News aims at reflecting community

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33883, 1 July 1975, Page 25

News aims at reflecting community

Television Two in its news will aim to reflect the Christchurch and Canterbury viewing area. “Essentially there will be local emphasis and identity,” says producer David McPhail. Both he and the news editor, Tom Scott, plan to keep close touch with the viewing area community. The 7 p.m. news programme will be known as “Points South” and will be staffed by 12 reporters in Christchurch. It will begin with titles and a run-down of what is to come from the front man

Bryan Allpress (Monday to; Friday) and Alan Gaskell (at; the week-ends). This could; be termed giving the head-j lines. Then will come an eightminute national and international news package, in- i eluding satellite cover, if warranted. Jennie Goodwin will present the news from Auckland. At 7.9 p.m., there will be 1 a commercial break followed 1 by the weather to be pre- 1 sented alternately by Peter 1 Sledmere and Heather Eggleton. < It will then be back to 1 Bryan Allpress with the local < news. Tom Scott says the 7 '

> I o’clock news will be aiming t|at a local and regional con11 tent with background to the • I day’s news. There will be three camera i crews available daily. One • will be required to meet • Christchurch’s commitment fto “News at Ten” from i Auckland. i TV2 in Christchurch could supply at least two items a . day. One of the biggest prob--1 lems in the early stages will . be getting film to Auckland ■ by air on time. It will have to leave Christchurch by mid-afternoon at the latest to be in time for editing and scripting. The absence of a microwave link between Christchurch and Auckland will cramp TV2’s style for a time, especially when it comes to feeding coverage of national news in the South Island breaking late in the day to Auckland for the “News at Ten.” No-one, not even the engineers, are willing to say just how long it will take before the lipk will be provided, but it will be two to three months at least. No build-up TV2 will not give a buildup to personalities initially, which was TVl’s policy. “We want to produce competent and intelligent news programmes which cover the news of the day,” said David McPhail. “We will make the news understandable and will provide background to items of interest.”

He says front men and reporters will be allowed to develop. “But we are not in the market for creating overnight stars,” he adds.

“They are all able journalists and the more experience they have the more competent they will become. If they develop attributes which add to the show, then that’s fine.”

A pilot has still to be made, and it may be next year before the programme is seen by viewers. An Aucklander Derek Payne and a reporter Judy Bailey will also appear in the pilot which David McPhail sees rather as an alternative to current affairs with scope for lighter material.