as citv see citv disambiguation . children s itv launched 3 january 1983 1983 01 03 block as children s itv 11 march 2006 2006 03 11 channel network itv owned by itv digital channels ltd itv plc picture format 576i 4 3 16 9 sdtv audience share 0.24 % citv channel october 2015 2015 10 barb country united kingdom sister channel s itv itv2 itv3 itv4 itvbe itv encore the store website itv.com citv availability terrestrial itv breakfast block channel 3 103 all platforms freeview channel 795 122 satellite freesat channel 602 sky uk only channel 621 astra 2e 10758 v 22000 5 6 cable virgin media channel 734 wightfibre channel 103 streaming media itv hub catch up uk only sky go watch live uk and ireland only virgin tv anywhere watch live uk only citv short for children s itv is a british children s television channel from itv digital channels ltd a division of itv plc. it broadcasts content from the citv archive and acquisitions every day from 6am to 9pm which was previously 6am to 6pm until 21 february 2016 although freeview viewers still close at 6pm in an attempt to compete with cbbc . 1 it is also the title of a programming block on the itv network at weekends . 2 children s itv launched on 3 january 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the itv network . notes 1 it replaced the earlier watch it branding and introduced networked in vision continuity links between programmes . these links were originally pre recorded from a small london studio up until 1987 when central won the contract to produce live links from their birmingham studios . in 2004 presentation of citv was relocated to granada television in manchester which saw the demise of in vision continuity . nine years later operations moved to itv granada s mediacityuk studios in salford . in 2006 citv launched as a channel in its own right . the citv channel averages around 100 000 viewers between 4pm 6pm every day . the citv strand on the itv network airs on weekend mornings from 6am to 9 25am as part of the itv breakfast time slot . citation needed contents 1 history 1.1 watch it and children s itv early years 1980 1989 1.2 the stonewall productions era 1989 1991 1.3 central regains control 1991 2000 1.4 cutbacks 2001 2008 1.5 increase in budget 2009 present 2 citv channel 3 programming 3.1 mini citv 4 share a story 5 presenters 5.1 in vision presenters 5.2 out of vision announcers 5.3 monthly presenters 5.4 relief presenters 6 ratings 7 footnotes 8 references 9 external links history edit watch it and children s itv early years 1980 1989 edit before being known as children s itv the timeslot for children s programmes on the itv network was briefly branded as watch it . the watch it brand started on 29 december 1980 3 and was presented live by the duty continuity announcer in each itv region . the notion of networking children s continuity was first suggested within itv as far back as the early 1970s but with fierce regional identities prevalent including scheduling presentation and programming the idea stalled until the late 1970s when the iba began to express concern that most itv shows for children were not consistent or fully networked . on many occasions the itv regions were able to broadcast whatever programmes they wished ; many non children s programmes appeared such as little house on the prairie . in december 1980 itv announced its first concerted effort at a more coherent approach to children s output with the introduction of watch it each weekday from 4.15 pm to 5.15 pm after the iba continued to emphasized issues . 4 watch it was conceived by the promotions department at atv with the implementation of the branding differed from region to region thus it was always transmitted locally and never provided on a network basis . atv provide different animations each season to freshen up what was available to each company . most regions including southern tvs and granada would use their own station announcers during watch it airtime . shortly after the start of new franchises in 1982 some itv stations raised concerns that watch it had not gone far enough to address previous concerns . 5 central s controller of children s programmes lewis rudd suggested a different approach to the presentation method . as a result the central promotions department came up with the initial concept for children s itv . the new look was devised and links between programmes were pre recorded using presenters drawn from the constituent programmes . the networking arrangements were similar to those already in place for the transmission of schools programmes the links were played out from central and the component programmes came from the supplying companies . 6 children s itv went to air on monday 3 january 1983 7 between 4pm and 5.15 pm each weekday afternoon the extra fifteen minutes being filled by a repeat of one of the pre school programmes shown at lunchtime the same day . initially featuring a different presenter each month usually from children s television the links were pre recorded in advance in a small studio at a london facility called molinare using a single locked off camera . the first set design was a rocket ship and was used for the first few months . the concept was eventually retired and the set and style of presentation used began to reflect the artist presenting that month or the programme that he she fronted . by 1984 the links were still being recorded but using a common stylized set known as network control . the exterior of this fictitious location also featured in the animations and stings . technical considerations often left the system flawed . with each programme coming from a different playout source usually from that of the originating itv company and each link being pre recorded played out by central things often went wrong on air programmes would be rolled early and the links would be cut short . programmes would also fail to appear and the presenter would be left on screen . because each link was recorded for the slot available the presenter would hold the final pose for a few moments so that the transmission controller at central had something to leave on screen just in case . pre recording the links also meant that late schedule changes could not be easily referenced . in september 1985 the bbc revamped their own children s presentation with the introduction of children s bbc . using the bbc1 announcer booth at bbc television centre later dubbed the broom cupboard phillip schofield provided links between the programmes . this format of a small self op continuity studio using one single presenter and an occasional puppet continued in largely the same format until 1993 but was broadcast live and allowed for a looser more relaxed style of presentation than the rival itv service . 8 children s itv went live two years later . using the small presentation studio at their broad street studios which had become available since in vision continuity for the central region was dropped former central announcer gary terzza and debbie shore presented live links from a large set built to look like a transmitting station . although the studio space was small the designers use of a plate glass mirror gave the effect of a much larger set . the new live format gave brought a great deal of flexibility ; timings could be altered schedule changes reflected and breakdowns dealt with in a continuous manner . in 1988 the format was refreshed again with a new single presenter mark granger replacing terzza and shore in a smaller more basic studio set which included in vision monitors showing the vt clock of the next scheduled item . the stonewall productions era 1989 1991 edit from 3 april 1989 the independent production company stonewall productions won the contract to produce children s itv presentation . stonewall productions was headed up by michael jackson a central staffer who used his expertise to prepare a suitable application . whereas central had restricted links to the station s former in vision presentation studio stonewall chose not to use a fixed set but instead presented links from various areas of central s headquarters at broad street in birmingham utilising a rotating team of presenters which included clive warren now a dj jeanne downs a singer jerry foulkes a producer who left children s itv on 22 december 1989 and a large puppet dog called scally . 6 central regains control 1991 2000 edit citv logo 1998 2006 central won back the contract to produce the continuity links from 1 april 1991 choosing to revert links back to a small in vision studio and using one regular presenter tommy boyd . during the 1991 93 era greater importance was being placed throughout television on promotions trailers as a way of effectively detailing areas of the schedule to viewers who might not know about them . the 1993 invitation to tender for the provision of the children s itv service specified a minimum number of high quality trailers that the successful applicant must produce over the term of the contract . with a large promotions department and a strong highly credible reputation for presentation within the itv network the contract remained with central . in february 1993 in vision presentation was dropped by the first network centre controller of children s & daytime programming dawn airey a former central management trainee with steven ryde providing live out of vision continuity links featuring a wide variety of animated characters . on 6 september 1993 citv was extended to start at 3.30 pm when itv network centre decided to move the pre school children slot from 12.10 pm to be branded under the citv in the afternoon slot . around the same time the children s itv name was changed to citv having been used in some form or another since the previous year . however the children s was not removed from the logo until monday 2 september 1996 the same month a digital on screen graphic dog was introduced . presentation for the service was moved in 1997 when central moved into new smaller studios at gas street studios in birmingham which continued until monday 25 may 1998 when a new in vision service was introduced by the new controller of itv children s output nigel pickard . steven ryde became a producer with stephen mulhern and danielle nicholls becoming the new presentation team . a new logo was introduced with traces predecessors and henceforth the service was referred to as citv until the 2006 re brand initially being broadcast from studio b at central s gas street studios . central retained the contact to produce citv for a further two years seeing off two rival bids from other itv companies . 9 shortly after launch citv started sharing studio space with the west midlands edition of central news in september 1999 allowing room for a large stylised set created by a company called dorans propmakers . the main studio for central news west had previously been used for live music performances during citv . cutbacks 2001 2008 edit first citv channel logo 2006 2009 during 2001 citv s budget was cut by 17 % due to the advertising recession leading to citv s controller janie grace publicly criticising carlton and granada television then the main controlling forces in the network for underinvestment in itv s children s service . 10 grace went even further and complained to the regulator itc claiming citv was unlikely to fulfil its range of programming commitments in the following year . grace also sought support from the itc for the creation of a