The BIG news - from ITN
It is so revolutionary and different that they are not entirely sure what it should be like and so plan to experiment. 'One night we may fill the programme with one item, as with the Aberfan disaster* or the war in the Middle East**. On another night it may be possible to fit all hard news into five minutes and give the rest to a major interview in depth or a piece of film of great human interest. On another night there may be three main items with the news wedged in between them. There will be no rigid pattern. Every night we start with a blank canvas.'
They seem keen to give more time to human interest stories, which I suppose will eventually morph into the so-called 'fluff' pieces often used at the end of the news. There should also be more room to devote to all sorts of sports reporting.
Running through the team, the lack of a female reporter is noted. Editor of ITN, Sir Geoffrey Cox, says, 'If we could find a good one, I would even be prepared to use her as a newscaster.' How generous! A year later Jacky Gillott will start as the first woman reporter on News at Ten. It would take until 1978 for Anna Ford to become News at Ten's first female newscaster.
Overall, these articles convey a great sense of excitement at the possibilities for the future. Behind the scenes, some were uncertain about this initial 13-week experiment. Yet, although ITV has tried a few changes over the years, these have never stuck and fifty years later News at Ten remains a staple in the schedules.
*The Aberfan disaster occurred in October 1966 when a colliery spoil tip collapsed. It hit a nearby school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The BBC's 50th anniversary piece on it is excellent.
**The Six Day War had taken place from 5th-10th June 1967
It's Adventure Time!
New for the children...Anglia has a number of new series starting for children. Send Foster follows a junior reporter's adventures and Danger Island sounds very exciting, with a 12-year-old, Nicholas, getting caught up in an assassination plot while on holiday. Come Here Often is a new magazine programme. I like the sound of Country Boy, which sees a 14-year-old city lad come to learn about country life. Finally, Zoo Time takes a look at animals, starting with Chester Zoo. It's great to see such a variety of programmes on offer for children and it would be wonderful to see any of these. However, survival rates for children's programming are poor and sadly not a single one of these series still exist.
Embassy and Colgate
If TV Times is anything to go by, all sorts of companies were keen to encourage brand loyalty at this time. A popular way to do this was to have vouchers of some sort in each packet of cigarettes. Collect enough then send them off for something in the catalogue. These catalogues often offered a wide variety of household goods. In comparison, Colgate is simply offering some seamfree nylons.
Churchman's CIGARELLA
Shell's 1967 Touring Pack
But looking at it in more detail, it becomes clear why the book might come in useful. As explored the other week, the government was keen to sort out its balance of payments. Restricting how much money tourists took out of the country was deemed a useful contribution to this. In 1967, this was limited to £50 and £15 in sterling per adult. £50 is about £832 today but with exchange rates, it is difficult to estimate how far this would actually have gone. Opponents argued it gave holidaymakers limited choice on where they could travel as some countries were more expensive.