Television planned for McMurdo

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 14

Television planned for McMurdo

McMurdo Station is expected to be the first station in the Antarctic to have a closedcircuit television system next summer.

Mr J. E. Riser, a civilian employed as Chief of Navy Broadcasting by the Department of the Navy, said in Christchurch yesterday that the system would be black and white and cost about $55,000. This includes the cost of the transmitters.

It had first been thought that a colour system would be installed, but Mr Riser said that colour was three times as difficult to maintain as black and white.

It is the Navy’s intention to position six cameras in a studio at McMurdo Station and between 20 and 30 receiver sets for various assembly points around the base.

Individuals intending to have sets in their own

quarters would have to buy them from the ship’s stores. About 45 hours of films iand features shown in the United States in the last 10 years will be screened plus about 15 hours of sporting events and news not more than 15 days old. There will also be some live programmes from the McMurdo studio. Mr Riser said that a Navy journalist would attend a television course in the United States in the next few months; on his return to McMurdo Station he will ‘manage the studio. Mr Riser was in the Antarctic last week to see if the installation of a closedcircuit television system would be economically feasible. It will be his recommendation that it is, and that it can be run without any extra staff. Mr Riser said there were at present about 50 ship and shore - based television stations and about 200 radio stations in use by the | United States Navy around the world, Bv 1976 there would be 200 television I stations and 550 radio stations.