T.M.T.’s 1000th programme

Press, 23 October 1984, Page 11

T.M.T.’s 1000th programme

A milestone in the history of regional television will be reached today when “The Mainland Touch” screens its 1000th programme. The first “T.M.T.” was shown on the last day of March, 1980, and featured an interview with controversial priest, Father Felix Donnelly. For the first two years of transmission “T.M.T.” was a half-hour programme, beginning at 7.30 p.m., but in 1982 it was reduced in duration and incorporated within the 6.30 p.m. news hour. The editor of “The Mainland Touch,” Simon Williams, estimates that the programme has covered about 9000 stories since it began. “We have also been fortunate with the calibre of the 35 or so reporters who have worked on the programme. Several have left us to work on network programmes. As well as Rodney Bryant, who is now the host of ‘On Line,’ there’s Brett Dumbleton with ‘Sunday,’. ‘Close Up’ has Alison

Parr and Sandy Beverly has become a mainstay of ‘Spot On’.” Thettfiost obvious changes to the. 1 programme have occurred in the last year with the departure of Bob Sutton to Radio Avon and then Rodney Bryant , to TVNZ in Auckland. John Dunne has appeared regularly in the

studio since the beginning of last year, and he was joined in April by Liz Grant. This evening “T.M.T.” will include some items from the past with Liz Grant and John Dunne joined in the studio by many of the people who have appeared regularly on the programme.