Westward TV

Westward Television was granted the franchise to serve the South West of England by the Independent Television Authority (ITA), beginning its broadcasts on April 29, 1961. Despite initial challenges, the station gained considerable popularity, to the extent that people in the region still colloquially refer to ITV as Westward. The station’s Chairman, Peter Cadbury, named the franchise after his favourite golf course, Westward Ho! However, Cadbury frequently clashed with both the ITA and the Inland Revenue, voicing strong objections to what he considered unjust levies on advertising revenue. Westward was also known for ongoing boardroom disputes.

In a dramatic turn of events, on December 28, 1980, a commercial break during Westward’s own programme, ‘Drake’s Progress’ was interrupted by a newsflash announcing the loss of their franchise. The board responded by selling all assets to Television South West (TSW) and exiting the scene on August 11, 1981, almost four months before the new franchise was scheduled to start. TSW took the reins but opted to maintain the Westward brand until the close of 1981.