OVERSEAS LESSONS FOR DOMINION TELEVISION

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28793, 14 January 1959, Page 15

OVERSEAS LESSONS FOR DOMINION TELEVISION

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, January 13.

When television is introduced to New Zealand the country will reap the benefit of experience gained by other countries, the managing director of Paramount Pictures in Australia and New Zealand, Mr Robert L. Graham, said in Auckland today. “A great number of problems surrounding T.V. will not occur here as they have been solved in England, America and Australia,’’ he said. There would be numerous growing pains, such as the development of technicians and the motion picture theatres would suffer with decreased attendances for some months as “the novelty of T.V. takes about 12 months to wear off.’’

It was difficult to produce live shows even in the States, said Mr Graham, so New Zealand audiences could expect the majority of programmes be on film. Australian Programmes

Television programmes from Australia were received on two Wellington men’s home-made sets on Saturday evening. Intermit-

tently, the reception was good. One of the men, Mr H. Burton, lives in York Bay. The other, Mr I. Morgan, lives in Wainui-o-mata.

Mr Burton an examiner in the electrical engineering section of the Patent Office, said the images were received from about 7 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. New Zealand time and, on his six-inch screen, he saw a children’s session, a darkhaired woman announced, a male announcer, and excerpts from films. He is a member of the British Amateur Television Club, a group of enthusiasts who transmit their own programmes. He has sent closed circuit programmes from room to room in his own house and he and Mr Morgan, a radio technician, hope to transmit between their homes.

Mr Morgan said he had received from Australia on his set before, but only for a few seconds.