The passing of Lady Sheila Cruthers

Lady Sheila with Sir James Cruthers and part of the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art
Kerry Edwards/The West Australian ©

With sadness we report that Lady Sheila Cruthers, a passionate art collector and wife of Sir James Cruthers, who established Channel Seven in Perth, died on Friday 30 December 2011, aged 86. [...]

To explain: Brian gathered our best on and off-camera talent together (David Farr I recall, was the male lead) he then designed a set larger than anything that had ever been devised before—complete with a running stream, weeping willows, wild flowers, a boat (avec oars) and a leading lady (whose name escapes me) and appropriate English garden-type music, to complete this idyllic scene of David rowing his paramour to goodness-knows-where..

… Uncle Albert’s few friends congratulated him on the commercial—but he got no new business, and the best salesmanship involved was after the event when I had to convince BST that even though we were in breach of Broadcasting standards by running an almost four minute commercial, the vision was such as to justify it being considered as Australian progam content if we were asked to explain…

Lamenting the loss of local Perth TV content and investigating modern means for re-cultivating it… regaining some semblance of local control.

If you want to know where the local bands are playing, the newest show in town and where’s the latest club or nightspot in Perth, then television is no longer the best place to look, [...]

Vic Kitney Tribute
June Holmes sadly reported the passing of Vic Kitney, who for those working at STW9 in the 1960s, will remember as the station’s first Chief Engineer, from before the station was built and opened in 1965 until 1968.

Cedric Woods with Vic Kitney at the TVW 50th anniversary [...]

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 [...]

Tribute to Maestro Peter Piccini (1936-2011)
The renowned Peter Piccini, Perth’s internationally acclaimed virtuoso of the piano accordion, pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and master of music, passed away on Tuesday October 11th, 2011, at Murdoch Community Hospice, which is part of St John of God Hospital, and situated within the hospital’s grounds in the Perth suburb [...]

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, [...]