BBC Ceefax, the world’s first teletext service, has shut down as part of the UK analogue signal termination today.
Ceefax was launched on 23 September 1974 to give BBC viewers the chance to check the latest news headlines, sports scores, weather forecast or TV listings – in a pre-internet era where the only alternative was to read a newspaper or wait for the next TV or radio bulletin to be aired.
Its premise was to give viewers free access to the same information that was coming into the BBC newsroom, as soon as the BBC’s journalists had received it.
Ceefax was switched off in the majority of the UK earlier in the year, but will end completely on Wednesday.
Its audience peaked in the 1990s when it had 20 million viewers who checked the service at least once a week. Since the launch of the National Lottery in 1994, dozens of jackpot winners have revealed that they first learned their life had been changed when they checked their numbers on Ceefax.
But the launch of the UK’s TV digital signal, and the announcement that the analogue TV signal would disappear in a staged switch-off over five years, meant a slow withdrawal of Ceefax, ending with the final broadcast in Northern Ireland.
BBC Northern Ireland and UTV are to screen a simulcast reviewing the era of analogue TV, and then Dame Mary Peters – 1972 Olympic gold medallist in the pentathlon – will press the button to change the television landscape.
Viewers who check Ceefax during the evening will see a special graphics countdown on page 100.
The final image posted on the pixelated news service now bears the message: “1974-2012. Thanks for watching”. This page will switch off in Northern Ireland at midnight.
It was the world’s first Teletext news service but is now consigned to history, as people get the majority of their news, sport, weather and other information from the internet.
Founder Chrissie Maher said: “Ceefax helped everyday people with everyday words and I will be giving it a Chrissie Maher Award for its 30 years of commitment to using plain English. It was my first port of call.”
She added: “It helped the public keep in touch with world affairs and everyday information with its crystal-clear communications. I will miss its clarity.”
Steve Herrmann, editor of the BBC News website, said in response: “Throughout its distinguished years of service to audiences, Ceefax has always aimed to provide news which is clear, concise and simply expressed.
“It is an honour for us to receive this lifetime achievement award, and it stands as a tribute to all the journalists who have worked on the service over the years, and the care they have taken in writing every story.”
The BBC has put together a video showcasing the history of Ceefax, including a range of archive screen shots from the famous service.
Watch a BBC interview discussing the closedown with Ceefax journalist William Gallagher below:
