From the New Zealand TV Weekly. 29 May, 1967
Auckland
Must sports coverage always be stolid and straightforward? Answer is in the negative as Bryan Eastern has shown with his handling of Sportsroom. At one time it was not much more than a rather drab and unimaginative string of interviews, but Bryan has pepped it up into a lively and crisp asset to the evening. Short cuts, often with a novelty angle, and new ideas in presentation have done the job. Hope it doesn't drop back now that Bryan has headed back to his first baby, Town and Around. . . . . Auckland Arts Festival is having to get along without Cherry Raymond's customary commentaries. She is across the Tasman on a writing and TV assignment. . . . . Rae Pritchlard back home again after This Week in Britain (she took over from sister Noeline) and commercial experience, says that Kiwi voices go well on commercials in the U.K. Seems it is a nice intermediate sort of accent which everyone can understand. Wonder how they'd take Barry Crump's Urewera drawl? . . . . Onetime Aucklander, Ewen Solon, has had a good break. Following his lengthy run as Maigret's offsider, he has now copped a starring role in the BBC series, The Revenue Men. . . . . Bernard McLaughlin and Adrian Aylott are becoming familiar faces on the news and interviews. . . . . Although he exhibits a “strictly-business” approach, Jim McPherson continues to get his message across with gardeners who probably wouldn't go for a gimmicky approach. . . . . One time Auckland advertising agency man, Glynn Christian, has sold a script to the BBC and followed it up with a five-week solo run in the children's programme Jackanory, in which he will look at the story within his own family, descendants of Fletcher Christian. . . . . Wonder when the NZBC will get around to a feature on the Chief of Defence Staff, General Thornton, now that a Washington writer has tagged him a dashing figure.
Wellington
If ever we have uttered words of criticism about Relda Familton as a member of the Town and Around team, we took it all back the night we watched her flipping around the sky in an RNZAF Vampire jet. Full marks to the cameraman, too, who did such a wonderful piece of filming. This was an excellent piece of documentary work, to which Relda added her own insouciant patter . . . While handing around bouquets, we feel we should give a belated nod in the. direction of the WNTV1 sports team, who did a superb job in the powerboat racing on Wellington harbour on one of those days when the Wellington wind was lashing across the water. Producer Chris Bourne left the viewers asking for more of the film of the boats battling the elements. Epic stuff, this . . . After watching Compass this year, was Gordon Bick missed after all? Ian Johnstone has marshalled his forces brilliantly and has turned in some first-class programmes. Professor John Roberts was a bit too learned for most viewers particularly in comparison with the easy manner of Johnstone, and Alan Morris before him. Not surprisingly Johnstone turned to Austin Mitchell half-way through the series as front man. It was said that Roberts was too busy
with his professorial duties. Lucky old Austin, who can spare so much time from his academic work... After resting for four weeks through June, and to give staff time to draw breath for the next lot, Compass will be back for another series of nine early in July.... NZBC is almost certain to purchase that brilliant comedy series Till Death Us Do Part from Britain, to fill a gap in the laughter department. The series features Warren Mitchell who enlivened one of the early programmes in the present Avengers series with a beautiful sketch of an Iron Curtain diplomat.... Town and Around team must have got a kick out of the latest Wellington ratings, which put them up there in number two spot between Danger Man and the Avengers. Other local programme on the charts NZBC Report is still sliding downhill, reached number eight spot after being six last time.
CHRISTCHURCH
On Camera has been chosen as the title for CHTV3's afternoon personality programme for women, but the girls are going to have to wait a while for it. Overall planning of the show's format is well advanced, but a producer has yet to be named. Julie Cunningham was selected a few weeks ago to host this one-hour show..... Seems Canterbury followers of the Sport of Kings, who missed Michael Scott's Coming into Line, because they were away at the Marlborough Racing Club's meeting when it was screened, will see it after all. No date has been fixed, but the decision for a repeat screening was made by NZBC head office at the end if last month, largely in response to many requests received by CHTV3. Station executives reported that no other local production and few imported ones have produced such a positive public reaction. For a day after the screening of Coming Into Line, CHTV3's switchboard was swamped by callers mostly wishing to congratulate Scott and his production team. Letters poured in, too. It was a good bow out for Scott who trans ferred to Wellington recently.... Although The Power Game and The Avengers have not come up to most local viewers' expectations, the new programmes should at least keep most viewers happy over the Winter months. Mogul, which opened here on May 10, shows promise. The eleven one-hour productions from the Royal Shakespeare Company production at Stratford-on-Avon of The Wars of the Roses should appeal to those who have complained about lack of culture and Friday evenings have perked up more than somewhat with the Somerset Maugham film season.... A recent trip into Canterbury's back country and Central Otago clearly showed that, although the farmers may not be happy about the wool prices, many at least feel telly
is worth having. Aerials spotted in the most unlikely places while some truly hair-raising roads have been hacked to mountain tops to install translators. Some Rugby followers interpreting officialdom's decision to permit telecasting of school matches as the first tentative step towards a relaxation of the overall ban. But only the supreme optimists believe the day is not far off when they will be able to follow representative and international play in the comfort of their own homes, although, if the gates
at main Christchurch club matches so far this season are any indication, the Canterbury Rugby Union would not lose much small change even if the TV cameras were also on the spot. Seems that only the most avid supporters turn out to watch their favourites and they would probably go in any case. Long and short of it is that, in Christchurch at least, there's so little interest in club Rugby that live
telecasts might give it a shot in the arm.
DUNEDIN
This seems to be the time of year when every-one dashes about trying to get settled in before the long, cold days ahead and the DNTV2 studios have been no exception recently... Harold Anderson, the new producer for World of Sport: a Monday night programme which gives a nation-wide coverage of the weekend's major sporting fixtures, has hinted that he intends to spend some time working on a new format for the show, plans of which are still Top Secret.
And as if this wasn't enough to keep him busy, he has just been appointed producer for a documentary, Sport 67, to be compiled in Dunedin for national viewing... There was a hearty welcome back
to the screen for announcer, Kevin Mills who has been looking after radio pop
programmes while Neill Collins was convaleseing after a minor operation.... The drift to the north
appeared to go into reverse recently with two members of the WNTV1 staff joining the Dunedin team. Director, Nigel Beard, of Wellington, was welcomed to the Town and Around production staff. John Boyd, of the radio programmes department in Wellington joined the TV staff at Dunedin, while Graeme Clode transferred from TV to radio in Dunedin... No matter what time of year it is, there's one person who takes no notice of the weather-the stark-and congratulations go to producer, Bruce Morrison, and his Wife, Anne (formerly a DNTV2 technician), who recently became the proud parents of a baby boy... Red Faces Department. Seems in May 8 Channel Check we really sent genial Town and Around host, Noel Robson, and his team off on a mammoth excursion for their Country Calender spoof. Should have been OTAGO Peninsula for their locale (a few miles from Dunedin city) not BANKS Peninsula, which would have had them poaching
on Channel 3 territory-Shame on us!
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