LWT comes to an agreement with TVS to help to fill its schedules with domestically produced programming while not having to increase its budget. This helps TVS to get more of its programmes onto the ITV network.[12]
May–June – LWT's flagship Friday evening news magazine The Six O'Clock Show is briefly extended to Saturdays. However, only six episodes are broadcast.
1986
29 August – After 16 years, LWT drops its river-based logo and launches a new ident.[1]
1987
April – Greg Dyke returns to LWT after three years at TVS to replace John Birt as Director of Programmes.
28 August – LWT begins 24-hour transmissions and launches the UK's first overnight show Night Network.[13] However, it is short lived and ends on 31 March 1989.[14]
December – Thames Weekend News, which had produced LWT's Friday teatime news bulletin, is broadcast for the final time.
1988
8 January – Following concerns from the IBA over LWT's regional news output, LWT launches its own news service called LWT News. The service is outsourced and is provided by Screen News.[15]
15 July – The Six O'Clock Show is broadcast for the final time.
7 October – The Six O'Clock Show's replacement programme, Friday Now!, launches.[16]
1989
28 July – Friday Now! is broadcast for the final time. It is axed due to poor ratings.
January – Chrysalis Television takes over the contract to produce LWT News.
1991
April – LWT, in conjunction with Thames, launches a new overnight strand called ITV Night Time.[13]
16 October – LWT retains its licence. There had been one other applicant, London Independent Broadcasting. However, it was ruled out because it failed to make the quality threshold. It had bid five times more than LWT which retains the licence with a bid of £7.59 million.
1992
21 August – Six O’Clock Live is axed to make way for the forthcoming London Tonight.
4 September – LWT launches a new ident, sometimes dubbed the flying blocks ident.[1]