The impact of archival silences on historical narratives surrounding Ulster Television (UTV)

Abstract

This thesis examines the effect that archival silences have had on historical narrativessurrounding Northern Ireland’s most popular television broadcaster, Ulster Television (UTV). It aims to discover what categories of archival silences are evident regarding UTV, the impact they have had on our understanding of the station’s history and whether recovery strategies used in other classes of archive could be employed to recover some of the resultant ‘missing’ knowledge.These questions are explored through six case studies, each of which aims to illuminate different aspects of the issue of silences within television archives and histories. The case studies have been constructed through analysis of contemporary media reports, regulatory archives, participant interviews and an examination of surviving visual material, some of which was thought lost for over 40 years but was rediscovered duringthis study.The thesis concludes that archival silences have had a profound impact on ourunderstanding of UTV’s history and development. They have obscured the extent of the station’s contribution to UK broadcasting and the sometimes innovative nature of its early programming. They have restricted our knowledge about how the station’s producers and policymakers addressed the issue of the Northern Irish Troubles. In addition, a significant amount of material relating to UTV’s engagement with and contribution to local popular culture has been permanently lost.The study also highlights the complex nature of the causes behind silences evident in UK television archives. While many resulted from a lack of awareness of the cultural value of television programming, it is evident that issues relating to finance, cultural legitimacy and the construction of corporate narratives also had a significant impact onhow broadcasters preserved and presented their archival material.Thesis is embargoed until 30th April 2016

Date of Award	Apr 2014
Original language	English
Sponsors	Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)
Supervisor	MARTIN MCLOONE (Supervisor) & Ciara Chambers (Supervisor)