Background
The earliest operations, started in 1931, were confined to Newcastle but the North-East Region eventually embraced a population of two and three-quarter million in an area extending from North Yorkshire almost to the Scottish Border Country. The wired vision activity was largely centred around the conurbations of Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside. The Region had seven branches with a total engineering staff of 647 serving 160,000 subscribers.
The Regional Headquarters were located in Newcastle and, in addition to housing the usual executive hierarchy and its associated administrative function, they accommodated Regional Engineering, Stores, Planning and Special Services Departments.
Wired vision developed throughout the Region on a somewhat fragmented basis with the consequence of a disproportionate engineering workload per. subscriber ratio. However, a very large programme of engineering rehabilitation for the 61 aerial sites. 40 substations and 1000 trunk distribution kiosks had been undertaken in the 1970's.
The philosophy underlying the aims throughout the North-East Region was to separate the Branch engineering organization into three specifically defined areas of activity, each forming a department under the control of a head. Coordinating and controlling the work of these departmental heads was the responsibility the Technical Manager, who also deputised for the Branch Manager in his absence.
These three departments were; The Systems Department, which consisted of the Branch Systems Engineer, service technicians (equipment) and network technicians. The prime responsibility of this department was for the smooth running of the station equipment and the improvement of the system performance and reliability through the pursuit of a policy of routine maintenance and network overhaul. The department was also involved in what was called  'second-line maintenance', which was the investigation and clearance of faults that, for one reason or another could not be cured by the other departments.
The Service Department, under the control of a Service Manager, was responsible for dealing with all subscriber service requests - television, network and merchandise. This being primarily the organization which dealt with the normal day-to-day first-line servicing problems. The Network Department had two main functions under the control of a Network Engineer. The first was the erection of all new network, being the Network Engineers responsibility to see that this ran smoothly from the project costing stage through to final commissioning. His second responsibility was the connection of new subscribers and. Regrettably, the disconnection of those existing subscribers who no longer required the service.
There were close ties between the Systems and Network Departments in the Branches and the Regional Engineering Department in Newcastle, also between the Service Departments and the Regional Service Controller. These ties provided an effective two-way interchange of ideas and policy, which contributed to improvements made by the Company over the years.


North Tyne Branch

The North Tyne Branch covered Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding Boroughs and involved the maintenance ol 14,500 mono and 4,200 colour cable subscribers, 900 mono and 1,400 colour aerial subscribers, and an overall total of 32,550 network subscribers. The h.f. distribution system included ten major and ten satellite aerial sites. Ten sub-stations and thirty nine distribution kiosks, together with 1,302,600 route metres of cable.
Situated at Gosforth, the North Tyne engineering organization was divided into the three broad sections each directed by a head of department. There were many fields of inter-related activity necessitating very close harmony and liaison between the departmental heads.
The Systems Department was responsible for maintaining the engineering standards of the h.f. system as laid down by the Regional Engineering Department, which involved controlling and monitoring adequate routines to ensure that these standards were met, and wiring and installing additional sub-stations and kiosks as required by either new R.C.S. schemes or major diversions, in this activity.


South Tyne Branch

The South Tyne Branch network embraced the town of Gateshead and its suburbs, and the urban districts of Whickham and Blaydon. With a density of 56%. some 28.000 subscribers enjoyed the service which was fed from a V.T.R / H.L.L. And a feeder network totalling 28,000 metres and 27,000 metres respectively. Of these subscribers 15,500 were Community Service on a combination of TD.B3/2 and the TD.100 stacked-carrier system. The remaining speculative subscribers were fed from a TD.83 system. The feeder network was mainly nine pair or one quad plus two squad, whilst the V.T.R. / H.L.L.s were both squad and coaxial. Outside the wired area, there were some 2,500 aerial subscribers.
The engineering section of South Tyne started as a breakaway from the original Newcastle Branch when an old warehouse was converted into a service centre and opened by Lord Buckhurst in the presence of the civic dignitaries in June 1969. Compared with the previous workshops at Forth Banks, conditions were very good but rapid expansion and the takeover of the Rank business at Washington and Birtley made it evident that the premises were inadequate. Plans were drawn up for a purpose-made building, to include provision for all engineering and commercial staff, and the formation of a new branch: South Tyne. The new building was opened in February, 1971. The ground floor comprised the television workshops, service control and the equipment, network maintenance, installation and feeder development departments; there were also large storage area, a canteen, and an area set aside for outside technicians. A garage complex comprised a well-equipped workshop with inspection pit and room for three vehicles; separate bays for washing and lubrication, complete with electric hoist, were also provided.
The mainstay of Rediffusion was television rental and this was rapidly expanded with the swing to colour - by a well run and efiicient service organization. This
had been achieved in South Tyne by using modem techniques in dealing with subscribers’ requests for service. The heart of the system is the subscriber record
cards which are filed, alphabetically in street order, in three Rollindex rotary drums. Each card is colour coded for type of installation i.e. CoIour, mono, aeria|, vvired, audio or inverter. Private|y-owned and dealers' sets were also coded. Each cable subscriber card showed the feeder number arid distribution point, so enabling fault conditions on equipment or network to be dealt with speedily. The telephones were operated on a key and lamp system, by which calls could be transferred to any of the three drum positions. R'T was also used as an aid to service. The service control room was double-glazed and sound-proofed giving most pleasant and efficient working conditions. Twenty technicians were employed on field service and operated a two week shift cycle. There were also fourteen Network Technicians employed on feeder maintenance.
One technician was employed on private set repairs and provided service to subscribers in the North Tyne and East Northumberland branches as well as in South Tyne.
The workshop housed both the television and the equipment sections; it was well laid out and equipped with mobile benches. Cleaning of receivers is done in a separate room. A staff of ten workshop technicians provided the necessary back-up service of unit and set repairs. After refurbishing which was done in the workshop, sets were passed to a separate polishing section.

East Northumberland Branch

The engineering function again followed the general pattern of three sections with different responsibilities.
The Service Department maintained some 2,000 colour and 4.000 mono aerial receivers, and 2,100 colour and 9,500 mono cable receivers. There was a large merchandise commitment and it was a problem to find the necessary expertise. Previously all field technicians were engaged in the merchandise servicing but that had proved to be inefficient as well as costly, and the later arrangement was that one qualified technician was responsible for this work both in the field and in the workshop. He levied any charge that was due. It is to be noted that the 'return to workshop' which, prior to this arrangement was 80%,  fell to 40% .
The Service Control was ’manned' by four female clerk receptionists who operated a shift system over seven days. There were eleven vans equipped with
R/T allocated to the department and replacement vans were racked to accommodate spare colour boards and, as at security precaution were alarmed.
The Systems Department controlled all the NetworkTechnicians and the SystemsTechnicians. This meant that the Service Manager was responsible for the display unit (television receivers) whilst the responsibility for the cable input lay with the Systems Engineer. This department maintains five audio sub-stations. Six main and seven satellite aerial sites, 22 distribution kiosks and 101 repeater kiosks. They had available to them seven Escort vans and one Transit van all equipped with R/T.
The Network Department which formerly worked as two separate sections North and South of the Branch, was reformed as one unit. The amalgamation brought about greater control of both stocks and working output. Three new RCS developments at Wallsend and Tynemouth were under the control of a Line Supervisor, with two wiremen and was directly supervised by the Network Foreman. The remaining wiremen performed the normal duties of the installation / disconnection department, including diversions and aerial maintenance.

East Durham Branch

The Centre was officially opened by the Chairman of Rediffusion (North East) Limited during October, 1972. It was situated in the Crowther Industrial Estate of Washington New Town and catered for the needs of almost 40,000 subscribers, over a very large area. It was one of many advance factories built by Washington Development Corporation to attract firms to the North-East, in both the manufacturing and service fields. With a floor area of about 10,000 square feet, plus a mezzanine floor of a further 1,000 square feet, it seemed the ideal situation for East Durham Branch Service Centre which previously consisted of three small units in South Shields, Sunderland and Peterlee. Service Control was staffed every day of the year, from 0900 hours to 2200 hours. A first class television workshop, designed with trolley facilities forming part of the work benches, enabled the technicians to carry out repairs under ideal conditions. The team comprised eight technicians working on colour and mono receivers, together with an increasing amount of merchandise repairs. For the latter, a separate section off the main workshop permitted the technician to concentrate on the more obscure faults which could best be traced in a quiet area. Apart from the main wiring and television store, a component store handled all types of spare boards, valves, tubes and the many expensive spare parts. Built adjacent to the main building was the garage block where a fleet of sixty two vehicles were serviced and repaired.

North Tees Branch

This Branch was formed out of the old Teesside Branch. As its name implied, it comprised the area north of the River Tees, and abutted the East Durham Branch to the North. It comprised a total of about 15.000 subscribers in the Stockton, Billingham and Hartlepools area.

South Tees Branch
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The branch was started in 1953 and the engineering operation had 20,100 cable subscribers and 3,600 aerial subscribers, a large proportion of which have colour receivers. The network was two-squad, one-quad, carrying four colour programmes throughout and two radio programmes. The average density of houses touched by the network was 41%. The Branch was involved in an extensive H.L.L./V.T.R. diversion as a result of a major road scheme to link Teesport one of the largest ports in the UK. About 1500 metres of duct and cable had to been installed at a cost of  £25.000. A showroom with a satellite workshop was later opened in Redcar. as a result ol the further development in the South and East Cleveland area.


Darlington Branch

The Darlington Branch service area coveed South-West Durham and part of North Yorkshire. Two h.f. networks were operated in Darlington and Newton Aycliffe, with an overall 'houses touched‘ density of 50%. Newton Aycliffe was mainly R.C.S, with 5,900 such cable inputs in a total of 6,400 in addition to three sound programmes, four u.h.f. and two v.h.f. television programmes distributed. Darlington had 8,300 cable inputs, of which 1,900 were R.C.S. Four u.h.f. television programmes and two sound programmes were distributed in the speculative area, supplemented by two v.h.f. television programmes in the R.C.S. Areas. All Branch engineering activities were controlled from the Service Centre, situated at Nevvton Aycliffe. The equipment sites comprised two master and three satellite aerial sites, two substations, eighteen distribution kiosks and ninety two intermediate kiosks.
The Service Department control maintained 8300 cable and 1,600 aerial television receivers and 3,000 inverters.  The Branch maintenance departments were fully
equipped with radio telephones, which greatly assisted the coverage of the 816 square-mile service area. The Wiring Department maintained a network of 502,000
metres of feeder and 20,600 metres of H.L.L. / V.T.R.

Regional Training Centre
The need for additional training facilities led to the conversion into a training centre of vacant premises at Birtley, once used as the area office and workshop of the Rank Organisation Relay Service which was acquired by Rediffusion. The two floors and basement were completely refitted and renovated. In the basement there was a fully operational TD.80 aerial site and audio station equipped with A.623s. The accommodation on the ground floor comprised a fully-equipped workshop with seven benches, a visual aids room with the usual range of projection facilities and a canteen where snacks were provided.
On the first floor were two lecture rooms, each capable of seating ten trainees, a main lecture meeting room which held twenty people, and the office accommodation. The school was staffed by a Training Officer, Mr. H. C. Paul. and two full time instructors.
Many senior members of the regional and branch attended an instructional techniques course and were available to conduct courses in their own subjects.
The training school opened in  April 1970 and all staff received training in their particular aspect of the Company's activities and many having attended several courses. There had been a big demand for colour courses for the television staff, and network technicians received instruction to keep them abreast of new developments.
Management and supervisory courses were well established. Short courses and seminars were organised as the needs arose (for example on the Industrial Relations Act, VAT. etc). The aims of the school were to improve the standard of knowledge and technical skill in all departments and to supplement the facilities offered by the Poulton Central School:  despite this very considerable amenity the North East Region continued to be the largest single user of the Poulton training school.


Special Service Department
This Department dealt with all aspects of the business which were of a non domestic nature, such as educational institutions, hospitals, factories, clubs, hotels and supermarkets. The bulk of the workload was constituted by installations and maintenance on behalf of Rediffusion Industrial Services. This consisted largely of paging, music, telephones. fire alarms, pocket paging, C.C.T.V. for industry, as well as radio and television in hotels and hospitals, nurse call systems and warden alarms, not to mention sound reinforcement in every conceivable application.
The rapidly increasing complexity of industrial communications systems led to a new type of specialist engineer who, in addition to his basic Rediffusion training, had to become proficient in the techniques required for the commissioning and servicing of C.C.T.V. video recorders, telephone systems and extremely sophisticated alarm and signaling systems. The growth in the number of these special types of industrial installations led to a major review of the Departments functions with a tendency towards specialisation and centralisatron.

Wayleave Department
The Wayleave Department, in addition to the normally expected business of acquiring new easements and agreements, was also concerned with renewals of leases on existing aerial sites, sub-stations and kiosks arising from expiry and changes of ownership. The Department faced increasing problems of maintaining networks and V.T.R.s during the large scale redevelopment and revitalisation programmes of sub-standard property. The spate of major road-works in the area at that time also caused a great deal of extra work for the Department.

Works Department

The Region was fortunate in having a very professional Works Department comprising two joiners, two electricians and a painter. Their talents extended to almost every job concerned with property maintenance and revitalisation, shop fitting, exhibition display, manufacture of roof ladders, test equipment, transit cases etc.  The department was well equipped with machinery to enable the small but highly-skilled staff to be very productive.
REDIFFUSION (NORTH EAST) LIMITED
Rediffusion House,  Forth Banks,
Newcastle upon Tyne  NE1 3RX   Tel. 610241
Associated Companies in over 175 towns in Great Britain and in Barbados, Bermuda. Canada, Ceylon, Guyana,
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A look back at the organisation of the North East Region based around activities in the early - 1970's.
Blyth Branch, East Northumberland

Blyth Branch, East Northumberland

Sandyford Sub-Station, North Tyne

Sandyford Sub-Station, North Tyne

Billingham Engineering Dept, North Tees

Billingham Engineering Dept, North Tees

South Tees Garage

South Tees Garage

Component Stores, East Durham

Component Stores, East Durham

Service Center at Crowther Industrial Estate, Washington

Service Center at Crowther Industrial Estate, Washington

Engineering Office, Washington Service Centre

Engineering Office, Washington Service Centre

Engineering Workshop, Newton Aycliffe

Engineering Workshop, Newton Aycliffe

Redcar Workshop

Redcar Workshop

Newton Aycliffe, Service Centre

Newton Aycliffe, Service Centre

Regional Map

Regional Map

Television Workshop, Washington

Television Workshop, Washington