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In the latest update...
Φ Baby Boomer's Revenge Advice for programmers
Φ One Born Every Minute Hidden phone quiz scandal
Φ The Word and the Deed Watch your language!
Φ Catalogue of Woe BBC Catalogue is off the air
Φ On The Run The story of London's pirates (1973)
Φ Humph: A Tribute Nigel Stapley on Humphrey Littleton
Φ Tested to Destruction Stuff the bloody focus groups
Φ Pay-per-PSB? An idea that doesn't quite work
Our editors' latest musings in the MediaBlog
30-second guide to...
TWW
(1958-1968)
TWW
(Television Wales and the West) was the original broadcaster for
South Wales and the West of England, and went on air after several
delays on 14 January 1958 from the
St Hilary transmitter.
From Pontcanna
in Cardiff and later Bath Road in Bristol,
TWW was the first ITV company
to serve two countries (officially) and transmitted in both English and
Welsh. TWW was the first and last ITV company to win an Oscar, for their
1962 documentary on Dylan Thomas. In 1964 the blushes of the
ITA were
spared when TWW effectively rescued the franchise from the ill-fated
WWN (also known
as Teledu Cymru),
the first ITV company to go to the wall. In 1965, TWW began a new all-Wales
service, also known as Teledu Cymru. The rescue of WWN did not, however,
mean that TWW was guaranteed to keep its own franchise and in June 1967
it was
announced that TWW were to lose their franchise to a consortium formed
by the upper echelons of Welsh and West Country society, headed by
Lord Harlech, Richard Burton and others. The accusation was that TWW had
been too London-centric, even though its programmes had recently won awards,
and praise from the ITA. The feeling was that although TWW did well, they
could have done better. Shocked and incredulous, TWW yielded their last
months to
Harlech Television and bowed out early on
4 March 1968.
Land of
Song was the most famous TWW programme, networked once a month until
August 1964.
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