More toe-tapping religion planned

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 11

More toe-tapping religion planned

By

MAVIS AIREY

“The Renovators” and “Dig This” are being axed in a bid for more prime time viewing for New Zea-land-made general and special interest programmes. “The cancellations are due to the department’s policy of putting greater resources into less product,” says Stephen McElrea, the head of general and special interest programmes at Television New Zealand.

“I felt the department was overstretched in terms of the number of hours’ television it was making,” he says. “To be effective we have to get away from these odd time slots and put all our effort into prime time programmes.” Under Stephen McElrea’s

new strategy, the department is being divided up into specialised units based in different centres, although programming may be spread around the country.

Christchurch will play host to those traditional adversaries, science and religion.

As well as the magazine “Fast Forward,” the science unit will pilot a prime-time health series, make documentaries and co-ordinate “The Inventors.” “Christchurch has been chosen for the science unit because ‘Fast Forward’ and ‘Science Express’ have been based there. We have experienced personnel, and Canterbury University and Christchurch’s medical facilities are interested and happy to be part of any

development” Stephen McElrea explains. Among the developments he envisages are expansion of the unit to Dunedin, and making quality documentaries designed for sale overseas.

The religious unit will start life in spring 1986. Stephen McElrea is keen to “strengthen and develop" religious output “I am not altogether happy with what we are doing at the moment” he says. “I would like to see several strands of religious programmes aimed at a variety of target interests and age groups — youth; older people; the early Sunday time slot something low on theology, high on toe-tapping; late evening religious current affairs; and documentaries of a religious

nature. ‘This will require strengthening, the personnel, the bringing in theologically trained Christians,” he says. The new arts unit will be based in Wellington, Auckland being unable to provide the increased resources needed, according to Stephen McElrea. Although the name “Kaleidoscope” will be retained, the format

will be “altered and embellished somewhat,” he says. In addition to weekly inserts from Christchurch, Auckland and Dunedin, the programme will employ stringers in New York, London and Sydney to report on the artistic activities of expatriate New Zealanders. The unit will also make arts documentaries for national consumption and

international sale. Strong regional input is also planned for the “Weekend” programme, the main production of the new leisure and lifestyle unit, also based in Wellington. The unit will encompass programmes such as the Benson and Hedges awards and “Beauty and the Beast” (to be made in Dunedin). The other units Stephen McElrea is setting up in-

elude business and consumer, which will be based in Wellington and make “Fair Go” and other programmes not yet announced; a Maori unit based in Auckland; and a rural unit based in Wellington. This will be responsible, among other things, for an extended “Agreport,” for which Stephen McElrea is currently negotiating, he hopes, a prime time shot