NZ TV History

[Spi]

I was curious as to how this related to Canwest’s ownership of Mediaworks (as they went bust about this time), but they sold off their stake in Mediaworks in 2007, a couple of years before they had to sell off their stake in Ten in Australia. Yet, with TV3 in the arms of private equity, I could see how TVNZ would think they could make TV3 to blink first.

I guess eventually they did in other ways when they went into administration a few years later, but it was through sacrificing things like Nightline instead of the long 6pm bulletin.

[TV4]

It meant nothing - that NZH article was typical of the time, offering too much speculation, disguised as news.

[Spi]

Hah, sounds about right.

I do keep forgetting of course that the owners of the Herald were competitors to Mediaworks and thus TV3 (at least) even then (the rebrand of APN NZ/TRN to NZME made that a lot clearer to outsiders), so of course they’d say that.

[OnAir]

To be fair it was also an era where TV3 leaked like a sieve, there were virtually stories everyday about things happening in that joint, 90pc of which came to be true.

[PaddyTePou]

ANCHORS AWEIGH

This short feature - regarding Judy Bailey and Richard Long on TVNZ and John Hawkesby on TV3 (now Three) - was originally published in the NZ Listener in 1993 and reused with permission.

We know why they call TV newsreaders “anchors” - because they spend the entire bulletin anchored on their desks, of course.

Their very immobility - bar the odd shuffle of papers or twiddle of pen - reinforces their image as steady, dependable, fixed points of reference. They sit, therefore they are: the idea of seeing more than the top half of Richard and Judy, not to mention John, is unthinkable.

Or is it? There’s a growing trend overseas towards what Variety magazine calls the “walk and talk” news format, pioneered by Toronto’s CITY channel, in which roving anchors walk around the studio, chat with reporters, jump up and down and generally do everything but the soft-shoe shuffle. Forget desks, forget even sets: the emphasis now is on newsroom mobility. One station, says Variety, even hired a choreographer to help its anchors move about gracefully; others have promoted their sports anchors to top new roles, “figuring they’re quicker on their feet because they’re used to improvising”.

Get out those dance pumps, Richard and Judy, and start hoofin’. Jeremy Coney wants your job.

[PaddyTePou]

Here’s a photo of the old Manchester Unity Building which was located at 100 Victoria Street West in central Auckland.

The Television Theatre was based in the building, as did the Auckland newsroom and sports department. In regard to light entertainment, Town Cryer, Two on One, The Ray Woolf Show, Radio Times, The Billy T James Show, 12 Bar Rhythm ‘n’ Shoes and several Jazz Seen specials were examples of programmes recorded at the Television Theatre.

And speaking of television news during the 1980s, a typical news day at TVNZ’s Auckland newsroom - located on the upper level of the Manchester Unity Building - began in the morning with the chief reporter and national news editor compiling and preparing stories for TVNZ’s 6.30pm news.

Editors in the four main cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) coordinated stories they were contributing to the bulletin, with the main political content and press conferences being supplied by the Wellington newsroom.

Satellite feeds of overseas news ran for 10 minutes each and beamed into the Auckland newsroom twice each day: the first at 1pm from London and the other at 1.30pm from New York (reports on major events, such as an assassination, could also be covered live via satellite). The London satellite reports consisted of BBC and occasional Eurovision content, while the US reports were prepared mainly by the American NBC network, according to a 1982 article in the NZ Listener. The programme editors had to select the overseas stories for the 6.30pm bulletin.

At approx 5pm the news staff had to race from the Manchester Unity Building, on one side of Auckland’s city centre, to the Shortland Street studios for broadcast. Eye Witness News, which screened at 9.30pm, followed the same path as the 6.30pm news.

Studio 2 was where the 6.30pm bulletin and Eye Witness News were produced, as did the Auckland regional news/magazine programme Top Half.

Sadly, the Manchester Unity Building was demolished to make way for the new, state-of-the-art Television Centre which was officially opened during 1989/90. The Shortland Street studios were transformed into the Kenneth Myers Centre of the University of Auckland, which houses Gus Fisher Gallery.

Photo credit: Supplied.

[LiamP]

Homeward Bound: The 30-year-old soap that could have erased Shortland Street

[PaddyTePou]

Australia's Funniest Home Videos & Just Kidding (1995)

@foxyrover Just Kidding was an Australian comedy/reality show in which outrageous stunts and practical jokes played on an unsuspecting public with hilarious results! It was first shown on Australia’s Nine Network during the 1990s and screened in New Zealand on Prime in the early 2000s.

There was also a New Zealand version of Just Kidding which was produced by and broadcast on TVNZ during 1995, with Marcus Lush as host. Unlike the Australian version, which was filmed on location in conjunction with QTQ Channel 9 in Brisbane, ours was studio-based and recorded in front of a live audience at TVNZ’s Auckland studios.

[PaddyTePou]

The arrival (and disruption) of TV2 in Christchurch

@TV4 On Monday 30 June 1975, our second national television channel. TV2 (now TVNZ 2), began transmission at 1pm. The first programme to air that day was “Search for Tomorrow”, a US soap about Joanne Tate Vincent and her family, friends and acquaintances.

When TV2 first started it was transmitted only in Auckland and Christchurch, and transmission hours in Christchurch were limited due to a loss of power in the TV2 signal being transmitted from the Sugarloaf aerial across Fendalton and northwest Christchurch. The technical difficulty was reported by engineers of the then Broadcasting Council and as a result, TV2’s programming commenced at 6pm instead of 1pm.

The article was published in the Christchurch Press in 1975 and reused with permission.

A Broadcasting Council engineer, Mr Ralph Gracie, said that poor reception in part of Christchurch might be related to the unexpected reception in parts of Timaru of a good picture from Channel 8.

The good reception in Timaru might be lost when the Christchurch fault was fixed, he said.

Until then, TV2 programmes in Christchurch will begin at 6 p.m., instead of 1 p.m.

Engineers liken the blackout zone to a gap in the radiation from an electric heater caused by a faulty reflector.

A computer has been brought from Wellington to help find the fault.

The worst-affected viewers in the poor-reception sector will not receive a picture from TV2. “It will be scrambled and they will be unable to tune in,” Mr Gracie said. “But the majority of viewers in the area will only suffer ghosting. Others may not get colour.”

The area was not clearly defined and it might shift from day to day.

“If you live in the poor-reception zone and are not receiving TV2, it may not necessarily be your set, but may be due to the aerial fault,” Mr Gracie explained.

Because of the patchiness in the sector, he advised viewers to check with the neighbours to see if they were getting a picture, and to try to tune in to TV2.

The engineers are at a loss to explain the reason for the defect, but Mr C. H. Webber, divisional engineer (TV transmission) for the Broadcasting Council points out that normally no-one would have known about the fault.

“The Auckland aerial arrived in February and the Christchurch aerial in May,” Mr Webber added. "We had more time in Auckland, and TV2 asked us to give it a go in Christchurch.

“We have had barely enough time to hang the thing on the tower, and usually this kind of problem would be taken in our stride during four months of testing the aerial,” he said.

“The fault might be fixed tomorrow and it might take a month. We are not too despondent because we have always fixed this type of fault in the past. The reason why we have been unable to pinpoint it so far is that the aerial is so complex.”

The supervising engineer (TV aerials) for the Broadcasting Council (Mr J. A. Caird) will head the investigation into the fault.

Viewers in areas served in city transmitters - Lyttelton, Sumner, Heathcote, and Redcliffs - may have to wait longer for TV2 reception.

Translators to supplement TV2 coverage will not be installed until the Sugarloaf station is working properly.

Trade-test transmission on half-power will continue from TV2 from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. continuously, and from 10.30 until 5 p.m. subject to interruption.

[Sheldon_Betteridge]

That’s a similar scenario for TV3 launch in 1989, where coverage was mostly readily and some parts could not the reception pales in comparison to TV2

[PaddyTePou]

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are very welcome. Television One is here at last.” - Dougal Stevenson

Here’s a classic advertisement promoting TV One (now TVNZ 1) when it launched on Tuesday 1 April 1975.

Newspaper advertisement courtesy of The Press and the National Library of New Zealand, digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.

[Sheldon_Betteridge]

[TV3 Ident & '3 News Nightline' Opener With Hilary Barry - New Zealand (1998) - YouTube]

[PaddyTePou]

NZ drama set in forest town

The article regarding the launch of a pioneering New Zealand drama series, Pukemanu, was originally published in the Christchurch Press (9 September 1971) and reused with permission.

“Pukemanu”, which starts from CHTV3 next Thursday, is a pioneering effort by the N.Z.B.C. television drama section. The series, with six episodes, is set in a New Zealand environment.

Pukemanu is a fictional town in the central North Island, and the name of a large private forest in the area. David Gold (played by Noel Trevarthen) is general manager of the forest and employs a majority of the citizens. The social focus is the pub and a great deal of local gossip and general socialising takes place there. More than half of the population is Maori - many of them were there before the plantation.

This is just an ordinary town. Its people are concerned with making ends meet, they work hard and drink hard, and tend to be suspicious of outsiders. If something does happen in Pukemanu it’s likely to concern the forest - relationships between management and worker are sometimes strained, natural disaster may intrude - a blow down in a storm, a forest fire. The forest dominates the lives of the people of Pukemanu and this is reflected in the stories.

Pukemanu was made on a large number of actual locations. Some shots of the town were taken at Atiamuri, the store is at Upper Atiamuri, the logging scenes were filmed in the Kaingaroa Forest and the Whaka Forest; the police station, pub, garage, church and doctor’s house are at Martinborough; the school is at Featherston South; the Marae is at Greytown, the airstrip at Mangaroa, one road accident is at Kaitoke, and another one at Whiteman’s Valley, the wood chop is at Reporoa and the Pukemanu sawmill was shot at the Waipa sawmill.

There were three writers for the series. Julian Dickon wrote three episodes. He is a very experienced playwright for radio, and two adaptations of his radio works have been presented on television - “Genuine Plastic Marriage”, and “Green Gin Sunset”. Hamish Keith wrote two episodes. “A Soft Answer” was the first play he wrote. Since then he has written extensively for television. Michael Noonan, the script editor for “Pukemanu”, also wrote one episode.

Noel Trevarthen, who plays the part of David Gold, has had an extensive overseas career. He spent four years in repertory in England, and played in the original Longon West End productions of “Watch it Sailor” and “Mid Summer Mink”. He has also appeared in films and in such television programmes as “Dangerman”, “The Ragtrade” and “Armchair Theatre”.

He played continuing roles in “Emergency Ward 10” and “The Planemakers”, and starred in the top-rating series “Riviera Police”. In 1969 he toured Australia and New Zealand with the theatre production of “The Secretary Bird”.

[PaddyTePou]

Here are the features in the lead-up to the launch of New Zealand’s second television channel, TV2 (now TVNZ 2), which commenced transmission on 30 June 1975. In Christchurch, broadcast hours were limited due to a faulty transmitter aerial.

All images courtesy of The Press and the National Library of New Zealand, digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.

[PaddyTePou]

As I’ve mentioned on Media Spy previously, TV2 (now TVNZ 2) made its debut at 1pm on the afternoon of Monday 30 June 1975 with the airing of Search for Tomorrow, a daytime US soap centring around Joanne Tate Vincent and the many people in her life.

When TV2 first aired viewers in Auckland and Christchurch were the only ones able to receive the signal. However, this was hampered by a faulty transmitter aerial in Christchurch limiting the broadcasting hours. Shortly after, the channel was made available in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, with Wellington gaining access by late November.

TV2 sought to differentiate itself from other stations by constructing its identity around a ‘community approach’, a focus on regional integration, engaging directly with viewers and incorporating a Polynesian branding.

TV2’s director-general at the time, Allan Martin, said, “We’re not based on some distant European model. We’re an organisation built, made and engineered in this part of the world for our own requirements to serve the national interest.”

The channel embraced a strong local aspect, such as regional news, and its Polynesian-influenced theme music and curling koru logo were clear evidence of this. To further emphasise its community approach, it held New Zealand’s first Telethon - ‘24 Hours of Excitement and Entertainment’ - during its launch week.

Auckland and Christchurch’s TV2 Telethons had a successful history of raising funds for various charities and causes, with an estimated 1,200 people, including entertainers and presenters, donating their services free of charge. This was true to form for Telethon in 1975 which raised nearly $600,000 for the St John Ambulance Service, showcasing how generous New Zealanders were at the time.

NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS
Jennie Goodwin made history as the first female newsreader to feature regularly on the Auckland-based Two at Seven programme, which began by offering more regional content than TV One (now TVNZ 1).

Two at Seven was a weeknight programme aired on TV2 at 7pm which featured both national and international news as well as localised weather forecasts and regional news (including Points South in Christchurch). It began with a 10 minute section of national and international news from Auckland, followed by a commercial break. After that, Keith Bracey in Auckland and Heather Eggleton (now Heather Crofskey) in Christchurch presented the localised weather forecast, then the regional news until the programme ended at 7.30pm.

TV2 viewers in Christchurch were treated to Points South, a regional news programme fronted by Bryan Allpress (above) on weeknights and Alan Gaskell on weekends. The weekend editions of Points South, however, were branded as The South on Saturday and The South on Sunday respectively.

Tom Bradley and Sam Gardiner served as co-anchors for News at Ten, TV2’s late news bulletin with a focus on current affairs. Showing every weeknight at 10pm, News at Ten mirrored the format of Britain’s ITN by giving an organised summary of the day’s news and providing thorough explanations for major stories. The bulletin was segmented into two parts - the first part devoted to important news and the second part consisting mainly of magazine-style items.

Under Australian Ted Morrisby, the documentary-style current affairs programme, Encounter, was created after the prospect of bringing back NZBC veterans Austin Mitchell and Linda McDougall had been abandoned. Nevertheless, Tom Finlayson was brought back from Australia and made a noteworthy input to TV2 news, factual programmes and drama throughout the network’s period as a separate entity.

ENTERTAINMENT
TV2 maximised its limited studio facilities in Auckland and Christchurch (including the Civic Teletheatre) to produce such light entertainment shows like Opportunity Knocks, The Goodtime Show, Norman, Ray Columbus Presents…, Concentration, Personality Squares, Beat the Clock and Sing as the newly built Avalon Television Studios in Wellington were solely for TV One.

Meantime, Kevan Moore, TV2’s director of programming at the time, was under fire for airing a lineup of ‘cops, pops and parlour games’ in an effort to emulate Sydney’s commercial stations (e.g. ATN7, TCN9, TEN10). Allan Martin, however, defended Moore in light of the need for survival and to create new sources of revenue.

Both TV One and TV2, at the same time, had a vow to produce local dramas, unlike the NZBC. As an example TV2 had its own series, known as A Going Concern, which followed the daily duties of the staff at an Auckland plastics factory.

Without further ado, here are the features promoting the launch of TV2 in Christchurch in 1975.

All images courtesy of The Press and the National Library of New Zealand, digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.

[Sheldon_Betteridge]

Paddy, If SPTV have not merged into TVNZ, would the channel be better off?

[PaddyTePou]

@Sheldon_Betteridge

If SPTV have not merged into TVNZ, would the channel be better off?

No one. New Zealand television was dominated by TVNZ during the 1980s… until the launch of TV3 (now Three) in 1989.

[Leotv]

Probably would of ended up being owned by Murdoch considering the privatisation agenda back then.

[Sheldon_Betteridge]

I agree, Channel 2 would not be TVNZ’s younger skewed network today as it would instead focus on 25-54s audience like Three nowadays with greater emphasis on news and current affairs and still focused on US imports like TVNZ is doing and TV One would go non-commercial and merge with RNZ

[PaddyTePou]

@OnAir @NuStraya I have some trivia when it came to regional television on TVNZ in 1988.

TVNZ produced and broadcast two regional programmes for viewers of Network Two (now TVNZ 2) in Canterbury, Otago and Southland: Faithfully Yours and Twilight Phone. Both of which screened late (around 10.30pm) on Tuesday nights from 30 August until 13 December that year.

Faithfully Yours
Under Stephen McElrea as manager of TVNZ’s then Christchurch operations, Faithfully Yours was produced at its Christchurch studios by Ian Cumming and fronted by Rodney Bryant. It was described as ‘a lively, provocative and unpredictable mix of happenings and issues which interest and concern Cantabrians’. Topics covered in the series included:

• the changing role of women in society;
• secondary school pupils from Canterbury schools asking local politicians about their lives and politics;
• cot deaths in the Canterbury area;
• immigration in Canterbury;
• life in Mayfield, a small community in mid Canterbury;
• tourism in Canterbury;
• open fires and air pollution in Canterbury;
• ex-Cantabrians in the film and broadcasting industry;
• crime and punishment;
• consumer gripes on a wide range of products within Canterbury (“What Gets Up Your Nose”);
• what the rest of New Zealand thinks about Canterbury;
• race relations in Canterbury; and
• sexual abuse of children.

Twilight Phone
Under Lorraine Isaacs as manager of TVNZ’s then Dunedin operations, Twilight Phone was produced at its Dunedin studios by Jayashree Panjabi and fronted by Jim Sullivan. It was a phone-in talk show where, each week, the issues of relevance to the Otago and Southland regions were tackled and viewers in those regions were given a chance to have their say by phoning in between 6-9pm on a Tuesday night. Before the 0800 number came along, the phone number for Twilight Phone was Dunedin (024) 778-888 - toll free.