Fascinated by phone-in TV

Press, 22 June 1989, Page 13

Fascinated by phone-in TV

Rodney Bryant’s latest appearance on the television screen is as host on the teenagers’ phone-in homework advice programme, “Ten Out Of Ten” (“T.0.0.T.”), this afternoon at 4.35 on Two. Bryant, who began his broadcasting career 20 years ago in radio, was born in the small English town of Pangbourne, in Berkshire.

His parents emigrated to New Zealand and he spent his secondary school days at Marlborough College, Blenheim. “They were the happiest days of my life,” he says. After a brief period at Canterbury University Bryant became talks officer in Wellington for the then N.Z.B.C. He continued his radio career in Christchurch as a regional current affairs officer but left to travel

RODNEY BRYANT for a couple of years. On his return in 1972, he became co-presenter with Brian Allpress of the regional news programme, “The South Tonight.” Bryant then moved on to “The Mainland Touch,” but after three years he migrated north to Auck-

land to a new programme, “On Line.” This was New Zealand’s first phone-in programme and the start of Bryant’s fascination with combining television and the telephone. “The phone is the only way you can get live involvement in a programme, with participation from the whole of New Zealand.”

He developed this interest when he joined Karen Sims on “Newsline,” a lunch-time phonein programme which he says was the best thing he has ever done. Then came the offer of a job back in Christchurch, on “Video Dispatch,” and Bryant says he leapt at the chance of working in a new area of television and returning to his favourite city.

“This was a timely move for me as I had started to suffer from

broadcaster's shorthand. I was not exactly lazy, but after all, I had been in broadcasting for nearly 20 years.

“This put me in an area where I was looking at much younger viewers compared with my current affairs audiences. They are a very important group as when they grow up, they will be the ones who will employ you in years to come,” he says.

Last year also saw him back in current affairs on “Faithfully Yours,” a latenight programme with a live audience, discussing topical issues from a purely Canterbury point of view.

In “Ten Out Of Ten,” Bryant is again hosting a phone-in television show, this time fielding calls from high school students all over the country who need help with their homework.