Myths about news programmes 

ITV pioneered ‘Tonight’ and ‘Panorama’, the popular current affairs programmes

Myth Source: The Guardian

The BBC created ‘Tonight’ to fill the ‘Toddlers Truce’. The BBC also created ‘Panorama’, presented by Richard Dimbleby. ITV responded to Panorama with Associated-Rediffusion’s ‘This Week’.

Although BBC-TV and ITN broke into regular programmes on 22 November 1963 to announce that President Kennedy had been shot, the two networks stopped their own coverage shortly thereafter to rebroadcast via satellite non-stop coverage of the assassination

Myth Source: Urban myth

There was no way either network could have done that. At the time, there was no television broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit over the North Atlantic.

Early satellites could broadcast between the US and the UK for only about fifteen minutes at a time once every hour and a half.

ATV’s early local news programme was called “Midlands Montage”.

Myth Source: Internet myth

“Midlands Montage” was the name of ATV’s final opening tune. “Midland Montage” (singular) was the name of the local news programme.

ITN dropped “Non Stop”, its theme music used from 1955 in 1982 because it was considered “too jocular” during the Falklands Conflict.

Myth Source: Urban myth

ITN dropped “Non Stop” during the latter stages of the Falklands war, but the replacement of the tune by the ITN News at 545 theme had been planned for some time and was unrelated to the conflict. “Non Stop” was not considered “too jocular” until very recently.