I will not purchase ANY product or service advertised on the UKTV network until the History programming is fully restored to Freeview users. I urge other users of this board to follow the same policy and to make it known to the arrogant schedulers who figure that we will, sooner or later, stop complaining and learn to love the puppet shows and old comedy repeats now provided in place of intelligent viewing.

Well good for you. Becuase you know how much effect this will have? Absolutely no effect whatsoever.

Your 1 person - UKTV's combined audience probably runs up to the thousands. It's laughable that you actually think this idea will work.

Perhaps you struggle with basic concepts? In a democratic nation, an individual is allowed to have an opinion and to suggest effective action to others who share his views. You have contributed nothing to this debate except snide remarks that are calculated to personally attack other posters. You don't seem to have any interest in the content of UKTV History and only snipe at those who do. What do you think you are achieving?

By the way, that is a rhetorical question. As your answer will undoubtedly be pointless and 'below the belt', I choose to ignore you.

To intelligent users, I repeat my earlier statement - I will not be purchasing ANY of the goods or services advertised on the UKTV network until Freeview users are once again, allowed access to the full schedule of UKTV History. I urge others who share my sentiments to do likewise.

Dr Renfield, I agree with your idea in principal but it is difficult to do it if you cannot view the channel, you cannot know who is advertising during those lost hours! Extending this idea, by the very fact that I cannot view, means the UKTV History's advertisers have lost a viewer to influence/beguile with their products. Add in the many thousands who have lost in the same situation, can the advertisers be very kappy with the situation? I think not!

Don't forget, UKTV has a number of channels - thus dissatisfied viewers who return home from work to find a dead UKTV History slot still have the option of shunning products and services advertised in those quarters.

You are certainly correct to point out that many thousands of viewers have simply been lost and thus will not even be aware of goods or services advertised by UKTV.

Even though the quality of the programming on UKTV History was sometimes less than idea and often 'off topic' (not to mention heavily repeated), UKTV had a loyal and appreciative band of viewers who were undoubtedly enthusiastic enough to introduce like-minded people to the channel. UKTV wiped out all those plus points at a stroke by opting to court 'floating' viewers instead.

Time and time again, it has been shown that even a relatively small audience of dedicated viewers can be more productive to a network than apparently larger numbers of casual viewers. UKTV History was obviously truncated by executives who are unaware of that historical lesson.

You are quite right in what you say but with due respect, I think you are confusing UKTV as a whole with UKTV History. The fact is that the Freeview viewer and there are many more coming on line as the digital switchover starts to bite, only has the UKTV History channel available from the UKTV stable of channels - we don't even get Gold on Freeview without having to pay for a Top Up! Therefore, the advertisers are going to miss out on a larger section of the viewing public over the coming few years as terrestrial is switched off.

Sadly, the odious 'Dave' Channel is available on Freeview too. As far as I know, UKTV is not a collection of independent channels - it is a network which is largely owned by the BBC (yes, the public service provider that takes our license money).

UKTV History was the prime reason I bought a Freeview box - at the moment it is difficult to think of any other channel on that system which consistently provides the same kind of programmes. On the other hand, 'Dave' is just one of many comedy/light entertainment channels - it meets a 'need' that is already amply catered for, yet simultaneously deprives an awful lot of Freeview users of the one history channel that was available to them.

UKTV lost money through its inept organisation of 'Bright Ideas', then (as it grasped for a quick ratings 'fix') took away half of the History schedule to make 'Dave' possible, so it is necessary to see the entire network as a single entity. Hence my suggestion that unhappy UKTV History viewers should steadfastly decline to buy goods or services advertised on ANY UKTV channel.

I wonder does this solve the situation

I have every sympathy with the complaints about the sacrificing of intelligent programming for dumbed down alternatives.

Unfortunately we are living in a time when the bright young things we are trying to reason with have a severe deficiency - like many young things who don't care to look at what the past can teach them, they all know the price of everything and the valus of nothing!

I too just bought a Freeview box, but found no programmes in the evening, only a page saying "Retune from Ch 19 to 12 and Start at 6am".
What I don't understand is why they are not broadcasting it when the listings show programmes should be running on Ch12"

In principle I agree!

But it would take a major campaign of pressure applied to arrogant schedulers (who can't seem to educate their announcers to realise that 6pm is now the finish time!) to make it wor!

Try other history websites too?

Sheesh, not again!

UKTV History timeshares with another channel on Freeview, which is why it only runs between 6am and 6pm on that platform. It broadcasts past 6pm on satellite and cable.

Good luck to all those who want to start a campaign to get UK TV History to change their mind about this. It will be doomed to failure like all the others.

The other thing is that it's replacement Dave is also heavily repeated. In fact probably more heavily than UKTV History. Dave must now be losing viewers since anyone who wants to watch something on Dave will soon discover that they watched it many times before (Today's QI was shown a few weeks ago IIRC) So I'm afraid that the entire UKTV Network have shown themselves in their true light. There is no new programming, just continuous repeats of the same old shows. Hopefully UKTV sort themselves out and get UKTV History back where it should be.

I queried fact that UK TV History does not broadcast on Freeview in the evening, through the Contact Us page, and I received this HOPEFUL reply. So it may be worth a polite e-mail..........

UKTV
The interaction ID for this email is 2221

Dear Sal,

Thank you for your email.

UKTV History’s broadcast hours on Freeview have changed to 7am-6pm on Channel 12.

This is to make way for a new entertainment channel on Channel 19 called “Dave.” This new channel broadcasts from 7am-3am and replaces UKTV Bright Ideas on Channel 19. UKTV History continues to broadcast after 6pm on Sky and Virgin TV.

The reason we have had to cut the History schedule is because UKTV only have a certain number of hours available to broadcast on Freeview. Previously, UKTV Bright Ideas broadcast from 7am-6pm, which allowed History to broadcast all day. But because we wanted Dave to broadcast all day, we have had to sacrifice the peak time of History. It is essentially due to our contract with Freeview.

We are making efforts to restore the UKTV History evening schedule to Freeview homes and hope to reinstate it soon. We acknowledge your concern and are keeping all comments relating to the changes to UKTV History on Freeview.

Kind regards

The UKTV Team

uktv.co.uk

"We are making efforts to restore the UKTV History evening schedule to Freeview homes and hope to reinstate it soon. We acknowledge your concern and are keeping all comments relating to the changes to UKTV History on Freeview."

I will believe that when I actually SEE it!!!

is the lack of evening transmission throughout the UK as i believe i was viewing the uktv history channel in Somerset just 2 weeks ago but when i returned to Kent was unable to view after 18:00hrs.
ChrisL97372

UKTV History stops at 6pm on Freeview. It continues until closedown on all other channels.

history should be aval all hours for freeview,
dave is rubbish,
uktv should value our intelligence more
why should i buy cable or sat?
i buy a licence and uktv is part bbc,
come on uktv reinstate history on freeview all hours...