Ginger peachy goodbye from Grampian TV.. STATION PULLS THE PLUG ON NAME AFTER 45 YEARS OF BROADCASTING.

Byline: By Brian McIver

FOR more than a million Scots, it was the Saltire-crested channel that was a friendly presence in their living rooms for generations.

But after almost 45 years of broadcasting to the north-east of Scotland, the distinctive identity of Grampian TV is about to disappear for ever.

Owners SMG have announced that the Aberdeen-based channel's identity and branding is to be merged with its southern sister station, Scottish TV, under the combined name of STV.

The Scottish media giants have insisted that the station will maintain its regional news and programming output, but local broadcasters and politicians have expressed concern that, without its own identity, the station will lose its distinct identity.

The move, which will take place later this year, follows the merger between the two stations in 1997 as part of Scottish Media Group (SMG).

Both Grampian's North Tonight and Scottish's Scotland Today news shows will remain unaffected, as will the channels' licence and regional obligations.

But although bosses at the channel insist it is only the brand that is being changed, the famous Grampian name has been an institution in Scotland for decades.

National TV stars like Selina Scott and Newsnight Scotland's Anne McKenzie got their start in Aberdeen, while personalities like Real Radio DJ Robin Galloway and Tory MSP Ted Brocklebank also worked there.

And announcer David Bennett's catchphrase of "Have a ginger peachy good night"was a favourite.

The channel, which covers Dundee and all points north, is still the biggest ITV region in the country in terms of coverage area, transmitting to 1.1million people.

It began life on September 30, 1961, in a converted tram depot ware-house, when the consortium North of Scotland TV won the franchise handed out by the Independent Television Authority for that area.

The name North of Scotland TV was quickly changed to Grampian, and the famous Saltire logo was adopted.

After some teething problems, the programming took off after a year on air and it very quickly became the most popular channel among viewers in the area, with flagship news programme North Tonight a hit.

The station led the way in broadcasting technology as the first ITV station to use Electronic News Gathering (ENG), by switching from film to video for news reports, and Selina Scott famously made the first video report from an oil rig in 1979.

Other institutions on the channel included presenter Jimmy Spankie and Bennett.

Former news presenter and host of ratings hit quiz show Top Club, Frank Gilfeather, said he was sad that the north was losing such an important part of its identity.

He said: "Grampian TV has always been a very important part of life in the north-east and has really led the way as an excellent example of what a regional ITV station should be like.

"The programming was very suited to what the local viewers wanted and we had excellent ratings.

"My show Top Club was the most watched regional light entertainment programme in the ITV network in terms of audience share, with 43-46 per cent watching us for nine series.

"And North Tonight was much more popular than BBC's Reporting Scotland every time, and there were also hit programmes like Johnnie Beattie's Welcome to the Ceilidh.

"I think the news about the name is sad but it has been going that way since the takeover."

Conservative MSP Ted Brocklebank was head of news and current affairs at the station, where he worked for 25 years.

He added: "From my viewpoint, this is an enormously sad day in the history of television in Scotland.

"It may be seen as a rebranding exercise but they have now finally stripped Grampian of its last asset, its name.

"What was Grampian will now be seen as just an Aberdeen office of a Glasgow-based TV company."

Executives at SMG Broadcasting insist that the new name for both channels will not mean a reduction in local identity.

Bobby Hain, managing director of Broadcasting SMG Television said:

"We are creating a broadcasting business for Scotland, which is a very exciting prospect for both us and our viewers.

"The television landscape is changing and it's essential that we adapt to effectively compete in a multi-channel environment.

"This is the right time to do this and move forward to digital switchover in 2010."

Last night, Derrick Thomson, managing director of Grampian TV, said: "The important point to note is that this is a change to our name, nothing else.

"The only difference viewers will notice is that our on-screen and online identity will become STV.

"There will absolutely be no reduction in quality or quantity of regional production coming from the Grampian region."

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LAUNCHPAD: Selina Scott was among the stars who started their careers in the Grampian studios' INSTITUTION: Jimmy Spankie