Originally published in New Zealand TV Weekly, June 6 1966.
AUCKLAND
Fashion designer Joan Talbot feeling delighted since Border Television filmed the New Zealand Wool Board’s fashion parade staged for the Queen Mother in Wellington; Of the 10 gar- ments shown, Joan designed five. Millions of viewers will see the show in Britain ..... Max Cryer, folded his six-foot-four on to a tall stool to read Ogden Nash’s witty verses written for Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, which the Auckland Junior Symphony Orchestra presented at the Auckland Festival opening . . . . Cherry Raymond doing her usual relaxed, professional job on the nightly Auckland Festival Review. . . . TV personalities gave the Festival plenty of private support with interviewer Dion Minhinnick at the "Living With Flowers" preview, interviewer Judy Les-sing at the Raymond Boyce Theatre Design exhibition and reporter Colin Hill, of Town and Around, at the Thanksgiving Service in St Mary’s Cathedral Nyree Dawn Porter’s excellent performance in Madame Bovary should raise her acting status enormously. But why, oh why, did she change the spelling of her name? Ngaio Marsh didn’t! ..... Rumoured that an Auckland interior decorating expert is angling for her own TV session a la Alison Holst ..... Reported that a series of operations filmed in a local hospital will be scheduled for late viewing to avoid offending the squeamish ..... Those who’ve read Ruth Park and Darcy Niland’s story of their hilarious marriage, The Drums Go Bang, will recall Darcy’s brother, Gus, better known as interviewer Bill Niland, formerly Auckland Star shipping reporter ..... Reported that Rae Pritchard, doing such a splendid job on This Week In Britain, has cancelled return plans and will stay in London indefinitely although she originally planned only a seven months’ absence from Enzed.
WELLINGTON
While producer Kevan Moore was in Auckland doing a fortnight’s stint on AKTV2’s Town and Around, Brian Bell and even chief producer Alan Martin had to fill the gap in Wellington. Isn’t it time NZBC stopped working its producers into the ground? . . . . . NZBC put on an impressive show filming the Labour Party conference this year. Political scientists Austin Mitchell and Robert Chapman, David Delany, Nigel Bingham, plus sundry cameramen and technicians, were on hand to catch all the political pearls of wisdom ...... It took a couple of days, though, to organise proper daily filmed bulletins for television. Nobody had thought of the daily requirements! ..... By the third day, with newsman David Inglis supplying the continuity, coverage was excellent. But why couldn’t a couple of live telecasts have been slipped in during the week? People around Wellington are asking why Ian Johnstone is being seen so seldom on screen these days . . . . Alex McDowell is kicking around some ideas for more programmes similar to his long interview with Ngaio Marsh. With a bit of luck, he may get the go-ahead.
CHRISTCHURCH
That NZBC disease, “repeatitis,” is beginning to assume almost epidemic proportions, with the scourge hitting CHTV3 and AKTV2 worst, if a recent four-week survey is correct. Over that period Christchurch Viewers were treated to 19 repeat programmes. Auckland was at the top of the poll with 22 repeats. Dunedin got off with 16 and Wellington, where four of the seven corporation members most probably do their viewing, was let off with five! ..... The Avengers is making enemies in Christchurch. The Christchurch Competitions Society blamed this popular Wednesday night thriller for a marked drop in attendances during its recent festival. Canterbury University students, too, had only an average audience on the Wednesday night session of the annual Capping Revue and played to packed houses for the rest of the season. Cinema managers also suffer on Wednesdays. Seems there are folk who will be pleased to see the last of Steed and Emma ...... Who sold that TV enjoys a captive audience? The Christchurch City Council's Waterworks Department, has figures (in gallons) to prove the point! Christchurch’s artesian water has to be pumped up to the taps and “you know-whats,” and demand fluctuations are instantly recorded. The department has found water consumption soars for short intervals on advertising nights and exactly at the times when the commercials come on. Could be that advertisers will have a second look at this idea of lumping several adverts together. After all there’s not much future in parading the wares in front of empty chairs.
DUNEDIN
This week’s notes from DNTV2 are mainly concerned with comings and goings ..... Brian Ault, new TV sports producer, comes to DNTV2 with a wealth of overseas experience. Hailing from Rhodesia, where he worked in television in both Bulawayo and Salisbury (work which included local productions with Chet Atkins, Floyd Kramer and the late Jim Reeves), Brian broadened his TV horizons in both Canada and Australia before coming to New Zealand Ross Fenton’s official farewell before leaving for his new post at Tokoroa started like any other official farewell, with the usual formal staff presentation and all. Then the sales and advertising staff added a special gift of their own-an electric timber saw to cut down trees in Tokoroa, a package of sawdust and a parcel of wood chips! ..... For the first time, DNTV2 has two people working on sets and general design. Veteran Jim Paton now has Kevin Robinson to assist ..... Bernadette Close, new script assistant to producer Chris Thomson, is a sister of the disabled priest Father Close, who made such an impact here when he appeared on television ..... Ex-DNTV2-director Charles de Heck, after holidaying for three weeks in Fiji, has joined the staff of Channel 10, Sydney Bruce Clark, formerly a TV presentation officer, has departed to Wellington where he is now assistant manager for professional theatre.
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