It is with great sadness we report the passing of the Reverend John Hudson on Thursday 17th of January, for people are unanimous in saying that John was one of the nicest, kindest and caring people you could ever wish to meet as well as a talented current affairs and television news [...]

A Tribute to Alan Bateman (1936-2012)
Many who knew Alan Bateman, the creator of the long-running drama series “Home and Away”, will be saddened to learn that he passed away peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning, 18th August 2012, after a battle with cancer.

Alan Bateman

Alan will be remembered for his [...]

First Australia to UK Satellite Hook-up in 1966

The historic first satellite telecast between Australia and England took place on Friday, November 25th, 1966.

The ABC had a hook up with the BBC, whilst TVW Channel 7 hooked up with the UK commercial station ITN. This opportunity was part design and [...]

The program begins by looking at some of the earliest arrivals on our planet with babies born around the world starting with Japan at 4:04am, then Denmark one hour before sunset at 8:06pm, next its 1:06pm in Mexico City, then 3,000 miles to the north at Edmonton in Canada where a Cree Indian baby is born, only four of some 1,800 born in the short time since the program began. … Participating broadcasting organisations included: Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC1) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) NHK (Japan) National Educational Television (NET) (USA) Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF) (France) Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)(Italy) Televisión Española (TVE) (Spain) Some of the locations included: Abbey Road Studios, London, UK (Beatles’ segment) Glassboro, New Jersey, USA Parkes, New South Wales, Australia Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Tokyo, Japan Toronto, Ontario, Canada Owing to language issues for Australians, interpreters translated the foreign commentaries for Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) announcers to provide an English voice-over where necessary.

The end of Local TV… or is it?
At a recent gathering of folk involved in the media, former TVW Managing Director Kevin Campbell detailed the desirable affects of an intensely-local television format, which proved most successful in Canada.

Former TVW Managing Director Kevin Campbell

This is the Citytv concept.

Kevin also outlined [...]

Notion of a 7-2-9-10 Club

Terry Spence, Earl Reeve, Peter Goodall, Peter Harries and Brian Williams
plan for the 729 Television Reunion at the Italian Club in 2006

The 729 Club was once patronised by members of the Sydney radio, television and advertising industry. It was located in the Sydney suburb of St Leonards during what most would [...]

The ABC was considered an alternate source of programming, and as such, more stimulating and thought provoking. This did not necessarily mean popular with mainstream audiences. It was argued that the ABC must remain relevant so that the taxpayers received value for money, but does this result in compromises rather than excellence?
It can be asserted [...]

Inquiry into recent ABC programming decisions Terms of Reference That the following matter be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 12 October 2011: The decision by the television management of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to significantly cut the number and amount of ABC-produced programs, jobs (including through forced redundancies) and potentially affect resources, as announced on August 2, 2011, with particular reference to:

the implications of this decision on the ABC’s ability to create, produce and own its television content, particularly in the capital cities of Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart; the implications of this decision on Australian film and television production in general and potential impact on quality and diversity of programs; whether a reduction in ABC-produced programs is contrary to the aims of the National Regional Program Initiative; the implications of these cuts on content ownership and intellectual property; the impact of the ABC’s decision to end internal production of Bananas in Pyjamas and to outsource the making of a ‘Bananas in Pyjamas’ animation series to Southern Star Endemol Proprietary Limited; and the future potential implications of these cuts on ABC television’s capacity to broadcast state league football and rugby; and any other related matters.

Paul Lockyer, Gary Ticehurst and John Bean

Valued journalists provide an important service that is often underestimated, for too often the foot in the door populist gossip monger has masqueraded as the face of the media.
In contrast, there are the responsible reporters who keep us informed on matters of importance, [...]

It could be asked what priority does society give to preserving our heritage? For if it wasn’t for the advances in the past, there would be no building blocks for the future.
Some one had to be the pioneers, to accept the challenges and forge ahead so that we now can benefit. How sad it would [...]