After an eleven year gap in broadcasting Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ news to children and young people, John Craven's News Round, as it was originally known on-air, was broadcast live on a spring Tuesday evening on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Colour at 17.20.
Its predecessor, Children's Newsreel (April 1950 - Sept 1961), had come to be seen as old fashioned, stuffy and inaccessible. Its style was very much like the serious Television Newsreel for adults, albeit with a simpler script, and different selection of stories. Regular Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ announcers took turns in speaking the commentary. In short that approach didn't work for the swinging 60s. So, there were to be big changes. Television Newsreel turned into the news bulletins we recognise today, but news aimed at children slipped off the agenda almost entirely.
The provision of proper, regular news, aimed at younger viewers, had climbed up the pecking order in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Television Centre newsroom by the early 70s, but resources for a dedicated programme were few, and money was tight. In fact News Round went on air with only a handful of staff and two typewriters, relegated to a corner of the newsroom.
The programme's debut could not have been more terrifying for those involved. In the transmission gallery, the director was in a terrible panic according to John Craven (now 72). "Right," he said, "two minutes left and I've only got three scripts, so everybody repeat after me: Our Father, which art in Heaven..." Perhaps the Divine did intervene, as the programme survived its first hurdle - just. Curiously, no recording of that first edition exists.
April anniversaries
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Radiophonic Workshop founded
1 April 1958 -
The Boat Race first televised
2 April 1927 -
The Family first episode
3 April 1974 -
The Good Life
4 April 1975 -
New radio branding
4 April 1970 -
Newsround
4 April 1972 -
The Money Programme
5 April 1966 -
American Half Hour
6 April 1935 -
PM and The World Tonight
6 April 1970 -
Pogle’s Wood
7 April 1966 -
How Does Your Garden Grow?
9 April 1947 -
First episode of The Two Ronnies
10 April 1971 -
Launch of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Networking Club
11 April 1994 -
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
11 April 1972 -
Blue Peter Royal Safari
11 April 1971 -
Citizen Smith
12 April 1977 -
Animal Magic
13 April 1962 -
Demonstration of VERA Video Recorder on Panorama
14 April 1958 -
After Henry
17 April 1985 -
Hamlet at Elsinore
19 April 1964 -
First night of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two
20 April 1964 -
Play School
21 April 1964 -
First episode of Top Gear
22 April 1977 -
Children's Newsreel
23 April 1950 -
The Sky at Night
24 April 1957 -
An Age of Kings
28 April 1960 -
First Episode of Waggoners' Walk
28 April 1969 -
The FA Cup Final is first televised
30 April 1938