From a former tram depot in the Westend of Aberdeen Grampian Television launched on the 30th September 1961.
Grampian covered everything from news and sport to documentaries and entertainment and Gaelic programming. From the Queens Cross Studios in the west end of Aberdeen. The studios occupied an area of 40,600 sq feet. The building provided for all the needs of the administrative and operational staff. A central technical area on the first floor was equipped with a studio and all necessary equipment for presentation and continuity use.
On the ground floor two studios of 2000 sq ft and 750 sq feet could be linked to form a floor area of 2,750 sq feet. There was also a 350 sq ft film interview studio. Studio 3, a dubbing suite and control room, laboratory facilities existed for the processing of 16 mm colour film and slides and two 26 mm film units operated out of the Aberdeen base.
In 1979 Grampian was the first ITV company to reach an agreement to introduce ENG into its operation. This was particularly important for Grampian whose transmission area covered North East Scotland from the Shetlands in the North to Fife in the South and parts of the Hebrides and costal region of the Western Highlands.
ENG was able to greatly reduce the time transporting, processing and editing film and gave a quicker more up- to- date news service to viewers in Grampian Television transmission area. Initially two units were based in Aberdeen and Dundee from October 1979. Dundee the Centre for Grampian’s coverage of Tayside and Fife benefited greatly, especially as Grampian was operating from the beginning of 1980 a new studio whose electronic link allowed both studio and ENG pictures to be fed ‘ up the line’ to Aberdeen.
Grampian was constantly striving to improve its service in meeting the challenges posed by a franchise area that extends from Fife to Shetland and west to Stornoway. Programmes were beamed from more than 50 IBA transmitters to over a million people whose heritage and cultural background differed widely.
By 1982 a £3 million replacement and building project was underway at Grampian’s Aberdeen studios. Much of the equipment installed for the conversion to colour ten years previous was at the end of its useful life and had to be replaced. Further, the introduction of Channel 4 and the developing of ORACLE, although national services in essence, will required local facilities for regional input. The expansion of the station’s news output, and the retention of its traditionally broad programming mix, necessitated the construction of a second studio control area.
Grampian’s programme output reflected the area as a whole and could adapt to changing circumstances and meet sudden challenges.
By 1983 Grampian had completed a £3.78 million building and equipping project at it’s Aberdeen studios this marked the completion of a £5.25 million investment programme to improve Grampian’s service to North Scotland and equip the station for the opportunities expected to arise as broadcasting channels proliferate through the decade. The heart of the new development was the central technical area which housed £2 million pounds of new equipment and represented a significant change in operational procedures with remote controlled facilities dedicated to either production or transmission of programmes and commercials in “off line” and “on line” areas. Station announcers moved into a new continuity suite which had a choice of sets and facilities for improved lighting and backgrounds.
By 1987 Grampian was looking ahead to the year 2000. An impressive glass and granite extension to the frontage of Grampian Television’s studios at Queen’s Cross Aberdeen marked another stage in a programme of ongoing investment designed to help Grampian improve their service to North Scotland.
The new building was one of the last areas at Queens Cross to be extended, providing an impressive area for visitors and audiences and an attractive restaurant to accommodate members of staff.
Much thought went into the building design with the use of traditional granite in a modern concept. The aim was to create a frontage in sympathy with other architecture in the area, and to use glass for example to reflect neighboring buildings. Properties adjoining Grampian Television had been cleaned and painted to enhance the overall appearance of a year 2000 station.
The ultra-modern effect was heightened by the automatic door which led to reception and provided an airy atmosphere, with linear shapes accentuated by the use of blue and grey décor and furnishings. In the adjacent restaurant the peach and grey décor intended to establish the proper mood for relaxation enhanced by the high-quality dining furniture in ash flared to a bamboo effect.
Since 1982 Grampian had undertaken more than £7,000,000 in capital investment creating a three-storey production block and a central area to house some of Britain’s most modern broadcasting technology. Other equipment installed included the Quantel Paintbox £1,000,000 of computer graphics designed specifically for TV production. A further £1,000,000 was budgeted to provide more accommodation at Queen’s Cross, purchase new sound and video equipment and to expand the computer system.
Investment had not been confined to Aberdeen. Dundee had an electronic news gathering studio since 1980 and in 1984 a similar facility was opened in Huntly Street Inverness, expanding the range and the immediacy of new coverage in the Highlands and Islands. Grampian was a high technology station with more than 300 skilled personnel producing programmes operating equipment and of course selling airtime to finance the heavy costs of sustaining a quality regional service.
With staff in Aberdeen , Inverness and Dundee plus those employed by Grampian’s subsidiary company, Blenheim Travel, Grampian made a significant contribution to local employment.
