From the New Zealand TV Weekly. October 2, 1967
Auckland
It will be interesting to see just what the inventive Kevan Moore cooks up for his adult variety show on Saturday nights. Is the late placement intended to give him scope for some really tough-subject interviewing? If so, can Peter Sinclair bridge the gap between being a go-go front-man for the teeniies to adult compere? And will guests - especially visitors from abroad - want to give up several hours late on a Saturday night to make an appearance on the show? Rest assured, Kevan will sort things out, but his capacity for getting things done in a hurry could work better with the basically superficial pop field than with more serious adult fare. His Cameras on Campus series seemed to reflect the haste with which they were shot. . . . . Rhys Jones and Val Lamond only added up to two for the final programmes of the We Three Show for the small fry. Reason was that the third member of the team, Simon Bates, was sent off to the Capital City to train as an announcer. Rhys Jones is moving to the Town and Around team, which has certainly shown a need for an injection of new talents of late. . . . . You can bet your boots that the zany ideas and camera gimmicks of The Monkees series will be reflected in local productions. In fact, the Golden Disc award show could be a case in point. Wellington producer Christopher Bourn has been sculling round the countryside, filming top popsters in action against real settings. Ray Woolf and the Avengers blasted off by the Harbour Bridge, while the Gremlins were cleared for take-off at Auckland international airport. . . . . Forbidding, windowless exterior of AKTV2's castle is at least looking less mildewed since scraping and steam-cleaning. How styles change - this was regarded as the hottest thing in contemporary studio architecture when first opened away back in the early steam radio
era. Looks more like Lenin's Tomb than a TV centre. . . . . How long will it take to persuade the programme people that Alison Holst's cookery shows would be far more happily featured in the afternoon women's programmes?
Wellington
News of Ian Johnstone's pending resignation from the staff of producers of the NZBC came as a shock both to the corporation and to viewers. Ian has risen steadily in the ranks of television since he first started as an announcer and news reader. He progressed to be one of the corporation's best interviewers, and since he moved over to produce NZBC's prestige documentary, Compass, he has been equally outstanding in that role. Undoubtedly he was carrying a considerable load and the corporation has yet to recognise that if it wants to retain its more creative producers, the rewards must be more substantial than they have been. Ian will complete the present series of Compass and leave the corporation, it is understood, around Christmas. It is to be hoped that his new job as a public relations officer will allow him scope to reappear on a freelance basis on television from time to time . . . . While losing Ian to public relations, the corporation regained Keith Aberdeen who had been working for an oil company in Wellington in this capacity. Keith replaced Mike Minehan in the Town and Around team. Before going into public relations, Keith had worked in the news staff in both Wellington and Auckland, and with his experience in writing and producing he will be a useful addition to Town and Around. It remains to be seen though whether he can match the tremendous popularity of Mike Minehan . . . . Public reaction to the first series of locally made plays was rather confused but on the whole favourable . . . . The Wellington evening paper made the reaction its top story of the day on September 6. Subsequently, executive producer, Brian Bell, said that he was pleased with the interest aroused . . . . Chief producer, Roy Melford, said that 19 more local scripts were being worked on now. The next series of local plays would be ready for screening about April next year. In addition an adventure serial was being filmed . . . . Setting aside the quality of the plays themselves, one feels that the standard of acting revealed the benefit of the actors' workshops conducted by Brian Bell and his colleagues . . . . NZBC advertised for a deputy controller of news and public affairs. There was some speculation that former newsman Ian Cross might be interested but he firmly denied this. Rumour inside the corporation is that the job is lined up for Christchurch district manager, Mr Keith Hay. Whoever is appointed will have the inside running to succeed Mr E. Parkinson whose three-year term as controller expires next year. The new job is worth more than $5,000 a year (closer to $6,000, some say).
CHRISTCHURCH
A word of cheer for the NZBC! All is not lost. On the eve of his departure to take up a fellowship at Nuffield College, Oxford, Dr Austin Mitchell, an historian, looked back into the past, found what he wanted among the more quotable utterances of General McArthur and announced that in about five years he hoped to return to New Zealand, the best place in the world to live provided the job opportunities are right.
. . . . Looking ahead, the NZBC's best, most incisive commentator in many a year stuck by the corporation and forecast it would get better and better at handling politics. . . . How many Christchurch viewers recognised Susan Weldon's suitor in the Power Game as former Christchurch man Guy Doleman? Guy made a hurried trip home recently to visit his brother, John, an antique dealer. He cut short the visit to jet London-wards to sign another BBC contract. . . . . . General and ardently held view of one five-to-six school of discriminating viewers - Sunday night in Christchurch will not be the same again without Pamela (you know who). . . . . While West Coasters consider their closest bonds are with Canterbury and want CHTV3 beamed in, but will get WNTV1, loyal Cantabrians are biting their fingernails while they wait for Chatham Islanders' declaration of loyalty. After all, they are in Opposition Leader Kirk's electorate! . . . . A sop to all those people who want educational TV programmes comes from the Education Department. It's now listing in its official circular television programmes of educational value.
Suggested items include Speak Up (children's views on world affairs), Carousel (fortnightly magazine of overseas films), Towards 2000 (scientific progress), World Scene (overseas news round-up), and cultural programmes, such as Shakespeare and music. Looking at the programme times, tots and teenagers should really lap up that lot . . . . Motor sporting fans delighted with CHTV3's Isle of Man T.T. film shown recent Sunday, per favour of BBC, and now wondering when the corporation will solicit something similar displaying the prowess of Kiwis Denny Hulme, currently leading World Racing Drivers' Championship, and Chris Amon (now third) doing their stuff on four wheels. This subject has more general application. Point is Kiwis have been shining in sport internationally in many fields in recent months and viewers would like to see them in action.
DUNEDIN
Back in harness
after his second Sydney holiday in 8 months, DNTV2 announcer, Bernard Buck, is finding life rather hectic since his return. The trouble is,
he says, there's so much to catch up with, what with getting 'with-it' with current news, interviewing for the 'Country Session,' 'Aspect' and 'Feminine Viewpoint,' and then so many other diversions- today an hour-long interview with a professor, tomorrow a beef cattle field day and now a ring from over the way to say I'm to do a TV shift on Friday.
. . . . For Bernard, diversification is the key word- At times it's pretty harassing but,
as he says, all good clean fun.
. . . .For the past three months, viewers have not seen much of Bernard, although he has featured in some On Camera programmes. He has been seconded to Current Affairs
and the rural talks sections, both of which he finds tremendously interesting and stimulating. Dunedin's got a lot to offer programme-wise,
he claims . . . . Perhaps Dunedin does have a lot to offer in the programme field, but when it comes to people offering their item and talent in the dramatic field it seems they prefer to keep their talent hidden. Dunedin's omission from the plays recently produced by NZBC-TV Workshop, is apparently our own fault. Auditions were notified in the newspapers but it seems they went unheeded. It is to be hoped that after such a poor response no one here dares to criticise the northern efforts.
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