Illuminated ticker-tape displays on large buildings which carried news headlines and weather forecasts. The signs are operated mechanically – see the beginning of this documentary:
1928 – 1994: Motograph News Zipper, Times Square, New York (more information)
?date: Display Signs Limited operate newscasters in Bullring, Birmingham and Piccadilly, Manchester. These are bought out by Thomson Newscasters Ltd in 1966.
8 June 1966: Thomson Newscasters switch on their first newscaster in London’s Piccadilly Circus. “Headline News bulletins will be flashed and interspersed with advertising in four colours” (Lancashire Telegraph, 15 June 1966). There are 14,000 lights, coloured red, green, yellow and white. (The Times, 16 June 1966)
The 66 feet long sign was on the top of the Criterion Building, 60 feet above street level, and suffered some gremlins on opening night when the documentary crew filming the above about Lord Thomson confused the engineers operating the mechanism resulting in overlapping text and a blank sign.
Advertisers paid £10,000 ($30,000) per year for a 15 second spot every 8 minutes. Shorter spots cost less.
Bristol Hippodrome Newscaster, seen in 1978 (photo courtesy of Mike Lidgley)
December 1966 – 1989: Bristol Hippodrome (operated by Inter City Newscasters Ltd)
1995 (TBC) Samsung neon sign at Piccadilly circus has a newscaster built-in (from Newcastle Journal, 30 August 1995)
RESEARCH ONGOING
- See also Neon Signs (PAGE COMING SOON)
First published 28 December 2024
Updated 11 August 2025