BBC North East & Cumbria began television broadcasting on Monday 5 January 1959, following the separation of the region from the
Manchester-based
BBC North. Up until that point, the Manchester-based operation had been serving the entire North of England with nightly news bulletins. The new service from Newcastle introduced localised bulletins, read originally by George House and Tom Kilgour. By 1962, the bulletins became a 20-minute magazine programme called
Home at Six, presented by
Frank Bough. With the launch of BBC Local Radio Stations, BBC Radio Durham was created at Neville's Cross, but later transferred across the Pennines to become BBC Radio Carlisle/Cumbria. Then followed the establishment of BBC Radio Teesside (later BBC Radio Cleveland and now BBC Radio Tees) in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough from New Year's Day 1971. It was followed the next day by BBC Radio Newcastle at Crestina House, Archbold Terrace, Jesmond, managed by Richard Kelly and Programme Organiser Ted Gorton, with News Editor Mike Nally and Station Engineer Don Gill, operations later to be merged with new BBC headquarters known as the Pink Palace in Spital Tongues. Prior to this, at Broadcasting House at New Bridge Street. The arrival of former Tyne Tees Television presenter
Mike Neville coincided with a relaunch as
Look North. In 1986, transmissions from the
Caldbeck transmitter, to the majority of
Cumbria, were transferred from
BBC North East to
BBC North West, as it was believed the area would be served better from
Manchester. However, following complaints from local viewers, the transmitter was transferred back to
BBC North East in 1990. In 1990,
BBC North,
BBC North West and
BBC North East were merged to form one large region, named
BBC North. As a result, all managerial and administrative posts from the three regions were merged to form one, allowing cost savings to the corporation. As part of this, each region's programming remained the same; however the region identified itself on-screen as BBC North with all its programmes being
BBC North productions. This remained until 1996, when the regions were separated. The region was renamed
BBC North East & Cumbria in 1997, coinciding with the adoption of the new
BBC logo and the
new BBC One ident package. The on-screen name was adapted slightly to
BBC NE & Cumbria in 2002, following the adoption of the
Dancer idents for
BBC One, as the regional name needed to fit inside the box logo. On the next batch of new "circle" idents the full North East and Cumbria name was used. ==Studios==