“Focus” has strength for bigger things

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33492, 25 March 1974, Page 4

“Focus” has strength for bigger things

Professor R. E. F. Matthews, of Auckland, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He is professor of microbiology in the department of cell biology at the University of Auckland.—(P.A.) J

CHTV3 2.00 pan.: News and Weather (C). 2.05: Somerset Maugham Theatre (repeat).. 2.55: Needles and Pins. Comedy (C). 3.21: Women’s Report.’ 3.30: Sesame Street. 4.26: Animal World. Wildlife (C). 4.51: Spot On. 5.22: Woody Woodpecker (C). 5.48: News (C). 5.50: This Week In Britain (C). 5.55: The Doris Day Show. Comedy (C). - 6.20: Music In The Round, part one. 6.45: The Night Sky (Peter Read). 7.00: Network News. 7.20: Weather and The South Tonight. 7.40: The Waltons (Richard Thomas) (C). 848: Feltex Television Awards. 9.08: Newsbrief (C). 9.10: Nationwide. 9.30: No, That’s Me Over Here. Comedy (C). 9.55: Late News and Weather (C).

NATIONAL LINK

(Including BYA Chriatchurch 690 kilohertz); 2YA Wellington (570 kilohertz): 4YA Dunedin 750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth 950 kilohertz).!

7 p.m.: N.Z.B.C. Sports News. 7.30: Mantovani and his Singing Strings. 8.0: Sound Mirror. 8.40: Checkpoint. 9.0: The Wilfrid Thomas, Show. 9.30: Highway of Jazz. 10.0: Does the Team Think. 10.45: The Log of a Cowboy (11). 11.15: All night programme. 11.30: The Clitheroe Kid. .

3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz) 7.0 p.m.: Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano); Melos Ensemble of London Under Bernard Keefe. 7.14: Franck: Symphonic variations — Alexis Weissenberg (piano), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert Von Karajan./7.30: Money for Old Rope — By Plautus. A young man’s attempt to recover a slave girl from a pimp. Written in 200 B.C. B.29:’Ross Harris: To a child (1973)’ pn electronic work (composed in the Electronic

CHTVS’s own current affairs effort, “Focus,” is gathering strength. Saturday evening’s survey of the implications of the resurgence v of coal, the cat’s whiskers for winter heat—especially 4? these day» of P OW W4jR— dealt P*"o- - Ay with a topical Hanafi Hayes, the made a good fist ofßttemptingto come to grips with the business of, producing coal in the mines of the West Coast — seen a few years ago as having outlived their usefulness. Although most* viewers were probably not aware of it, there must have been very real technical difficulties in producing film from antmder- | ground coal mine, i

Music Studios of Victoria University, Wellington). 8.42: Poulenc: Cantata: Figure Humaine — John Alldis Choir under John Alldis (B.B;C.). .9.1: Haydn: Symphony No. 104 — Dresden State Orchestra under Kurt Sanderiing. 9.30: Safety at Risk: The Worker in the Factory. 9.44: Peter Cooper (harpsichord). Bach: Fantasia in C minor; D. Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor; Herbert Murrill: Suite Francaise (N.Z.8.C.). 10.9: Boris Christoff (bass), Serge Zapolsky (piano). 10.26: Mozart: Hom Concerto No. 3 in E flat (K. 447 — Barry Tuckwell (hprn), London Symphony Orchestra under Peter Maag. 10.42: Jan Tausinger: Ave Maria — Brigita Sukova (soprano), Jana Stepankova (speaker), Prague Symphony Orchestra under Josua Domarkas. • 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz)" 7.30 p.m.: John Reid. JK.2: That’s Entertainment. i? 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH

■ (1400 kilohertz); 8 p.m.: Story of Pop.:

The programme was produced against a background of frustration by the miners, anxious — in typical Coaster fashion — to “get stuck in” and produce the coal for which there is heavy demand. It included reference to a unioti dispute over just when conditions can be called wet, and it.touched on dissatisfaction over some mining equipment.

The programme softpedalled on conditions in the West Coast mines, although film of men involved in the back-breaking job of shovelling coal into a moving con- , veyor gave a hint that modem, automated machinery Is a prime need. There was also a generous footage given to showering miners but no mention of what the dangers are to a man’s health, or what the miners think of their job. There has been some rubbish talked lately about the lack of a brief, the N.Z.B.C. holds to editorialise. This is merely adopting the stance of some of the less venturesome corporation executives who hold. that television prorammes must always reflect in a balanced way, and that attempt to say anything is showing lack of objectivity, dr being biased and unfair. This ‘of course is nonsense. If, through careful investigative reporting, a certain conclusion can be drawn, or a need highlighted, then the N.Z.8.C., or any other media, has a responsibility'tp lay it before the public in a balanced, responsible manner. And this may require a perceptive statement by a reporter. There is no reason at all why this kind of editorialising, if that is the right word, cannot be used in television.

In fact, more of it, again provided it can be fully documented in the programme, .would make for much livelier programmes especially where scope for on-film quotable sources is limited. #® # -

“World Scene” on Friday evening contained some topical and interesting film, especially that covering the problem of refugees fleeing from Portuguese-ruled territories.

The examination of Royal personages, either assassinated or threatened, was also newsy, although it tended to stray a little with the inclusion of the Argentine situation.

This programme seems to suffer from a limited budget. Too often it has all the appearance of someone making the best of all the left-over film which arrived in New Zealand and which the news department did not use.

The magazine-type item, such as the farewell to the Nashville centre of country and western music, has a place for providing light relief. But there is little evidence of the producer ordering a specific piece of film oh an international event or situation, with, for example, special interest dr implications for New Zealand. “World Scene” needs more get-up and .go. Saturday’s movie, “Under. Capricorn,” was a delight for fans of Ingrid Bergman; who was superb as the alcoholic wife of her former stable-boy husband, convict-made-good in colonial Australia. The film, made in 1949, was melodramatic and overly romantic as was the fashion of the era. Miss Bergman deserved better.

“Night Gallery” was rather a let-down after a promising beginning, using the old trick of having the main character emerge in completely different surroundings, unaware of how he got there. However, it did provide the satisfaction of seeing Chuck Connors, of Thrillseekers fame, really knocked out in the desperate boxing, bout in which the pinner took all — presumably for as long as he could beat all future champions. —K.C.