109-638: Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and which was then merged with the Central Belt channel STV . The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles , Western Isles , Highlands (except Fort William and Lochaber ), Grampian , Tayside (except the Kinross area), and parts of north Fife . Grampian went on
218-477: A Tuath ; Old Norse : Norðreyjar ; Norn : Nordøjar ) are a chain (or archipelago ) of islands of Scotland , located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney . There are a total of 36 inhabited islands, with the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrasting with
327-456: A change which the station had already capitalized upon in January 1980 when Grampian Today was relaunched as North Tonight as part of a major expansion for Grampian's news operation. The Broadcasting Act of 1990 led to a significant change in the way ITV franchises were awarded - as opposed to the straightforward review process utilized by the outgoing Independent Broadcasting Authority ,
436-618: A comparatively small number of transmitters could cover the majority of the population of Britain, if not the bulk of the area of the country. The ITA determined that the first three franchise areas would cover the London area, the English Midlands , and Northern England (the Lancashire / Yorkshire belt of industrial cities from Liverpool to Hull and the surrounding countryside). All three franchise areas would be awarded on
545-587: A cool, temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude , due to the influence of the surrounding seas and the Gulf Stream . In Shetland, average peak temperatures are 5 °C (41 °F) in February and 15 °C (59 °F) in August. Temperatures over 21 °C (70 °F) are rare. The frost-free period may be as short as three months. The average annual rainfall
654-685: A development of luxury flats. In March 2006, the owners of Grampian Television, then known as SMG plc (now STV Group plc ) announced that the Grampian TV brand would be retired and renamed, along with Scottish Television , as simply ' STV ', with a new logo comprising a large, stylized letter 'S'. Anne Scott made the final announcement for Grampian. The two regional news programmes in the Northern and Central Scotland regions (previously known as North Tonight and Scotland Today respectively) were still broadcast in their respective regions after
763-406: A divided weekday/weekend basis, and it was planned that the franchise holders for these areas would produce the great bulk of network programmes, while the companies given the smaller franchises would produce mainly local programmes for their area only. The ITA awarded franchises to applicant companies, selecting between applicants on the basis of the financial soundness and structure of the company,
872-579: A form of troll that draws on the islands' Scandinavian connections. Local customs in the past included marriage ceremonies at the Odin Stone that forms part of the Stones of Stenness. The best known literary figures from modern Orkney are the poet Edwin Muir , the poet and novelist George Mackay Brown and the novelist Eric Linklater . Shetland has a strong tradition of local music. The Forty Fiddlers
981-453: A further year) in 1964. In 1967, they went unopposed by any other consortiums to win a further six-year contract from July 1968 - a contract expanded by a further eight years in 1974. Six years later, Grampian won another eight-year franchise (later extended to ten years), effective of January 1982. The only change made to the license was the classification of the franchise as North and North East Scotland , as opposed to North East Scotland -
1090-618: A relatively classless society. Due to their history, the islands have a Norse, rather than a Gaelic flavour, and have historic links with the Faroes , Iceland , and Norway . The similarities of both geography and history are matched by some elements of the current political process. Both Orkney and Shetland are represented in the House of Commons as constituting the Orkney and Shetland constituency , which elects one Member of Parliament (MP),
1199-706: A site known as " the Crucible of Iron Age Shetland ", which includes the Broch of Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof , joined the UK's "Tentative List" of World Heritage Sites. The culture that built the brochs is unknown, but by the late Iron Age the Northern Isles had become part of the Pictish kingdom. The most common archaeological relics from that period are symbol stones . One of the best examples of these stones
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#17327768053041308-421: A small number of networked or part-networked productions including the daytime adult education series Katie Stewart Cooks and the light entertainment show Melody Inn . Prior to this, Grampian had expectations of becoming one of the major players in networking new programming for ITV2 (this was before Channel 4 was created, and the inception for ITV2 was discussed at that time which never came to fruition. This
1417-927: A studio in Edinburgh , despite it being in Scottish 's franchise area, which had closed by 1969, and a new £4 million studio complex in Stornoway , opened in the September 1990 to facilitate an expansion in Scottish Gaelic language output, including the daily news bulletin Telefios . The studios were closed in 2000 following the end of the Gaelic news service and the transfer of other programmes to Glasgow. Northern Isles The Northern Isles ( Scots : Northern Isles ; Scottish Gaelic : Na h-Eileanan
1526-493: A television service entirely. A solution was eventually reached when it was agreed that the record could show that Mr Bacon had resigned voluntarily and the service resumed on 18 September 1974 (10:30AM). Grampian was slower than most other ITV stations to begin colour broadcasting which, after the company invested £180,000 (equivalent to £3,200,000 in 2023) in new equipment, promptly started in September 1971—an occasion timed to mark their 10th anniversary on air. The launch of
1635-429: A week. Grampian also developed its own outside broadcast unit, initially using studio equipment. Later developments would allow Grampian to further enhance its regional news service and on air presentation, which relied heavily on in-vision continuity. Following the station's earlier troubles, Grampian Television, along with all other ITV companies at the time, won a three-year extension to their license (later extended by
1744-667: A year later, before Grampian sold it off in July 1996 to the Independent Radio Group for £5.25 million. At the same time, Grampian also owned shares in Moray Firth Radio , until they were sold off to Scottish Radio Holdings . With encouragement from the IBA, Grampian and other small ITV companies were encouraged to produce more network output following the 1980 franchise round. The station had previously produced
1853-534: Is 982 millimetres (38.7 in) in Orkney and 1,168 millimetres (46.0 in) in Shetland. Winds are a key feature of the climate. In summer, there are almost constant breezes. In winter, there are frequent strong winds: Orkney has an average of 52 hours of gales annually. The Burradale wind farm in Shetland, which operates with five Vestas V47 660 kW turbines, achieved a world record of 57.9% capacity over
1962-630: Is Strong , Alternative Energy and Scotland the Grave . The long-running schools programme Living & Growing transferred from ITV to Channel 4 in September 1987. Grampian's later networked contributions were minimal, with the few exceptions including co-production of The National Television Awards from 1995 to 1997 and a daytime repeat run of local documentary series Medics of the Glen in 2004. Grampian remained independent until June 1997 when Scottish Media Group , owner of Scottish Television, bought
2071-562: Is a dividing wall, dating from the Neolithic period, that at one time extended for 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) across the island. It is known as Funzie Girt . But it is the Iron Age that has provided the most outstanding archaeology in Shetland. Numerous brochs were erected during that period. The finest preserved example of these distinctive round towers is the Broch of Mousa . In 2011,
2180-400: Is nevertheless clearly one of the "northern isles" of Scotland. Fair Isle and Foula are outliers of Shetland, but would normally be considered part of Shetland, and thus of the Northern Isles. Similarly, Sule Skerry and Sule Stack , although distant from the main group, are part of Orkney, and therefore technically amongst the Northern Isles. However, the other small islands that lie off
2289-641: Is not to be confused with the ITV2 which is now known on the digital platform). In the franchise period following, the station was commissioned to produce networked series of the local film magazine programme The Electric Theatre Show (following a successful run on London Weekend Television ) alongside new series including occasional variety show Magic of the Musicals , lifestyle series Pennywise & Hot Property , networked one-off documentaries such as A Prince Among Islands and children's cartoon series James
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#17327768053042398-558: Is now generally considered to be of Irish Christian origin. The 8th century was also the time when the Vikings started invading the Scottish seaboard. They brought to the Northern Isles a new culture and a new language; rendering the fate of the existing indigenous peoples uncertain. According to the Orkneyinga Saga , Vikings then made the islands the headquarters of the pirate expeditions they carried out against Norway and
2507-533: Is on the Brough of Birsay : It depicts three warriors with spears and sword scabbards, as well as characteristic Pictish symbols. In 1958, a trove of silver metalwork, known as the St Ninian's Isle Treasure, was discovered. The silver bowls, jewellery and other pieces it contains are believed to date from around 800 AD. According to O'Dell (1959), "The treasure is the best survival of Scottish silver metalwork from
2616-549: Is one of few Scots words in the island names of the Nordreyar and appears in Muckle Roe and Muckle Flugga in Shetland and Muckle Green Holm and Muckle Skerry in Orkney. Many small islets and skerries have Scots or Insular Scots names such as Da Skerries o da Rokness and Da Buddle Stane in Shetland, and Kirk Rocks in Orkney. Independent Television Authority The Independent Television Authority ( ITA )
2725-484: Is recorded in 1300—Hrossey, meaning "horse isle" and this may also contain a Pictish element of ros meaning "moor" or "plain". Unlike most of the larger Orkney islands, the derivation of the name "Shapinsay" is not obvious. The final 'ay' is from the Old Norse for island , but the first two syllables are more difficult to interpret. Haswell-Smith (2004) suggests the root may be hjalpandis-øy (helpful island) due to
2834-559: Is visible. Writing in the 1st century AD, the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela called the Orkney islands Orcades , as did Tacitus in AD 98 "Orc" is usually interpreted as a Pictish tribal name meaning "young pig" or "young boar ". The old Irish Gaelic name for the islands was Insi Orc ("island of the pigs"). The ogham script on the Buckquoy spindle-whorl is also cited as evidence for
2943-663: The Hanseatic League of German merchantmen. This trade with the North German towns lasted until the 1707 Act of Union when high salt duties prohibited the German merchants from trading with Shetland. Shetland then went into an economic depression as the Scottish and local traders were not as skilled in trading with salted fish. However, some local merchant-lairds took up where the German merchants had left off, and fitted out their own ships to export fish from Shetland to
3052-588: The Iapetus Ocean floor. There are oil-bearing sediments in the surrounding seas, on which much of Shetland's economy depends. Geological evidence shows that, sometime around 6100 BC, a tsunami caused by the Storegga Slides hit the Northern Isles (as well as much of the east coast of Scotland), and may have created a wave of up to 25 metres (82 ft) high in the voes of Shetland, where modern populations are largest. The Northern Isles have
3161-475: The Scots language , collectively known as Insular Scots , are distinctive and retain strong Nordic influences. List of the main centres of population in the Orkney and Shetland islands as of 2020, with populations of over 500. The etymology of the island names is dominated by Norse influence. There follows a listing of the derivation of all the inhabited islands in the Northern Isles. The oldest version of
3270-512: The first past the post system. Orkney and Shetland also have separate local Councils which are both dominated by independents . The Orkney Movement, a political party that supported devolution for Orkney from the rest of Scotland, contested the 1987 general election as the Orkney and Shetland Movement (a coalition of the Orkney movement and its equivalent for Shetland). Their candidate, John Goodlad, came 4th with 3,095 votes, 14.5% of those cast. Ferry services link Orkney and Shetland to
3379-490: The franchise areas and awarding the franchises for each regional commercial broadcaster . The authority began its operations on 4 August 1954, a mere four days after the Television Act 1954 received royal assent , under the chairmanship of Sir Kenneth Clark . The authority's first director general, Sir Robert Fraser was appointed by Clark a month later on 14 September. The physics of VHF broadcasting meant that
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3488-594: The switchover to digital transmissions , with the eight transmitters covering the STV North region (Angus, Rosemarkie, Knockmore, Eitshal, Durris, Bressay, Rumster Forest and Keelylang Hill) switching over from May to October 2010. Applications for the new North East Scotland contract area were sought by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) in the spring of 1960. From the original seven applicants, three serious contenders emerged and
3597-419: The world wars of the 20th century. Tourism is important to both archipelagos, with their distinctive prehistoric ruins playing a key part in their attraction, and there are regular ferry and air connections with mainland Scotland. The Scandinavian influence remains strong, especially in local folklore and both island chains have strong, though distinct local cultures. The names of the islands are dominated by
3706-551: The "STV" rebranding, which occurred at 9:25 am on Tuesday 30 May 2006. Both North Tonight and Scotland Today were rebranded as STV News at Six on Monday, 23 March 2009 but continue to air as separate programmes. The decision to rebrand Grampian was met with much criticism from across the former Grampian region - the move was viewed by many as similar to the ITV plc -owned licenses in England, Wales and Southern Scotland where all of
3815-454: The 14th century, Orkney and Shetland remained a Norwegian province, but Scottish influence was growing. Jon Haraldsson , who was murdered in Thurso in 1231, was the last of an unbroken line of Norse jarls, and thereafter the earls were Scots noblemen of the houses of Angus and St. Clair . In 1468 Shetland was pledged by Christian I , in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against
3924-620: The 17th century coincided with the enclosure of the commons and in the Victorian era the emergence of large and well-managed farms using a five-shift rotation system and producing high-quality beef cattle. There is little evidence of an Orcadian fishing fleet until the 19th century but it grew rapidly and 700 boats were involved by the 1840s with Stronsay and then later Stromness becoming leading centres of development. Many Orcadian seamen became involved in whaling in Arctic waters during
4033-473: The 1968 contract round, smaller regional stations sought an affiliation with one of the four major ITV companies, who would provide the bulk of their programming. Grampian chose to link up with ABC Weekend Television . On 5 September 1974, a visiting company executive caught staff in the studio control room, who should have been rehearsing for a local programme, watching the banned pornographic film Deep Throat instead. The staff director in charge, Tony Bacon,
4142-642: The 19th century, although the boats were generally based elsewhere in Britain. Orkney was the site of a naval base at Scapa Flow , which played a major role in World War I . After the Armistice in 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow while a decision was to be made on its future; however, the German sailors opened the sea-cocks and scuttled all
4251-555: The Cat . The station also produced various editions of several series co-produced by most ITV regions - namely the religious programme Highway , current affairs debate The Time, The Place , documentary strand About Britain and the Saturday morning children's shows Get Fresh and Ghost Train . Grampian also contributed to Channel 4 in the form of various documentary series including Oil (co-produced with NRK ), The Blood
4360-460: The Cats". The location of " Thule ", first mentioned by Pytheas of Massilia when he visited Britain sometime between 322 and 285 BC is not known for certain. When Tacitus mentioned it in AD 98 it is clear he was referring to Shetland. Pytheas described Great Britain as being triangular in shape, with a northern tip called Orcas . This may have referred to Dunnet Head , from which Orkney
4469-579: The City Quay area in 1998. As of April 2008, STV's Tayside operation is based at Seabraes in the Greenmarket area of Dundee. In 1983, a further district newsroom and remote-controlled studio was opened at Huntly Street, Inverness , aimed at improving coverage of the Highlands and Islands. The Inverness operation relocated to Stoneyfield Business Park during the summer of 2020. Grampian also had
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4578-658: The Continent. For the independent farmer/fishermen of Shetland this had negative consequences, as they now had to fish for these merchant-lairds. British rule came at a price for many ordinary people as well as traders. The Shetlanders' nautical skills were sought by the Royal Navy : some 3,000 served during the Napoleonic Wars from 1800 to 1815 and press gangs were rife. During this period 120 men were taken from Fetlar alone and only 20 of them returned home. By
4687-812: The Independent Television network and we're very glad to have in our studios, to switch us into the network, the chairman of the Independent Television Authority, Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick. Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick : Good afternoon. I am glad to be in Aberdeen today to welcome you into the great family of Independent Television viewers. You now have your own television company in the North East and I hope that you'll very soon come to regard Grampian Television as an essential part of your everyday life. I wish you and Grampian
4796-511: The Norse heritage, although some may retain pre- Celtic elements. The phrase "Northern Isles" generally refers to the main islands of the Orkney and Shetland archipelagos. The Island of Stroma , which lies between mainland Scotland and Orkney, is part of Caithness , so for local government purposes it falls under the jurisdiction of the Highland council area , rather than that of Orkney. It
4905-545: The Orcadian reputation for sobriety and their boat-handling skills made them ideal candidates for the rigours of the Canadian north. During this period, burning kelp briefly became a mainstay of the islands' economy. For example, on Shapinsay over 3,048 tonnes (3,000 long tons ) of burned seaweed were produced per annum to make soda ash , bringing in £20,000 to the local economy. Agricultural improvements beginning in
5014-511: The Orkney Mainland and a tidal power testing station on the island of Eday . This has been described as "the first of its kind in the world set up to provide developers of wave and tidal energy devices with a purpose-built performance testing facility." Billia Croo also houses an experimental underwater data center run by Microsoft . The Northern Isles have a rich source of folklore. There are many Orcadian tales concerning trows ,
5123-503: The Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German U-boat at Scapa Flow. As a result, barriers were built to close most of the access channels; these had the advantage of creating causeways enabling travellers to go from island to island by road instead of being obliged to rely on ferries. The causeways were constructed by Italian prisoners of war, who also constructed the ornate Italian Chapel . The Scapa Flow base
5232-490: The air on 30 September 1961. The company was bought out in 1997 by STV Group (the parent company of STV, the Channel 3 broadcaster in Central Scotland). The name Grampian Television was retired in 2006 and the channel is now known as STV on-air. STV runs one service which covers both central and northern Scotland but with separate news bulletins. Legally, however, the two services are still licensed separately;
5341-570: The amount and relevance of its non-news regional output with more and more programming being produced from outside the region, chiefly in Glasgow - local production was gradually phased out with the station's final non-news programme broadcast in 2008. In June 2003, the company moved to new premises at Craigshaw Business Park in West Tullos , Aberdeen , and the original headquarters at Queen's Cross were subsequently demolished, becoming home to
5450-453: The archipelago's total population of 22,000 people live within 16 kilometres (10 mi) of the town. The superficial rock of Orkney is almost entirely Old Red Sandstone , mostly of Middle Devonian age. As in the neighbouring mainland county of Caithness, this sandstone rests upon the metamorphic rocks of the Moine series. This can be seen on the Orkney Mainland, where a narrow strip of
5559-569: The arrival of a second commercial channel , whichever came first, but in fact no changes were made to any franchise holders at that time, except for confirming the merger of the South Wales and the West franchise held by TWW and the Wales West and North franchise held by WWN following the financial collapse of WWN. (In the event, a second commercial channel did not begin until 1982, under
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#17327768053045668-746: The best of luck and now, let us join the network. Following the brief opening, the station handed over to ABC 's networked coverage of Racing from Catterick Bridge . Later in the opening day at 7pm, Grampian's first chairman, Sir Alexander B. King, presented a half-hour introductory programme about the station. At the time of launch, Grampian served a potential audience of 332,000 people in 98,000 homes. In its first year, Grampian produced nine regular regional programmes - namely News and Views (a thrice-weekly magazine programme), Country Focus , Women's World , Serenade , Scotland for Me , Points North (a long-running current affairs programme), Grampian Golf , local news bulletins and monthly church services. In
5777-640: The coasts of mainland Scotland. According to some sources, in 875, the Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre ("Harald Fair Hair") annexed the Northern Isles and gifted Orkney and Shetland to Rognvald Eysteinsson as an earldom in recompense for the death of his son in battle in Scotland. (Some scholars believe this story is apocryphal and is based instead on events connected with the later voyages of Magnus III of Norway , known as Magnus Barelegs.) In 995, King Olaf I of Norway (Olav Tryggvasson) fully Christianised
5886-424: The colour service led to a strike over Christmas 1971. A new film editor had signed a mutuality-binding three-month contract, and Grampian's decision to offer him permanent employment was not exercised. For the Christmas period, Grampian had hired colour studio cameras especially for the Hogmanay programmes and the filming of a networked documentary. The station resumed broadcasting at 10 pm on Boxing Day, which allowed
5995-428: The contract was awarded in August 1960 to North of Scotland Television Limited on the provision that board positions were offered to the other two final applicants, Caledonian Television and North Caledonian Television . The company's first managing director was G.E. Ward Thomas who later established Yorkshire Television in 1968. The name North of Scotland TV was considered too cumbersome for use and to reflect
6104-455: The course of 2005 due to the persistent strong winds. Snowfall is usually confined to the period of November to February and seldom lies on the ground for more than a day. Less rain falls between April and August than at other times of the year, but no month has an average rainfall of less than 50 mm (2.0 in). In Shetland there are 1082 hours of bright sunshine per year, on average, and overcast days are common. To tourists, one of
6213-499: The creative industries and tourism. Oil and gas was first landed at Sullom Voe in 1978, and it has subsequently become one of the largest oil terminals in Europe. Taxes from the oil have increased public sector spending in Shetland on social welfare, art, sport, environmental measures and financial development. Three-quarters of the islands' workforce is employed in the service sector and Shetland Islands Council alone accounted for 27.9% of output in 2003. Fishing remains central to
6322-432: The current incumbent being Alistair Carmichael . Both are also within the Highlands and Islands electoral region for the Scottish Parliament . In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum , 65.4% of the constituency's electors voted for Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom. However, there are also two separate constituencies that elect one Member of the Scottish Parliament each for Orkney and Shetland by
6431-429: The early days, Grampian struggled as viewers in a key part of its transmission area, the city of Dundee , were still tuning into coverage from STV via the strong signal of the Black Hill transmitter . Three months after its first transmission, the station was only attracting 13% of the available audience in Dundee while viewing audiences across the region turned out to be less than had been hoped for. Viewer correspondence
6540-413: The entry for the IBA for details of the 1981 and 1991–2 franchise rounds. The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 gave the ITA responsibility for organising commercial radio in the UK, and reconstituted the ITA as the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) with effect from Wednesday 12 July 1972. The IBA was subsequently replaced by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) and the Radio Authority under
6649-402: The fascinations of the islands is their "nightless" summers. On the longest day in Shetland there are over 19 hours of daylight, and it never gets completely dark. The long twilight is known in the Northern Isles as the "simmer dim". Winter nights are correspondingly long, with less than six hours of daylight at midwinter . At this time of year the aurora borealis can occasionally be seen on
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#17327768053046758-476: The fifth largest number of international passengers in Scotland. The scheduled air service between Westray and Papa Westray is reputedly the shortest in the world at two minutes' duration. The very different geologies of the two archipelagos have resulted in dissimilar local economies. In Shetland, the main revenue producers are agriculture, aquaculture , fishing , renewable energy , the petroleum industry (offshore crude oil and natural gas production),
6867-405: The franchise by default with a bid of £720,000 per year. After retaining its franchise, Grampian sought to expand its media business interests. In May 1994, the company won the new Central Scotland FM radio licence in partnership with Border Television - the new station, Scot FM (now Heart Scotland ), had an uneasy start as it struggled with ratings and programming. Border pulled out of Scot FM
6976-411: The generic ITV branding that is now used in the other Channel 3 regions which are owned by ITV plc . STV's regional news programme for Northern Scotland is called STV News at Six and is supplemented by short news bulletins on weekdays. The station also produces regional television commercials. In 2008, the United Kingdom began its 5-year programme to end analogue television broadcasts as part of
7085-414: The guise of Channel 4 .) In January 1955 the ITA authorised the creation of ITN (Independent Television News), a company owned and operated by the ITV companies collectively, to provide a news service for the new network. On 22 September 1955 the ITV service opened in the London area, where the ITA transmitter could reach a population of nearly 12 million. The first commercial on British television
7194-402: The input of the other applicants, a new name was chosen on 11 January 1961– "Grampian Television" after one of the key Scottish mountain ranges, the Grampian Mountains . Grampian planned to launch on 1 October 1961 and had already bought and converted their studios for the start date. However, four months prior to launch, the Post Office announced that the links which would connect Grampian to
7303-412: The island of Papa Westray is probably the oldest preserved house in northern Europe . This structure was inhabited for 900 years, beginning around 3700 BC, but it had evidently been built on the site of an even older settlement. The Shetland Islands are also extremely rich in physical remains from prehistoric eras: They contain a total of over 5,000 archaeological sites. On the island of Fetlar, there
7412-476: The islands by fiat, when he stopped in South Walls on his way from Ireland to Norway. The king summoned the jarl Sigurd the Stout and said, "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage every island with fire and steel." Unsurprisingly, Sigurd agreed, and the islands became Christian at a stroke. In the early 11th century, they received their own bishop (the Bishop of Orkney). In
7521-426: The islands' economy today, with the total catch being 75,767 tonnes (74,570 long tons; 83,519 short tons) in 2009, valued at over £73.2 million. Orkney and Shetland have significant wind and marine energy resources, and renewable energy has recently come into prominence. The European Marine Energy Centre is a Scottish Government –backed research facility that has installed a wave testing system at Billia Croo on
7630-408: The islands, is descendant of Old Norse brought by the Vikings in the 9th century. Since 1468-1469, after Orkney and Shetland were absorbed by the Kingdom of Scotland , Norn gradually began to fade as the influx of Scots-speaking settlers migrated to the islands. Norn as such became an extinct language around 1850, after the death of its last-known speaker Walter Sutherland . The local dialects of
7739-428: The late 19th century 90% of all Shetland was owned by just 32 men, and between 1861 and 1881 more than 8,000 Shetlanders emigrated. With the passing of the Crofters' Act in 1886 the Liberal prime minister William Gladstone emancipated crofters from the rule of the landlords. The Act enabled those who had effectively been landowners' serfs to become owner-occupiers of their own small farms. The Orcadian experience
7848-437: The modern name Shetland is Hetlandensis recorded in 1190 becoming Hetland in 1431 after various intermediate transformations. This then became Hjaltland in the 16th century. As Shetland's Norn was gradually replaced by Scots Hjaltland became Ȝetland . When use of the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter z , hence Zetland , the mispronounced form used to describe
7957-473: The more rugged Shetland islands to the north, where the economy is more dependent on fishing and the oil wealth of the surrounding seas. Both archipelagos have a developing renewable energy industry. They share a common Pictish and Norse history, and were part of the Kingdom of Norway before being absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century. The islands played a significant naval role during
8066-710: The most advanced in the world at the time of opening. Their previous headquarters at Queens Cross were subsequently demolished and redeveloped as housing. In addition to their Aberdeen headquarters, Grampian ran a newsroom and sales office in Dundee at the entrance of the Angus Hotel in Marketgait, which also contained a film studio for interviews. In 1978, the Dundee operation moved to a new remote-controlled studio at Albany House, before moving again to Harbor Chambers in
8175-471: The names of their initial announcers-June Imray, Douglas Kynoch and Elizabeth Mackenzie -all of them were teachers. However, Mackenzie handed in her resignation the day before the station launched "for health reasons"; Her position was initially filled by 23 year-old Jimmy Sleigh , before James Spankie came into Grampian as the permanent replacement. Grampian Television went on air on Saturday 30 September 1961 at 2.45 pm (the 15th ITA franchise to launch) with
8284-499: The network would not be ready until February 1962. This would have left the new station only able to broadcast output from its neighboring colleagues at Scottish Television (STV). Pressure at the highest level of Government ensured that the links were in place in time for the station's planned launch. The first (pre-launch) test transmissions from the Durris transmitting station began on 1 September 1961. A week later, Grampian announced
8393-530: The new light-touch regulator, the Independent Television Commission , required that the successful applicant pass a quality threshold and business plan. In the event, Grampian was outbid by two challengers; Channel 3 Caledonia and North of Scotland Television (the latter of which was ironically the name of the original Grampian Television consortium). Both competitors failed to pass the quality threshold, and Grampian won back
8502-570: The north coast of Scotland are in Highland, and are thus not usually considered to be part of the Northern Isles. Orkney has 20 inhabited islands and Shetland has 16. Orkney is situated 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of mainland Scotland, separated from it by the waters of the Pentland Firth . The largest island of Orkney, known as the " Mainland " has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202.03 sq mi), making it
8611-624: The northern horizon during moderate auroral activity. There are numerous important prehistoric remains in Orkney, especially from the Neolithic period. Four of these remains comprise the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated as such in 1999). They are: Skara Brae ; Maes Howe ; the Stones of Stenness ; and the Ring of Brodgar . The Knap of Howar Neolithic farmstead on
8720-439: The northern licence is held by STV North, which is owned and operated by STV Group plc (formerly SMG plc), and the southern licence by STV Central (previously known as Scottish Television ). As an independent company, Grampian had a very distinctive local personality which was quite different from STV's. After the station was bought, it gradually assimilated with STV, culminating in the change of name in 2006. STV did not adopt
8829-492: The northern outpost of the Caledonian orogeny , and there are outcrops of Lewisian , Dalriadan and Moine metamorphic rocks whose histories are similar to those of their counterparts on the Scottish mainland. There are also small Old Red Sandstone deposits and granite intrusions. Shetland's most distinctive geological feature is the ultrabasic ophiolite , peridotite and gabbro on Unst and Fetlar , which are remnants of
8938-542: The older rock is exposed between Stromness and Inganess, and also on the small island of Graemsay . Middle Devonian basaltic volcanic rocks are found on western Hoy , on Deerness in eastern Mainland and on Shapinsay . A correlation between the Hoy volcanics and the other two exposures has been proposed, but because of differences in their chemical makeup, this remains uncertain. Lamprophyre dykes of Late Permian age are found throughout Orkney. Glacial striation and
9047-425: The opening authority announcement from continuity announcer Douglas Kynoch and a brief welcome from the chairman of the Independent Television Authority , Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick : Douglas Kynoch : Good afternoon. This is the first transmission of Grampian Television Limited, over the Durris and Monteagle transmitters of the Independent Television Authority. Today, we're about to join all the millions of viewers of
9156-419: The overnight strand, The Nightshift . Grampian's first studios and headquarters were located at Queens Cross , Aberdeen , where the company purchased a former tram depot belonging to Aberdeen Corporation Tramways in 1960. The depot was converted for use as television studios with completion planned prior to October 1961. The complex housed two main studios and a third smaller studio for continuity, which
9265-476: The payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret , betrothed to James III of Scotland . As the money was never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland became permanent. In 1470 William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness ceded his title to James III and the following year the Northern Isles were directly annexed to Scotland. From the early 15th century on the Shetlanders had sold their goods through
9374-488: The period .... [T]he brooches show a variety of typical Pictish forms, with both animal-head and lobed geometrical forms of terminal". Christianity probably arrived in Orkney in the 6th century, and organised church authority emerged in the 8th century. An Ogham –inscribed artefact known as the Buckquoy spindle-whorl was found at a Pictish site on Birsay . There has been controversy about its origin and meaning, but it
9483-500: The pre-1975 county council . However the earlier name is Innse Chat – the island of the cats (or the cat tribe) as referred to in early Irish literature and it is just possible that this forms part of the Norse name. The Cat tribe also occupied parts of the northern Scottish mainland – hence the name of Caithness via the Norse Katanes ("headland of the cat"), and the Gaelic name for Sutherland , Cataibh , meaning "among
9592-437: The pre-Norse existence of Old Irish in Orkney. The Pictish association with Orkney is lent weight by the Norse name for the Pentland Firth – Pettaland-fjörðr i.e "Pictland Firth". The Norse retained the earlier root but changed the meaning, providing the only definite example of an adaption of a pre-Norse place name in the Northern Isles. The islands became Orkneyar meaning "seal islands". An alternative name for Orkney
9701-458: The presence of chalk and flint erratics that originated from the bed of the North Sea demonstrate the influence of ice action on the geomorphology of the islands. Boulder clay is also abundant, and moraines cover substantial areas. The geology of Shetland is quite different from that of Orkney. It is extremely complex, with numerous faults and fold axes . The Shetland Islands are
9810-477: The presence of a good harbour, although anchorages are plentiful in the archipelago. The first written record dates from 1375 in a reference to Scalpandisay , which may suggest a derivation from "judge's island". Another suggestion is "Hyalpandi's island", although no one of that name is known to have been associated with Shapinsay. Stroma, from the Norse Straumøy means "current island" or "island in
9919-449: The proposals for the service to be offered, and often on connections between the applicant company and the area to be served. Franchises were awarded initially between 1954 and 1961, with the new television stations usually beginning their broadcasting one-to-two years later. During September 1963 the ITA invited new applications for franchises to operate from July 1964 for three years or until
10028-433: The rate of four programmes a week) - such programming would remain a staple of the station's local output for the next forty years or so. By 1963, no less than fifty Grampian shows had featured in the local Top Ten audience ratings. Towards the end of the decade, the station's potential audience reached a million viewers and Grampian was employing just over 200 staff at their studios in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Prior to
10137-677: The regions are branded as ITV1 . The objections are largely due to the fact that the largely rural Scottish culture in the North is very different from the more industrial Central Scotland area. The news service and advertising remains regionalized as before with the Tayside and North East Fife area receiving its own opt-out service, featuring a dedicated news bulletin within STV News at Six on weekdays and separate local advertising. Up until September 2011, both areas also received their own version of
10246-403: The resistance, and military supplies. It made over 200 trips across the sea, with Leif Larsen , the most highly decorated allied naval officer of the war, making 52 of them. The problem of a declining population was significant in the post-war years, although in the last decades of the 20th century there was a recovery and life in the islands focused on growing prosperity and the emergence of
10355-484: The rest of Scotland, the main routes being Scrabster harbour , Thurso to Stromness and Aberdeen to Lerwick, both operated by NorthLink Ferries . Inter-island ferry services are operated by Orkney Ferries and SIC Ferries , which are operated by the respective local authorities and Northlink also run a Lerwick to Kirkwall service. Automatic lighthouses are commonly sited across the islands as an aid to navigation at various locations. Kirkwall Airport serves as
10464-410: The ships . During World War I the 10th Cruiser Squadron was stationed at Swarbacks Minn in Shetland and during a single year from March 1917 more than 4,500 ships sailed from Lerwick as part of an escorted convoy system. In total, Shetland lost more than 500 men, a higher proportion than any other part of Britain, and there were waves of emigration in the 1920s and 1930s. One month into World War II ,
10573-414: The sixth largest Scottish island . Its total population in 2001 was 19,245, and its largest town is Kirkwall . Shetland is around 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of mainland Scotland. It covers an area of 1,468 square kilometres (567 sq mi) and its coastline is 2,702 kilometres (1,679 mi) long. Lerwick , the capital and largest settlement, has a population of around 7,500. About half of
10682-624: The sole commercial airport in Orkney, which is operated by Highland and Islands Airports . Loganair provides services to Aberdeen , Edinburgh , Glasgow and Inverness for both Kirkwall and Sumburgh Airport . Inter-Island flights are available from Kirkwall to several Orkney islands and from the Shetland Mainland to most of the inhabited islands including those from Tingwall Airport . There are frequent charter flights from Aberdeen to Scatsta near Sullom Voe , which are used to transport oilfield workers and this small terminal has
10791-477: The station for £105 million. The buyout led to various cutbacks in Grampian's staffing and programme production - notable changes included the transfer of on-air presentation from Aberdeen to Scottish Television's playout centre in Glasgow. More Grampian-produced programmes were also broadcast on Scottish, and vice versa. The station was also criticized by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) concerning
10900-463: The station to broadcast its first networked colour documentary Two Of A Kind . Despite this, the station did come up with a number of technical firsts. The most notable of these came in 1978 when Grampian became the first British television station to replace 16mm film cameras with Electronic News Gathering [ENG] video cameras for news coverage - a move which finally allowed its regional news programme Grampian Today to extend from three to five nights
11009-697: The tidal stream", a reference to the strong currents in the Pentland Firth. The Norse often gave animal names to islands, and these have been transferred into English in, for example, the Calf of Flotta and Horse of Copinsay . Brother Isle is an anglicisation of the Norse breiðareøy meaning "broad beach island". The Norse holmr , meaning "a small islet" has become " Holm " in English and there are numerous examples of this use including Corn Holm , Thieves Holm and Little Holm . "Muckle" meaning large or big
11118-583: Was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 ( 2 & 3 Eliz. 2 . c. 55) to supervise the creation of " Independent Television" (ITV) , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom . The ITA existed from 1954 until 1972. It was responsible for determining the location, constructing, building, and operating the transmission stations used by the ITV network, as well as determining
11227-510: Was dismissed the next day. However, Tony was also a local shop steward for the ACTT union and following a meeting, all 65 members walked out at 5PM, which brought transmissions to a halt and claiming that the management hadn’t followed nationally agreed procedures for dismissals. As negotiations continued over the next week viewers in the region were left without an ITV service and, as some areas could not pick up any BBC transmissions, they were without
11336-579: Was for "Gibbs SR" toothpaste. When WWN went on the air on 14 September 1962, the ITV network was completed. However, due to the late commissioning of two of WWN's three transmitters, the company never received more than half the projected income and the company failed in January 1964; the two Welsh franchises were consequently merged, with TWW broadcasting to the whole of Wales. The 1967 franchise review involved substantial changes: The 1967 franchises were subsequently extended in stages to expire in 1976, then 1979, and finally to expire on 31 December 1981. See
11445-461: Was formed in the 1950s to promote the traditional fiddle style, which is a vibrant part of local culture today. Notable exponents of Shetland folk music include Aly Bain and the late Tom Anderson and Peerie Willie Johnson . Thomas Fraser was a country musician who never released a commercial recording during his life, but whose work has become popular more than 20 years after his untimely death in 1978. The Norn language , formerly spoken in
11554-686: Was neglected after the war, eventually closing in 1957. During World War II, a Norwegian naval unit nicknamed the " Shetland Bus " was established by the Special Operations Executive in the autumn of 1940 with a base first at Lunna and later in Scalloway to conduct operations around the coast of Norway. About 30 fishing vessels used by Norwegian refugees were gathered, and the Shetland Bus conducted covert operations, carrying intelligence agents, refugees, instructors for
11663-764: Was said to amount to little more than half a dozen letters per week. The problems in Dundee along with the effects of Television Advertising Duty and the Equity Strike led to heavy financial losses and a subsequent reduction in transmitter rental for Grampian. But by the end of 1962, the station had succeeded in increasing audience in both Dundee and the region as a whole. The success in viewing figures were attributed to an increase in regional programming. Whereas Grampian had previously restricted its output to news and current affairs beforehand, production controller James Buchan decided to go for broke and branch out to produce light entertainment and music shows (originally, at
11772-561: Was somewhat different. An influx of Scottish entrepreneurs helped to create a diverse and independent community that included farmers, fishermen and merchants that called themselves comunitatis Orcadie and who proved themselves increasingly able to defend their rights against their feudal overlords. In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada . The harsh climate of Orkney and
11881-510: Was updated in the early 1980s when £4 million worth (2009: £10.5m) was spent on a new Central Technical Area and presentation facilities. These studios continued to be of importance to Grampian well into the new millennium, despite the transfer of the presentation and continuity to Scottish 's Glasgow base and job losses when SMG took over the company. In June 2003, Grampian moved to new, smaller, state-of-the-art all digital studios at Craigshaw Business Park in West Tullos , Aberdeen , some of
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