Channel 4

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Channel 4

Launched 2 November 1982
Owned by Channel Four Television Corporation
Picture format 625 Lines PAL (analogue)
16:9/4:3, 576i SDTV (digital),
1080i (HDTV)
Audience share 7.4% (with S4C)
(0.8% for Channel 4+1)
(September 2008, [1])
Country United Kingdom
Sister channel(s) E4, More4, Film4, 4Music
Timeshift service Channel 4+1
Website www.channel4.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Analogue Normally tuned to 4 (excluding Wales)
Freeview Channel 4
Channel 8 (Wales)
Channel 13 (+1)
Satellite
Freesat Channel 104
Channel 120 (Wales)
Channel 121 (+1)
Sky Digital Channel 104
Channel 117 (Wales)
Channel 135 (+1)
Channel 135, 136 +1 (ROI)
Sky+ HD Channel 140
Astra 2D 10714H 22000 5/6
Astra 2A 12480V 27500 2/3
Cable
Virgin Media Channel 104
Channel 142 (+1)
UPC Ireland Channel 111
IPTV over ADSL
Tiscali TV Channel 4

Channel 4 is a public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom, centred around a television channel of the same name which began transmissions on 2 November 1982. Although entirely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned. Originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the station is now owned and operated by the Channel Four Television Corporation, a public body established in 1990 for this purpose and which came into operation in 1993, following the abolition of the IBA.

The station was established to provide a fourth television service to the UK that would break the duopoly of the BBC's two established television services and the single commercial broadcasting network, ITV, then the only services in the UK. Though having seen new competition through the subsequent availability and growth of cable, satellite and digital terrestrial services, Channel 4 still enjoys almost universal coverage in the UK, coverage in some neighbouring countries and a significant audience share.

Channel 4 was established with, and continues to hold, a remit of public service obligations which it must fulfil. The remit changes periodically, as dictated by various broadcasting and communications acts, and is regulated by the various authorities Channel 4 has been answerable to; originally the IBA, then the ITC and now Ofcom.

The preamble of the remit as per the Communications Act 2003 states that:

"The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:

• demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
• appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
• makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
• exhibits a distinctive character."[2][3]

The remit also involves an obligation to provide Schools Programming,[4] and a substantial amount of programming produced outside of Greater London.[5]

Channel Four Television Corporation

As an organisation, Channel 4 is known as the Channel Four Television Corporation, a statutory corporation,[6] though this form is more recent than the station itself, having previously been the Channel Four Television Company, a subsidiary of the IBA, between 1982 and 1993.[7][8]

Towards the end of the 1980s, the government began a radical process of re-organisation of the commercial broadcasting industry,[9] which was written onto the statute books by means of the Broadcasting Act 1990.[10] Significantly, this meant the abolition of the IBA, and hence the Channel Four Television Company. The result led to the creation of a corporation to own and operate the channel, which would have a greater deal of autonomy and would eventually go on to establish its other operations. The new corporation, which became operational in 1993, remained publicly owned and was regulated by the new Independent Television Commission (ITC), created under the same act. The ITC and its duties were later replaced by Ofcom, which like its predecessor is responsible for appointing the Corporation's board, in agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.[2]

In terms of the station's remit and other duties, the creation of the corporation meant little change, however the new corporation would have to manage its own advertising, rather than this being carried out on its behalf by the local ITV contractors (see Funding).

History

Wales

At the time the fourth service was being considered, a vocal movement in Wales lobbied for the creation of dedicated service that would air Welsh-language programmes, then only catered for at obscure times on BBC Wales and HTV. The campaign was taken so seriously by some, that Gwynfor Evans, former president of Plaid Cymru threatened the government with a hunger strike were it not to honour the plans.[11]

The result was that Channel 4 proper would be replaced by "Sianel Pedwar Cymru" or "Channel 4 Wales". Operated by a specially-created Welsh Fourth Channel Authority, S4C would air programmes in Welsh as made by HTV, the BBC, or from independent companies. Initially limited frequency space meant that Channel 4 proper could not be broadcast alongside S4C, though some English Channel 4 programmes would be aired at less popular times on the Welsh variant, a practice that still carries on to this day on S4C analogue.

Since then, carriage on digital cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television means that Channel 4 is now available to over 70% of Welsh viewers.[12] Following the completion of switchover to digital broadcasting in Wales in 2009, Channel 4 should become available to all Welsh TV viewers, alongside S4C. Consequently "S4C Digidol" does not carry Channel 4 programming.[13]

Conception

Before Channel 4 and S4C, Britain had three terrestrial television services: BBC1, BBC2, and ITV. The Broadcasting Act 1980 began the process of adding a fourth, and Channel 4, along with its Welsh counterpart, was formally created by an Act of Parliament in 1982. After some months of test broadcasts, it began scheduled transmissions on 2 November 1982.

The notion of a second commercial broadcaster in the UK had been around since the inception of ITV in 1954 and its subsequent launch in 1955; the idea of an 'ITV2' was long expected and pushed for. Indeed television sets sold throughout the 1970s and early 1980s had a spare channel called 'ITV/IBA 2'. Throughout ITV's history and until Channel 4 finally became a reality, a perennial dialogue existed between the GPO, the government, the ITV companies and other interested parties, concerning the form such an expansion of commercial broadcasting would take. It was most likely politics which had the biggest impact in leading to a delay of almost three decades before the second commercial channel became a reality.[8] With what can crudely be summed up as a clash of ideologies between an expansion of ITV's commercial ethos and a public service approach more akin to the BBC, it was ultimately somewhat of a compromise that eventually led to the formation of Channel 4 as launched in 1982.

One clear benefit of the 'late arrival' of the channel was that its frequency allocations at each transmitter had already been arranged in the early 1960s, when the launch of ITV2 was highly anticipated.[8] This led to very good coverage across most of the country and few problems of interference with other UK based transmissions; a stark contrast to the problems associated with five's launch 15 years later.

An actual channel named ITV2 did not launch until 1998, after the advent of digital terrestrial television.

IBA Control: 1982–1993

The first voice ever heard on Channel 4's opening day of Tuesday 2 November 1982 was that of continuity announcer Paul Coia, who intoned, "Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be able to say to you: Welcome to Channel Four", before heading into a montage of clips from its programmes set to the station's Lord David Dundas-penned signature tune, Fourscore, which would form the basis of the station's jingles for its first decade. The first programme to air on the channel was the teatime game show Countdown, produced by Yorkshire Television; it is still running as of 2008 and is contracted until 2009. The first man to be seen on Channel 4 was Richard Whitely

Upon its launch, Channel 4 committed itself to providing an alternative to the existing channels, an agenda in part set out by its remit which required the provision of programming to minority groups. Its new style of programming often drew critical attention, with some, such as the public-decency campaigner Mary Whitehouse, claiming the station had overstepped the boundaries of acceptability^{[citation needed]} whilst others argued that the new style of broadcasting had led to a liberalisation of the UK television industry.^{[citation needed]}

Programming such as the Red Triangle series, The Tube, and Network 7 often straddled the boundary between being pioneering and risky.^{[citation needed]}

In step with its remit, the channel became well received both by minority groups and the arts and cultural worlds during this period, especially under Isaacs, where the channel gained a reputation for programmes on the contemporary arts. The channel often did not receive mass audiences for much of this period, however, as might be expected for a station focusing on minority interest.

Channel 4 also began the funding of independent films during this time.

In 1992, Channel 4 also faced its first libel case by Jani Allan, a South African journalist, who objected to her representation in the documentary The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife.[14]