FROM THE ARCHIVE OF: YouTube: Kaleidoscope
Occasionally an old clip of what was once unremarkable everyday television provides a gateway into another world.
A piece of continuity which has surfaced from a Sunday morning in June 1974 does just that. A time when life was not so different but also so very different.
The clip shows the end of an adult education programme for trade unionists. This in itself is fascinating.
To some today, this may seem a sign of political bias. In fact, the essential role of trade unions representing the interests of workers was broadly accepted by almost all in mainstream politics. The problem was when individual unions or disputes got out of hand.
But for Pres fans, the bonus is what happens afterwards. The gap until the next programme lasts 20 minutes so you might think it’s time for the test card and music. Wrong!
Instead, a complete closedown follows. Presumably almost 20 minutes of black and tone were in store.
But the reason, when you think about it, is obvious.
The test card was not designed for viewers, although those of a certain disposition may well have known how to use it to adjust the brightness or tuning.
The trade test transmissions were, as the name suggests, for the trade. The test card tested aspects of a receiver that were dangerous to untrained hands.
In 1974 the law prohibited most shops in England and Wales from opening on Sunday. In practice they remained closed across the UK.
The idea of service engineers routinely working on a Sunday would have been unthinkable too. No good employer, except in an essential service, would expect someone to work on Sunday. So trade test transmissions would have been deemed pointless.
Later on the test card and then Ceefax did start to fill Sunday gaps. But this clip is a little reminder that if isn’t simply television which has changed since 1974.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: BBC One clock (1974). SUPPLIED BY: YouTube Channel - Kaleidoscope's Presentation Vault. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
There was a fade to black and silence for 30 seconds, a holding signal (tone) was then added.
10.34/30: BLACK RASTER (BLANK SCREEN) AND SILENCE
10.35/00 : BBC1 TEST CARD F AND MUSIC
10.42/30: BLACK RASTER AND SILENCE
10.43/00: BBC1 GLOBE, ZED MINUS TWO WITH MUSIC, AND PROGRAMME CAPTION SLIDE, FOLLOWED BY CLOCK OR GLOBE AND THEN PROGRAMME
This procedure of 7 1/2 minutes of Test Card and music (after 09.00) on both BBC1 and BBC2 lasted on Sundays from 1960,s up to circa July 1975. The 7 1/2 minutes of trade was used between each block of programming.
On both Sunday 24th December 1972 and Sunday 31st December 1972 Test Card (no colour films) was shown from 09.00, just like weekdays and OU free Saturdays. There are also a few examples of special request Sunday films on BBC2 in the afternoons. For more on this visit Test Card Circle website and see Malcolm Batchelors articles on Trade Test Colour Films.
From circa July 1975 on Sundays on both BBC1 and BBC2 if there were gaps in programming of 2 hours or under then the Test Card and music were broadcast for the entire gap, until 2 1/2 minutes before the scheduled programme.
If the gap was over 2 hours, BBC1 or BBC2 transmitter was switched off until around 25 minutes before the next scheduled programme. Black raster(or Alignment signals) were then broadcast with the relevant tone until 2 1/2 minutes before the programme commenced. From March 1980 (BBC1) and June 1980, Ceefax pages replaced the Black raster, and tone was broadcast for several minutes followed by music. Eventually the fade to black was normally ditched and Ceefax handed over to the BBC1 Globe or BBC2 symbol, just before the scheduled programme commenced.
For details of BBC television and radio schedules fro 1920,s to 31st December 2009,(BBC Genome project) please see BBC Programme Index, Explore Radio Times etc.
Best wishes
Guy Morgan
(Member of Test Card Circle Group)