ABSTRACT
Granada is the United Kingdom’s ITV contractor for the North West of England (and, more recently, the Isle of Man) and the only one of the original four Independent Television Authority (ITA) franchises that has endured into the twenty-first century. In 1954, it was awarded the North of England contract for weekdays; ABC, a fledgling company of the Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) served the same area at the weekend. When its transmissions began in May 1956, Granada served an area stretching from Liverpool and Blackpool on the West coast to Kingston-upon-Hull on the East coast, taking in counties such as Lancashire and the West and East Ridings of Yorkshire, and major conurbations such as Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Doncaster. In 1968, this broadcast region was divided into two area monopolies (Granada and Yorkshire TV) and Granada was given the full weekly franchise for the North West.
