Originally published in the New Zealand TV Weekly, June 13, 1966
AUCKLAND
Announcer Merv Smith is a committee member of the Messages From Home Tape Transcription Society which records greetings between our servicemen overseas and their families here.... Oldsters would recognise the face at Patrick O’Hagan’s shoulder when the Irish tenor stepped off the plane at Wellington into the camera’s eye. It was John Reidy, veteran of the famous wartime Kiwi Concert Party ..... English film director Richard Powell, on his way home after finishing They’re A Weird Mob in Sydney, proved so dynamic a personality that he almost ended up interviewing Colin Hill instead of vice versa ...... Barbara Magner, never wholly at home announcing, seems to have found her niche as a Town and Around interviewer, notable for a particularly pleasant voice..... The TV camera treats many women less than kindly, particularly Cherry Raymond who, on some of her Auckland Festival programmes, looked positively gaunt, especially when interviewing theatre producer Roy Hope and Samoans demonstrating Polynesian crafts at the Museum.... Such a solemn occasion as King Koroki’s death with all its traditional ritual would overawe most Kiwis never mind abroad, but Englishman David Scott seemed a little too brusque and businesslike when interviewing Mr M. Jones, a prominent elder, at Turangawaewae Pa ...... Keith Bracey proved himself a good sport decked out in the latest mod gear and strid- ing along Albert street for Town and Around
Wellington
Faces that became familiar to Wellington viewers in the first days of the channel have faded from the scene. Bill Leathwick, who was equally versatile as newsreader, continuity man, or breakfast session compere on ZZB, is now in Auckland as assistant district announcer in charge-a mighty fine title. Maurice Rossiter, another well known newsreader is on leave for nine months. Peter Brian, though still in Wellington, is now head announcer, and administration work ties him down. Peter did some of the first telecasts from Wellington’s O.B. Van when that was still a fairly new toy. Rory O’Dowd, who used to do the weather forecasts with his own special touch of whimsicality, has gone to Napier as chief announcer. Thank goodness, Relda, Rosalind, and the rest of the girls are still with us ..... The Director General, Mr Gilbert Stringer, was also on the move-on another of his frequent overseas trips. He attended an Asian Editors’ conference. in Bangkok. This left no one in doubt on who is the top editor in the NZBC..... Television coverage of the general election is giving headaches to the NZBC chiefs. They’ve had some preliminary skirmishes with the politicos. But chairman Charles McFarlane is still non-committal on plans ...... Charles Martin, popular as one of the best sportscasters Wellington has had, now assistant supervisor of sports broadcasts, is engaged to Valerie Lyell, of the recording centre in head office, Wellington.
CHRISTCHURCH
TV could whip up interest in this year’s General Election, but it will demand high standards in candidates, and men of greater depth, less sensationalism and more purpose,
well-known Christchurch lawyer Mr W. R. Lascelles, who is also chairman of the NZBC’s Southern Regional Programme Advisory Committee, told the Canterbury division of the NZ. Institute of Management ...... Mr Lascelles also revealed: The committee has had a complaint from high places
on the rawness of some material shown at family viewing times. Passion, almost to the point of prurience in some films rightly drew criticism as going too far.... Seems Christchurch golfers, as well as others, are not going to see the now-more-than-a-year-old Bob Charles-Bruce Devlin CBS Match Play Classic win in which they beat Tony Lcma and Bobby Nichols. The NZBC should have bought this one, but has evidently slipped up ...... On the same subject: World Series of Golf is a poor imitation of last year’s viewer-appealing Challenge Golf.... Channel 3 added some real meat to otherwise mediocre menus when it served up The Trial of Nuremburg, the Ho Chi Minh interview, and the Yachtsman of the Year David Lewis feature, to say nothing of War and Peace within the space of about eight days. ..... Pertinent question: Will Channel 3’s Friday night feature films be of the standard set by the Lindberg story? ..... Could be that the Christchurch newsroom, which is already providing a pretty good service, will be spreading its wings even further in the near future as a result of recent happenings????
DUNEDIN
Linda McDougall, producer of Here's How, Clickety Click 66, Police Five and most of DNTV2’s local junior programmes has been transferred to CHTV3. Dunedin will miss her, since she has brought considerable production credit to the southernmost station. Pat Wells, also of 66 Clicketty Click, is on her way too-but even farther afield. Pat is off to Australia.... DNTV2 is out-growing itself and now operates from four different buildings around the city. Presentation people are housed in Cromwell Chambers, opposite the Dowling street studios. The Operational Department is in Otago House, and TV advertising has its headquarters in the National Insurance Building. These scattered offices are just enough apart to be too near to take a bus or taxi, but too far for tired feet in a hurry.... Graham Kerr had words of warm praise for Dunedin’s Alison Holst of Here's How. Said Graham, Alison has no equal as a demonstrator either in New Zealand or Australia.
A nice compliment. . . . . With John Blumsky northbound, and probably Ray Schofield too, DNTV2 viewers will be seeing some new faces behind the news desk. These two have been DNTVZ’s most constant newsreaders for so long, it will be hard to realise one is tuned in to the same station.... Continuity announcer Judy Pate became engaged to Laurie Bryant on the night of the Press-Broadcasting Ball.
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