Independent Television News

ITN (Independent Television News)
sound clip: ITN Headlines 1963
The first chief newscasters: Robin Day, Ludovic Kennedy. Huw Thomas, Anthony Brown.

In July 1956 on the announcement of the death of Violet Loraine, Robin Day stepped over to a horn gramophone and played part of her famous song If You Were The Only Girl in the World. August 31st 1957, the ITN news came from Glasgow, to celebrate STV's opening. Ludovic Kennedy read the news, but incurred the wrath of one Scotsman, GI, "he ought really to have got Greta Lauder's name with the correct pronunciation." Another minor scandal occurred on Wednesday December 23rd 1959, when a piece about Christmas parole from Belfast prison was shown. "Faked ITN film cause of big row," headlines read. Protests in Stormont claimed that warders had taken the part of prisoners, because the identity of the latter could not be revealed. ITN admitted that the film had been made a few days beforehand, but was "a true representation of the Christmas parole system." There was a debate in Stormont over the issue on December 29th 1959.
ITN's most controversial and popular newscaster, to use ITN's favourite term, was Reginald Bosanquet, stories of whom are as entertaining as they are apocryphal.

ITN's first important series, apart from The News, was Roving Report, a 25 minute world ranging programme that started in 1957. In Nov 1964 it was renamed ITN Reports (details).
Dateline, was, claimed Geoffrey Cox, head of ITN, "the first regular late night programme in depth," that covered topical news stories. It had begun in Autumn 1961 on Rediffusion as News from London, a five minute late evening bulletin. This turned into ten minutes when it was renamed Dateline London. Finally with some regional stations taking the programme, usually after the late Headlines, it became Dateline Westminster, then simply Dateline. Anglia, Southern, and TWW all took the series. However it was only ever partially networked. It ran until the introduction of:

ITN's big moment of glory came on Monday July 3rd 1967 when News at Ten was launched, "a new style half hour of up to the minute news." The main newscaster was Alastair Burnet, the first night's programme actually billed as "Alastair Burnet with the News at Ten," also in the studio Andrew Gardiner, Reginald Bosanquet and George Ffitch." Andrew Gardiner with the News at Ten first came on Wed July 5th. This was the first in depth British news bulletin, though, perhaps rightly, it only went out on Mondays to Fridays. Reporters needed time off perhaps, or more probably, the weekend schedules would never permit such an intrusion of time.
When ITN launched this radical new thirty minute bulletin, did they expect to achieve such good ratings?
The first bulletin on Monday July 3rd pulled in 6.9m homes, this contrasted with BBC's Twenty-Four Hours which was timed to started at 9.55pm, and rated 2.15m. Figues inevitably dropped after the novelty had been seen once, Tuesday 4th News at Ten rated 5.45m with Twenty Four Hours closer behind at 3.55m. By Friday July 7th News at Ten had 4.45m homes, while Twenty Four Hours had 3.7m. In the National TAM Top Twenty, the very first News at Ten came fifth

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Roving Report
A weekly report by ITN, normally lasting around 25 minutes, focussing on a specific area of the world, sometimes two reports made up programmes. "The most wide ranging programme in television history," one 1961 byline proclaimed. That it was a world ranging programme is evidenced by this listing, the type of programme that current itv executives would turn pale at the very notion.
The first series of 14 films were all were all introduced by Robin Day. First producer was Michael Barsley.
Transmission dates: the series was sometimes shown in different regions at different times (sometimes not at all in some areas), so the exact dates are approximate. Normally ITV stations transmitted the programme during the week indicated, or occasionally up to a week in arrears. I have used TV Times where possible for details. A lot of detail is found on the ITN Source site, with transmission details, which may or may not be more accurate.
With the start of News at Ten in July 1967, ITN Reports/ Reporting '67 ceased, after over 500 editions. "The programme's spirit and skeleton will go marching on within the new format."

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