FIRST COLOUR TV IN CHRISTCHURCH

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 6

FIRST COLOUR TV IN CHRISTCHURCH

The first public viewing of colour television in Christ* church will be a highlight of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s programme for this year’s Industries Fair.

There will be a number of colour television demonstrations at the Fair daily between tomorrow and September 5, and the N.Z.B.C. will also establish a further black and white t< levision channel —IFTVS. The signal from IFTV-5 will be monitored on sets on the Fair site and might also be received on sets in homes near the Fair, possibly as far as five miles away. The main purpose of the independent channel will be to televise events in the N.Z.B.C. Studio-Theatre for visitors to the Fair, and the colour television picture will be produced simultaneously. A special studio has been built for the transmission of colour television on a closed circuit at the Fair, and it is hoped there will be several receivers in and around the building for public viewing. Specially - trained N2.8.C. engineers from Wellington have installed the equipment but it will be operated and maintained by local N.Z.B.C. technicians, giving

them the opportunity of gaining valuable experience in its use. STUDIOS The black and white channel will transmit from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily during the Fair, and a major attraction of the N.Z.B.C. stand will be that Fair-goers will be able to see the television studio in operation. IFTV-s’s transmissions will originate from here under the direction of Peter Sharp, and will be in full view of the public. This television control room will also control the closed-circuit colour television demonstrations. For nearby home-owners wanting to pick up CTV-s’s transmission and possessing some semi-technical knowledge, the N.Z.B.C. advises that the length of the dipole aerial should be 30in. This may be constructed from standard 300 ohm feeder ribbon. There will, of course, be studio and control rooms for sound radio as well, as has been done at the Fair ih previous years. The N.Z.B.C. stand is the largest at the Fair, covering more than 4000 sq. ft, and special programmes as well as many current ones will be broadcast direct from it The climax of the fortnight’s activities at the Fair

for the N.Z.B.C. will be the simultaneous broadcast on CHTV3, IFTV-5, and the commercial radio network of the final of the $lOOO “Musiquest 70.” This will be specially compared by Peter Sinclair, who will also present “Hit Wave 70” on the commercial network from the Fair on Thursday, September 3. Christchurch announcers will all broadcast from the Fair, and Auckland personality Les Andrews will host many of the evening stage presentations. PROGRAMMES Both radio and television will stage varied entertainment during the two weeks of the Fair. This will include broadcasts of the regular programmes “The South Tonight,” “On Camera,” and specially devised children’s programmes from the Fair. Station 3ZB will broadcast from the Fair studios on weekdays between midday and midnight a special event being the live broadcast of Country and Western music, and 3ZM’s programmes will broadcast until 6.45 p.m. on Saturdays from the Fair. The Studio-Theatre will provide almost continuous entertainment, with radio and television broadcasts coming from there between

1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The .list of programmes to be staged in the StudioTheatre sounds rather interesting: a competition for liars; a baby of the year contest; a look alike quest; Rolf Harris painting; Note for Note, and so on. Other programmes which promise to be entertaining are a “Have a Shot” talent contest, and “Charades,” which will be broadcast on CHTV-3 on Wednesday evenings. In a crazy sports programme members of the Canterbury Ranfurly Shield team will play female members of the Canterbury Commonwealth Games team in off-beat games—such as table tennis played with frying pans. Plenty of entertainment has been provided for children, with treasure hunts and many different types of competitions, including a talent quest. Known as “Top Talent” contest, it will be divided into two age groups with eliminations oh the first two Saturday mornings. There will be a live telecast of the final on CHTV-3 on the second Tuesday afternoon of the Fair. Entrants in the contest will be able to sing, dance, perform magic tricks or do recitations. The first prize is $2O. second $lO and third $5.