Independent Broadcasting Authority

Logo descriptions by Kris Starring

Background: The IBA began life in 1954 as the ITA (the Independent Television Authority), the government regulator and transmitter operator of ITV. It became the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority) in 1972 when the British Parliament passed the Sound Broadcasting Act, which created legally licensed commercial radio (or ILR, Independent Local Radio) and gave the Authority the task of regulating and monitoring these newly created radio stations as well as operating and maintaining their transmitter networks. The IBA continued to exist until it was disbanded by the Broadcasting Act of 1990, which replaced it with the ITC (Independent Television Commission) and the Radio Authority. The transmitter operations were privatized as a new company called NTL (National Transcommunications Limited) which was recently sold and renamed Arqiva. Interesting to note, however, is that the IBA did have a set of onscreen idents used on ITV back in the '70s and '80s to introduce engineering announcements.

1st Logo (1973-1990)

Logo: Just a white IBA logo (the letters "IBA" in a rounded rectangle outline shape) on a blue background.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None, but sometimes an announcer would be heard over the logo announcing the start of an engineering announcement from the IBA.

Availability: Extinct outside of tape recordings. This logo only appeared on engineering announcements that appeared on ITV in the '70s and '80s.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1982-1987) IBA (1982-1987)

Nickname: "Rotating IBA Tube"

Logo: Over a blue background, we see the three-dimensional letters "IBA" fade in and rotate clockwise to face us. The white rectangle outline fades in and rotates counterclockwise to place itself around "IBA."

FX/SFX: It appears that the logo is a shot on video with a live model that is keyed over a blue background using electronic video effects. You can tell by how the model's lighting affects the logo's visibility and colors. The method would be similar to the effects used on the 1969-1985 BBC1 Mirror Globe.

Music/Sounds: A eight-note sawtooth wave stinger is played on an analog synth, followed by three reverberated chords. Sometimes an announcer says, "This is the Independent Broadcasting Authority.".

Availability: Extinct outside of tape recordings. It was only used on '80s era engineering announcements from the IBA.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (1987-1990) Independent Broadcasting Authority (1987-1990)

Nickname: "IBA Headquarters"

Logo: We see the front end of an office building, presumably the IBA headquarters in Winchester. At the bottom of the screen, a gray/black gradient bar wipes in from the right in which a miniature version of the IBA logo appears, brought forth utilizing the same animation as the 2nd logo.

FX/SFX: Looks like the IBA invested in CGI this time. Very professional by late '80s standards.

Music/Sounds: A dreamy synth chime tune plays, which was later used as a jingle by Granada in the early '90s.

Availability: Extinct outside of tape recordings. This was, once again, only used on engineering announcements from the IBA, save for the last two in the summer of 1990 leading up to the controversial Broadcasting Act. The last two IBA engineering announcements were one episode dealing with the introduction of Transcom (NTL) and the disbandment of the IBA, and the final being a retrospective of ITA/IBA engineering announcements over the past two decades.

Editor's Note: None.