Sidney Bernstein, Baron Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Sidney Lewis Bernstein, Baron Bernstein (January 30, 1899 – February 5, 1993) was a British media baron who was known as the founding chairman of the London
-based Granada Group and the founder of the Manchester-based Granada Television
in 1954.
In 1954, he founded Granada Television
which was one of the original four ITA franchisees and believed "the North"'s media industry had potential to be cultivated. Granada Television eventually which became one of the most successful British production companies in history and still produces programmes in 2011 under the ITV Studios
moniker.
Although born in Essex
, Bernstein became an 'adopted northerner' and he has been considered one of Manchester's business greats by building Granada Television
which created a proud heritage of television broadcasting in Manchester
.
Bernstein had been aware of the commercial potential of television from its earliest days, but his socialist principles prevented him from questioning the BBC's monopoly. Bernstein was actually a lifelong Socialist and believed to be a Soviet informer prior to World War II
according to MI5
.
Beginning in 1948, he lobbied the government to give the cinema industry the right to produce and transmit television programmes, not to individual homes, as the BBC did, but to audiences gathered in cinemas and theatres. The London-based Granada group surprised establishment thinkers by not bidding for a lucrative contract in the affluent Southeast. Instead, Granada pursued the weekday licences centred on Manchester in the industrial North, embracing an area extending across the north of England and Wales. Granada's evidence to the Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting
in 1961 justified this decision: "The North and London were the two biggest regions. Granada preferred the North because of its tradition of home-grown culture, and because it offered a chance to start a new creative industry away from the metropolitan atmosphere of London."
To achieve his aim, Bernstein ordered the building of the United Kingdom's first television studios. Construction of Granada Studios
began in 1954. At Bernstein's behest, the Studios featured a purely decorative white, lattice tower in the form of a transmitter tower to give the studios a embellished and professional appearance. Paintings from Bernstein's art collection and portraits of showmen Edward R. Murrow
and P. T. Barnum
adorned the interior of the studios to inspire creativity among Granada employees.
Bernstein's instincts proved to be sound. Despite objections to a commercial franchise being awarded to a company with overtly left-wing leanings, Granada began broadcasting from Manchester in May 1956, proudly proclaiming its origins with the slogan "From the North" and labelling its new constituency "Granadaland". The first night's programming began, at Bernstein's insistence, with a homage to the BBC, whose public broadcasting pedigree he had always admired, and closed with a public-spirited statement of advertising policy which suggested an ambivalence about the commercial imperative to maximize profits.
As early as January 1957, Granada was responsible for the top ten programmes, by ratings, available in its region. In 1962, it became the first television outlet to screen the Beatles for the British television audience. Bernstein's company soon came to be regarded as one of the most progressive of the independent television contractors. One famous show Bernstein was not enthusiastic about was the drama-serial, Coronation Street
. Bernstein's brother Cecil felt the same and Sidney stated to that scriptwriter Tony Warren
had done "is pick up all the boring bits and strung them together one after another" upon hearing the proposal for what was then known as Florizel Street.
Nevertheless, Coronation Street was approved and soon become a popular programme. Granada garnered a penchant for high-profile current-affairs and documentary programmes, such as World in Action
, Disappearing World, and What the Papers Say
, all of which lent Granada prestige and aligned it, unmistakably, with the ideals of its founder.
as Baron Bernstein, of Leigh in the County of Kent. In the 1970s, Lord Bernstein finally relinquished stewardship of the television company and moved over to the business side of the Granada Group. He retired in 1979 and became chairman of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He was named a Fellow of the British Film Institute
and received the International Emmy Directorate Award in 1984. He died in 1993, aged 94.
Bernstein was portrayed by Steven Berkoff
in the 2010 BBC one-off drama The Road to Coronation Street
, about the creation of the famous Granada soap opera.
and Modigliani
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Granada Group and the founder of the Manchester-based Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in 1954.
In 1954, he founded Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
which was one of the original four ITA franchisees and believed "the North"'s media industry had potential to be cultivated. Granada Television eventually which became one of the most successful British production companies in history and still produces programmes in 2011 under the ITV Studios
ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a television production company owned by the British television network ITV. It not only makes programmes primarily for its parent company, but also for other networks...
moniker.
Although born in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Bernstein became an 'adopted northerner' and he has been considered one of Manchester's business greats by building Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
which created a proud heritage of television broadcasting in Manchester
Media in Manchester
Media in Manchester like music and sport has been an integral part of Mancunian culture for many generations and has been described as the only other British city to rival to London in terms of television broadcasting....
.
Biography
Bernstein left school at 15 and he gradually inherited the property portfolio his father had built.Granada Theatres
Bernstein built, with his brother Cecil, a successful circuit of some sixty cinemas and theatres, the first step in the creation of a diversified group of leisure-oriented enterprises. Some of the cinema were on property he inherited from his father. The Bernstein holdings eventually encompassed interests in publishing, real estate, motorway services, retail shops, and bowling alleys, as well as the hugely profitable television-rental business.Bernstein had been aware of the commercial potential of television from its earliest days, but his socialist principles prevented him from questioning the BBC's monopoly. Bernstein was actually a lifelong Socialist and believed to be a Soviet informer prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
according to MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
.
Beginning in 1948, he lobbied the government to give the cinema industry the right to produce and transmit television programmes, not to individual homes, as the BBC did, but to audiences gathered in cinemas and theatres. The London-based Granada group surprised establishment thinkers by not bidding for a lucrative contract in the affluent Southeast. Instead, Granada pursued the weekday licences centred on Manchester in the industrial North, embracing an area extending across the north of England and Wales. Granada's evidence to the Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting
Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting
The Pilkington Committee was set up on 13 July 1960 under the chairmanship of British industrialist Sir Harry Pilkington to consider the future of broadcasting, cable and "the possibility of television for public showing"...
in 1961 justified this decision: "The North and London were the two biggest regions. Granada preferred the North because of its tradition of home-grown culture, and because it offered a chance to start a new creative industry away from the metropolitan atmosphere of London."
Granada Television
In 1954, Bernstein won a franchise license to broadcast commercial television to the north of England including key urban areas such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield. Bernstein wanted the north of England as this would not have any detrimental affect on viewers at his theatres which were predominantly based in the south of England. Furthermore he strongly believed the north of England had a cultural heart that had potential to be cultivated which would translate itself into good television.To achieve his aim, Bernstein ordered the building of the United Kingdom's first television studios. Construction of Granada Studios
The Manchester Studios
The Manchester Studios is a television studio on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and film drama programmes. The studios have been home to Granada Television since its inception in 1954...
began in 1954. At Bernstein's behest, the Studios featured a purely decorative white, lattice tower in the form of a transmitter tower to give the studios a embellished and professional appearance. Paintings from Bernstein's art collection and portraits of showmen Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
and P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
adorned the interior of the studios to inspire creativity among Granada employees.
Bernstein's instincts proved to be sound. Despite objections to a commercial franchise being awarded to a company with overtly left-wing leanings, Granada began broadcasting from Manchester in May 1956, proudly proclaiming its origins with the slogan "From the North" and labelling its new constituency "Granadaland". The first night's programming began, at Bernstein's insistence, with a homage to the BBC, whose public broadcasting pedigree he had always admired, and closed with a public-spirited statement of advertising policy which suggested an ambivalence about the commercial imperative to maximize profits.
As early as January 1957, Granada was responsible for the top ten programmes, by ratings, available in its region. In 1962, it became the first television outlet to screen the Beatles for the British television audience. Bernstein's company soon came to be regarded as one of the most progressive of the independent television contractors. One famous show Bernstein was not enthusiastic about was the drama-serial, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. Bernstein's brother Cecil felt the same and Sidney stated to that scriptwriter Tony Warren
Tony Warren
Anthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
had done "is pick up all the boring bits and strung them together one after another" upon hearing the proposal for what was then known as Florizel Street.
Nevertheless, Coronation Street was approved and soon become a popular programme. Granada garnered a penchant for high-profile current-affairs and documentary programmes, such as World in Action
World in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
, Disappearing World, and What the Papers Say
What the Papers Say
What The Papers Say is a BBC radio programme that originally ran for many years on British television.Its first incarnation was the second longest-running programme on British television after Panorama...
, all of which lent Granada prestige and aligned it, unmistakably, with the ideals of its founder.
After Granada
In 1969 he was given a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Bernstein, of Leigh in the County of Kent. In the 1970s, Lord Bernstein finally relinquished stewardship of the television company and moved over to the business side of the Granada Group. He retired in 1979 and became chairman of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He was named a Fellow of the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
and received the International Emmy Directorate Award in 1984. He died in 1993, aged 94.
Bernstein was portrayed by Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
in the 2010 BBC one-off drama The Road to Coronation Street
The Road to Coronation Street
The Road to Coronation Street is a British drama first broadcast on BBC Four documenting the journey of Coronation Street, the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in December 1960...
, about the creation of the famous Granada soap opera.
Personal life
Bernstein was an keen art collector and paintings from his collection adorned the walls of the Granada Studios. On his death in 1993, he bequeathed part of his collection to the Manchester Art Gallery which included works by ChagallMarc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
and Modigliani
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form...
.
Filmography
- RopeRope (film)Rope is a 1948 American thriller film based on the play Rope by Patrick Hamilton and adapted by Hume Cronyn and Arthur Laurents, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Sidney Bernstein and Hitchcock as the first of their Transatlantic Pictures productions...
(1948) (producer, uncredited), directed by Alfred Hitchcock - Under CapricornUnder CapricornUnder Capricorn is an Alfred Hitchcock historical feature film.-Production:The film is based on the novel Under Capricorn by Helen Simpson, with screenplay by James Bridie, and adaptation by Hume Cronyn. The movie was co-produced by Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein for their short-lived production...
(1949) (producer, uncredited), directed by Alfred Hitchcock - Memories of the Camps (1985) TV Episode (executive producer)
- Frontline (executive producer) (1 episode, 1985)