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4 unusual facts about ITV Meridian


Gemma Humphries

She joined ITV Meridian as South East weather presenter in July 2000 and from Summer 2002, took over from Carl Tyler as the station's chief weather presenter.

ITV Meridian

Drama became a successful genre for the station, with Peter Kosminsky's No Child of Mine, tackling the emotionally difficult subject of child abuse, winning Meridian a BAFTA award.

Meridian launched at midnight on 1 January 1993 with the programme Meridian – The First 10-Minutes a 10-minute outside broadcast from Winchester Cathedral presented by Debbie Thrower and previewing the station's forthcoming output.

Saima Mohsin

In 2000 Mohsin gained her first job in television joining ITV Meridian as a producer, and later on became a presenter/reporter for the station.


Bluebell Hill transmitting station

Between its opening in 1974 and 31 December 1981 the transmitter broadcast ITV London, being switched on 1 January 1982 to carry signals from the new ITV franchise TVS (Television South), until superseded on 1 January 1993 by ITV Meridian for ITV in the south east.

It'll Be Alright on the Night

The majority of the episodes were filmed at The London Studios, but in the show's later years, Granada's studios in Manchester were also used, as well as the now-closed (and demolished) Meridian studios at Northam, Southampton.

Jules Hudson

After becoming lead presenter on ITV Meridian's The Making of England, and making Have I Been Here Before? with Phillip Schofield, he developed and produced the series Revival for ITV, which gained a Royal Television Society nomination.

Television Centre, Southampton

The new franchise holder, Meridian Broadcasting, originally had plans to base itself in an office unit (which it did a little over 10 years later), as its operation required only presentation and play out facilities with a small studio for local news.

However, following TVS's franchise loss, the two companies negotiated the takeover of the studios by Meridian, ending in Meridian's purchase of the Northam studio complex.

Whiteley

Whiteley also contains the sizeable Solent Business Park which consists of a number of large companies, including Zurich Financial Services, the new headquarters for NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services) and the offices and studios of ITV Meridian.


see also

Oxford transmitting station

From 2006, a new non-franchise regional news area ITV Thames Valley was provided from the ITV Meridian studios at Whiteley, Hampshire.