Westward Television

Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a popular, distinctive and highly regarded service to its region, until public boardroom squabbles led to its franchise not being renewed by the IBA. Westward launched the career of many broadcasters who became well known nationally, won numerous awards for its programming, and heavily influenced its successor, TSW.

History

The company's first chairman was Peter Cadbury who had left the board of Tyne Tees Television to set up the company and bid for the south-west franchise, which he won against 11 competing bids. Cadbury named the company after the golf course at Westward Ho! in north Devon, where he played. Ironically, Westward Ho! was part of the region that found reception of the television signal most difficult, until the construction of the Huntshaw Cross relay transmitter in 1968. Westward's region was surrounded on three sides by the sea, which was strongly reflected in Westward's output and its company logo, a silver model of the Golden Hind.

Westward

Westward may refer to:

See also

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting sound with moving images in monochrome (black-and-white), or in colour, and in two or three dimensions. It can refer to a television set, a television program, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium, for entertainment, education, news and advertising.

Television became available in crude experimental forms in the late 1920s. After World War II, an improved form became popular in the United States and Britain, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the US and most other developed countries. The availability of storage media such as VHS tape (1976), DVDs (1997), and high-definition Blu-ray Discs (2006) enabled viewers to watch recorded material such as movies. At the end of the first decade of the 2000s, digital television transmissions greatly increased in popularity. Another development was the move from standard-definition television (SDTV) (576i, with 576 interlaced lines of resolution and 480i) to high-definition television (HDTV), which provides a resolution that is substantially higher. HDTV may be transmitted in various formats: 1080p, 1080i and 720p. Since 2010, with the invention of smart television, Internet television has increased the availability of television programs and movies via the Internet through services such as Netflix, iPlayer, Hulu, Roku and Chromecast.

Fern Britton

Fern Margaret Price Britton (born 17 July 1957) is an English television presenter, best known for her television work with ITV and the BBC.

Britton rose to national fame when she presented Ready Steady Cook between 1994 and 2000 on BBC One. She was replaced by Ainsley Harriott who presented the show for ten years, between 2000 and 2010.

Britton was a co-presenter on the ITV magazine programme This Morning, joining in 1999. When she first joined the show, she was paired with John Leslie. Then in 2002, she was joined by Phillip Schofield who presented the show with her until she departed in 2009 and was replaced by Holly Willoughby.

In 2012, Britton participated in Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev. They finished in 10th place.

Early life

Britton was born in Ealing, London, to English actor Tony Britton and his first wife, Ruth Hawkins. She is the younger sister of scriptwriter Cherry Britton and older half-sister of actor Jasper Britton. After spending her early life in Buckinghamshire, she started her career on Westward Television as a continuity announcer. She attended Dr Challoner's High School in Little Chalfont and the Central School of Speech and Drama, where she trained in stage management.

Judi Spiers

Judith "Judi" Marilyn Spiers (born 15 March 1953) is a British radio and television presenter.

Career

Initially training to be an actress at the Rose Bruford College, Spiers began her broadcasting career at Westward Television in 1977, then the ITV station for south-west England. She impressed in the birthday slot with Gus Honeybun with cheeky humour. In short order, she moved to the What's Ahead entertainment guide. She hosted local beauty contests Mr TSW and Miss TSW, reflecting the new south-west station TSW TSW produced a nationally-networked daytime chat show Judi!, which ran for six editions.

Eventually, Spiers moved to national television, presenting BBC One's daily magazine programme Pebble Mill from 1992 until 1995. In 1995 she co-hosted 'The Alternative DJ with Peter Jeffrey and Oliver Senton. She also hosted a Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 between 1994 and 1998. Spiers continued to work for TVS, presenting the networked show Scavenger Hunt.

Spiers presented the morning show on BBC Radio Devon from 2005 until 2015.