Ulster TV strike (late 1980's)

lawhec

I was only a young kid in Primary School at the time so I don't remember all the story about it but I remember in the late 1980's of UTV broadcasting most of the time for several weeks with just a blue screen explaining that programmes wern't available, not knowing at the time it was because of a strike. After a couple of weeks there was a limited evening schedule (management run?) with news and some network programmes. I didn't have a teletext receiver at the time but I remember that (oracle) being unavailable too from visiting an uncles house. The newspapers for the first few days printed the "normal" schedule which didn't run before printing the restricted schedule. TV-am was unaffected.

Anyone else have any stories or what happend during this time?

NorthDown

They never broadcast network network programmes. AFAIK they showed some local news and whatever presumably was in the archives of Havelock House - lots of films. It was management run. I recall an article in the "Belfast Telegraph" when the dispute was ending suggestin that viewers might get catch up episodes of Coronation Street (which never happened) and commenting that viewers to the east and in border regions were clamouring for aerials (ie those who could receive Border / RTE!) There were reports that those with the signal were taping programmes and sharing them among other work colleagues.

Richard

Northern Correspondent wrote:

Anyone else have any stories or what happend during this time?

I remember that after TV-am finished at 9.25, a blue IBA slide would come up, apologising for a loss of service. A few minutes later a more specific IBA slide would come up, explaining about the strike. I guess the original caption was a generic one, in case any transmitters from other ITV regions hadn't automatically switched over from TV-am that morning.

I don't have anything recorded from this time, and I have never seen any of it online.

What were the reasons for the strike?

SPDUB

They did show catch up episodes of Coronation Street on the sunday afternoon following the resumuption of service on a friday.

However if you were a fan of Emmerdale you had to put up the story jumping a number of episodes

The only footage I have on a videotape somewhere is of HTV being available on Cablelink (as it was at the time)

IIRC the strike was supposed to be about the management catching some of the engineers doing other jobs while they were supposed to be on duty

JezR

The strike was over Jim Bell, who was an engineer in the UTV transmission area. He also was the ACTT shop steward and owned a bar. He was away a lot on union business but also had a poor sickness record. One sickness call was investigated and he was found to be working in his bar. Dismissal procedures were initiated, and the ACTT walked out.

The strike collapsed after only 2 weeks. The management service ran from 5pm until midnight and was mainly films (especially westerns) although there were some news bulletins. Apparently some people rang UTV to say they hoped the strike would last a long time as they preferred this over the usual stuff.

Ulsterman 1690

Apparently some people rang UTV to say they hoped the strike would last a long time as they preferred this over the usual stuff.

A lot of people thought the same of RTE's early 1990's strike.
Continous music (without the mindless presenter waffle) on the radio
Chatshows and Gameshows replaced by Films

It was the best programmng ever to eminate from Dublin Four