Oily Ohlson wants to keep ties with TV

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 11

Oily Ohlson wants to keep ties with TV

By

CATHERINE HARRIS

The children’s television personality, Oily Ohlson, says he still wants to be associated with the medium despite his resignation from Television New Zealand. Mr Ohlson has left the show, “After School,” after receiving a critical letter from his producer, Mr Bryan Allpress, on Monday. Mr Ohlson, a Christchurch resident, said he had considered leaving the show at the end of next year anyway but Mr Allpress’s comments had made it intolerable for him to continue. “All he had to do was ask me to move on but he saw fit to accuse me of aspects of my work performance and I can only suspect he’s trying to justify his own reasons.” In his letter, Mr Allpress had said he would be asking the head of the children’s programming department not to renew Mr Ohlson’s contract. The letter said Mr Ohlson had been unprofessional by keeping staff waiting, lagging behind in correspondence and not contributing ideas for the show. Mr Ohlson said the allegations were “totally untrue,” adding that crew had often finished ahead of time. Mostly, though, he was disappointed that Mr Allpress had not approached him earlier.

“What he has done is talk to me about what we were going to do in 1987 and about the female personality who was going to work with me next year. He has complimented me on almost every week throughout the year.” Mr Allpress declined to discuss the matter with “The Press.” Mr Ohlson said he thought he had been brought in to give the show a warm, “positive role model” but this had

been replaced by a slapstick type of humour since Mr Allpress had taken over as producer. He felt the standard of language had dropped and disliked the “putdown element” he was supposed to show towards his co-host but, under contract, he had no control over the scripts. Without his “After School” commitment, Mr Ohlson said he would spend more time making parenting videos with his wife, Jan, and teaching Maori language at Mairehau High School. Several familiar faces on T.V.N.Z. have been told there is no job for them next year. They include the “Our World” presenter, Gael Ludlow, day-time continuity announcers Bobbi Gibbons and Elizabeth Bourne, and a night-time announcer, Geoff Bryan.