“Studio One” begins tomorrow night

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33253, 16 June 1973, Page 5

“Studio One” begins tomorrow night

“Studio One,” New Zealand’s most important show in terms of discovering new , song-writing talent, will I break new ground when it begins its 1973 season tomorrow night. will be the first time that a New Zealand-produced show has featured in a time slot usually reserved for overseas variety programmes. The format for “Studio One” remains essentially the same as last year, except that there will no longer be a guest judge. Instead there will be a resident panel of judges consisting of Reida Familton, Merv Smith, Mick Karavias and Stewart Macpherson. Reida Familton and Stewart Macpherson are both N.Z.B.C. announcers based in Wellington, while Merv Smith is well known for his many TV appearances on panel game shows and a children’s TV series. He also hosts the most listened-to radio breakfast show in the country. Nick Karavias is a record producer and promoter and will be remembered for an earlier series of “Studio One” when he coined the phrase “less than memorable.” Once again the show will be con d he ted by Jim McNaught, and an L.P. record featuring the very best of the new songs will be released at the end of the series. Last year, the “Studio One” LP sold in excess of 50;000 copies and producer Christopher Bourn is confident that the standard of songs in this year’s series will mean even

greater sales. The N.Z.B.C. Symphony Orchestra provided much of the backing I for the series. ' Yet another facet of this year’s series is the Commonwealth Games Pop Song Contest in which six songs will compete for public acclaim during the time that “Studio One” runs. There will also be a network radio promotion associated with the songs and at the end of the six weeks public voting will determine which of the entries will become the official Commonwealth Games song. The first programme of “Studio One” this year will feature Ken Lemon, The Rumour, Shona Laing, Alec Wishart and the Society Jazzmen, and Nash Chase. The Commonwealth Games song is entitled “The Commonwealth Games” and was written by Rita Metten and Sky Rangi of Twizel, and will be performed by Bunny Walters.