- Local ITV station has relocated after almost three decades at previous home
- See our pictures of their new studios
- Read a brief history of the station below
ITV Channel Television’s move into their new home at the Waterfront has been ‘hiccup-free’, according to the station’s managing director.
The media outlet began broadcasting from Castle Quay last Monday after relocating from their previous premises at La Pouquelaye, where they have been since 1988.
It is only the second time in Channel TV’s 53-year history that the station has changed home.
Channel began life in 1962 when they broadcast from their original premises at Rouge Bouillon.
Today Karen Rankine, managing director for ITV Channel Television, said the move has taken a lot of effort but she was really pleased with how things had started.
‘We are delighted. It has all gone very smoothly and there have been no hiccups so far,’ she said.
‘We have had people from the wider ITV community to support us.
‘It is all going great at the moment.
‘Moving the entire Jersey operation to the Waterfront has been an enormous undertaking that has involved many months of planning and realisation.’
It has taken local contractors five months to fit out the new St Helier site plus a further three months of technical installation that has involved more than 40 km of cable – enough to stretch from St Helier to St Peter Port.
The move means Channel now have access to a new HD newsroom.
State of the art LED lighting has also been installed, which has reduced studio power consumption by 50 per cent.
The latest broadcast system has a capacity of 148 terabytes of online media storage – enough to hold 30,000,000 photographs.
Mrs Rankine added: ‘Our investment in the latest technology will help us to deliver an even better service to ITV viewers in the Channel Islands.’
Channel’s Guernsey site in St Sampson’s is also benefiting from a refit, technical upgrade and newly designed set.
Work is expected to be completed later this month.
- ITV Channel Television, previously Channel Television, has served the Channel Islands since 1962.
- Until November 2011, Channel Television was one of four ITV companies independent from ITV plc alongside the two STV regions in Scotland and UTV in Northern Ireland. However, it is now owned by ITV plc.
- In Jersey, Channel’s first headquarters were a purpose-built centre at the corner of Rouge Bouillon and Val Plaisant, housing one main 1,000 sq.ft. studio for all local productions and a continuity suite.
- As the company expanded, Channel moved into larger facilities in 1988 at La Pouquelaye, converted from the former offices of Rediffusion’s Jersey operation.
- Initially, the La Pouquelaye centre housed two production studios (the smaller studio B was latterly converted into offices) and a continuity studio, later used exclusively for Puffin’s Pla(i)ce.
- Until the station’s buyout by ITV plc, Channel also owned a London office, latterly based near to The London Studios.
- Until the takeover by ITV plc, Channel Television also had a responsibility to ensure independent programmes for ITV complied with the broadcaster’s rules. This resulted in the station handling compliance for programmes including The X Factor, Midsomer Murders and the British Comedy Awards.
- Channel Television was awarded the license for the islands in 1960 by the then regulator, the Independent Television Authority, but didnt go on air for the first time until 1 September 1962, at the time serving the smallest population of any ITV station.
- In early 2008, Channel began broadcasting in 16:9 Widescreen and the Channel Islands completed the switchover from analogue to digital television signals in November 2010.
