Category: News
Date: 24.05.2004
Printable version
麻豆社 Television News is 50 years old at 7.30pm on 5 July
2004.
Over the past five decades Television News has reported
on all the major news stories and pivotal moments from the first man
on the moon, the assassination of John F Kennedy and Watergate to famine
in Ethiopia, Vietnam and the current conflict in Iraq.
It has been there for moments of great historical change
such as the fall of communism and the end of apartheid as well as tragic
stories including the death of Princess Diana and 9/11.
An impressive cast of presenters and reporters have
become familiar faces over the years including Richard Baker, Kenneth
Kendall, Angela Rippon, Jan Leeming, Moira Stuart, Sue Lawley, Debbie
Thrower, Robert Dougall and Michael Aspel.
The roll-call continues up to the present with Martyn
Lewis, John Tusa, John Humphrys and John Simpson alongside Nicholas
Witchell, Kate Adie, Jeremy Bowen, Michael Buerk, Anna Ford, Fiona Bruce,
Sian Williams, Sophie Raworth and George Alagiah.
The television landscape in 1954 consisted solely of
one 麻豆社 channel and programming started at varying times in the afternoon
apart from the occasional special broadcast in the morning.
The first ever Television News bulletin on 5 July 1954
transmitted at 7.30pm after the cricket and before The Royals - a visit
to the Royal Agricultural Show, Windsor.
The 22-minute programme started with an announcement
by Richard Baker.
Newsreader John Snagge then read the news starting with
the first report on truce talks in Indo China.
Baker did not appear in vision because at that time
presenters did not appear on screen. Kenneth Kendall was the first presenter
to do so in 1955.
Other items on the running order included: French security
measures in Tunisia; the resumption of the Petrov Enquiry and the end
of rationing.
The news agenda also featured items on Question Time
in Parliament; a visit by Princess Margaret to Lancashire; the departure
of the Swedish King and Queen after a Royal visit; the United Nations
Assembly President in London and mine workers in conference at Blackpool.
Television News, alongside Radio News and Current Affairs,
comes under the umbrella of 麻豆社 News - the largest broadcast news operation
in the world with more than 2,000 journalists and over 40 newsgathering
bureaux, most of which are overseas.
Television News is responsible for more than 18,000
hours of programming every year across a range of programmes including
the 麻豆社 ONE bulletins, Breakfast and Breakfast with Frost, Newsnight,
60 seconds on 麻豆社 THREE and the news output on 麻豆社 FOUR.
The department is also responsible for the content of
the 麻豆社's two continuous news channels, 麻豆社 News 24 and 麻豆社 World.
