moved it over there. C4 promised a peak time slot
that would not be changed all the time. Indeed this is what they did for
a while, it being on at 5pm on Fridays I think. Then it moved to a later
slot, but not to its disadvantage too much I thought.

Then Michael Grade took over C4 in 1988, and pronounced it out-dated,
and commissioned 'Hard News' to replace it. Granada gritted their teeth
and moved it back to ITV. By now ITV was broadcasting 24 hours a day,
and WTPS could be found at varying times on Friday night/Saturday
morning, Yorkshire used to show it a 2am!

I caught an edition in 1989 I think. I announcer said 'and now the last
edition on What the Papers Say' which made me sit up a bit. At the end
of the programme, the presenter (think it was Peter McLie) said that it
was the last edition you'd find on ITV. 'A new series will start next
Febeuary... on BBC2!' End of show.

It seems Granada got so annoyed with the whole of ITV they now make it
for the BBC. The first BBC edition was very interesting, looking back on
the 25 years or so of the programme. Ironically the BBC show it at
exactly the same time as... Coronation Street. 

Therefore WTPS must the the only UK made programme to have been on all
three main broadcast systems in the UK, (made by the same production
team and company), and Granada must be the only ITV station to have two
programmes on both BBC and ITV at the same time. Unless of course, you
know different...
-- 
Drew Radtke * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A.L.Radtke@bradford.ac.uk
* * * * * * * * Fax: +44 274 305340 * Voice: +44 274 383180 * * * * * * * *
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk