Readers Contributions
Introduction
This is an experiment. I hope more people who worked in radio will take the time to educate the rest of us on how it all worked. This article is going to be similar to a Blog. It will be in parts and is Allan's reminiscences of his working life which started in radio. You will see how his radio experience then led to other related work. You have the opportunity to send in questions to Allan via the contact page, about the people he worked with, the shows he worked on or the equipment he used. I will then post the questions and the replies. Occasionally, Allan will consult with colleagues or other experts, so please do not expect instant replies.
I have also added a Contact Form after the latest Chapter in Allan's Reminiscences.
I have also added a Contact Form after the latest Chapter in Allan's Reminiscences.
Allan Black
Sydney producer engineer author Allan Black, started recording radio programs as a trainee in 1956 and sold his company and semi-retired in 2001. Here's his fascinating story.
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All or part of any written material, including graphics and photographs, submitted by Allan Black and contained in any of these ‘Parts’ is strictly copyright. © Allan Black 2016 - 2024.
All other material appearing in these 'Parts' (such as externally sourced photographs, artwork, advertisements, reprints etc.) are copyright their respective copyright owners, and are reproduced here on this website, under the "Fair dealing for purposes of criticism or review" provisions of the Copyright Act, 1968. (Australia)
All rights reserved. Nothing may be stored in a retrieval device for later use. Sight impaired visitors, please visit the home page first.
Part 16
Newcastle Flyer
In the 1960s steam engines drove the trains in Australia. The Newcastle Flyer was a fast big green C38 coal burner and as it raced along, if you opened a carriage window you could get a whiff of acrid smoke and maybe a cinder in your eye.
And I loved it, as a very young kid my dad used to take me up to see the engine at the station so of course I wanted to be an engine driver and many years later I was to produce the presentation for the Sydney Powerhouse Museums exhibition, for the first train to run in Australia.
At Central Station I bought a return ticket, planning to travel back to Sydney the following Saturday for a family birthday. Then I boarded a 3rd class carriage, and chose a seat which faced forward. To start their brand new television station it didn't seem right to arrive in Newcastle backwards.
So my first trip to join NBN Channel 3 was the start of another adventure which I still recall with wonder and amazement, that I actually survived it.
Before I left 2UE, Ken Stone had asked me to bring some library music themes which might be suitable for NBN programs. The News Program, the Women's Program, the Children's Program and a Public Affairs program. I did this, 'borrowing' the 78 rpm library discs from 2UEs record library. The theme that I remember most is the News Theme. Its title was 'Achievement' on a white label English Impress company record, and Channel 3 used it for many years for their nightly 7pm. News. Again it didn't worry me 'borrowing' the discs, just one department lending to another, so to speak.
On the 3 hour rail journey I had time to think about 2UE and the people. Another operator, Brian Lehman took over production of Soundabout and one person I should have mentioned earlier was Jack Pettit, manager of the panel operators. On the 4th floor Mr. Pettit was a very quiet reserved person. One morning about 8.30 after a very tight breakfast program with split second timing, as Jack walked into the booth to check the log book entries, I intentionally swung around in the chair knocking over my empty coffee cup. Jack laughed, he knew what I was doing.
And it was a surprise when I saw that Jack Pettit was a war veteran. On an ABC TV program about the RAAF in WW2, he appeared as a fighter pilot in New Guinea, serving with 75 Squadron in 1942. They had a very bad time and as far as I know, no one at 2UE ever mentioned it. But on Anzac Day, I think about Jack and his quiet sense of humour, it probably kept him sane in the intense tropical heat, the mosquitoes and the enemy.
When the Flyer arrived at Newcastle station, Reg Davis from 2KO greeted me and we drove to Portland Place New Lambton, to a house where Reg once boarded while his folks were away. He'd previously arranged for me to board there with Mr. and Mrs. Connaghan, while I got established in Newcastle.
On the drive, one thing I noticed was the very tall TV aerial masts on many houses, they all faced south as they could pick up Sydney TV programs, and the question was, how many Novocastrians would watch their new NBN3. Reg and I agreed curiosity would get us the first audiences, but if we didn't produce good professional entertaining programs, then they'd all go back to watching Sydney.
We knew the local critics would be watching every minute we were on air, and that included every NBN production. Our big advantage was, we would feature local talent, local entertainment and local events, and NBNs management was well aware of this.
To this end they'd looked around carefully for their on air presenters and production staff, a mix of local and imported people from all around the world. And at 8.30am on Monday Jan. 8 1962, I arrived at NBN studios to join them and get started.
They weren't all there that morning but among the first people I met was the Chief Engineer Ken Greenhalgh and Assistant Chief, Harry McPhee. And what a project they were facing, the studios were way behind schedule for the official opening on Sunday March 4. No fault of theirs because this was building from the ground up with all the brand new RCA equipment imported from the USA.
A few years ago, Ken Stone told me RCA had to search around the U.S. for television engineers who had experience installing a black and white TV station, as many had retired with colour TV coming to the United States. But in early 1961, a few did arrive in Newcastle to join Ken and Harry and their engineering staff, who were all knowledgeable professional engineers, well up to the task.
I also met many of the new production staff and they were as excited as I was. By lunchtime I could tell this was going to be 2UE on steroids. What a project! a brand new television station and we were going to play with it ... er I mean operate it.
And I loved it, as a very young kid my dad used to take me up to see the engine at the station so of course I wanted to be an engine driver and many years later I was to produce the presentation for the Sydney Powerhouse Museums exhibition, for the first train to run in Australia.
At Central Station I bought a return ticket, planning to travel back to Sydney the following Saturday for a family birthday. Then I boarded a 3rd class carriage, and chose a seat which faced forward. To start their brand new television station it didn't seem right to arrive in Newcastle backwards.
So my first trip to join NBN Channel 3 was the start of another adventure which I still recall with wonder and amazement, that I actually survived it.
Before I left 2UE, Ken Stone had asked me to bring some library music themes which might be suitable for NBN programs. The News Program, the Women's Program, the Children's Program and a Public Affairs program. I did this, 'borrowing' the 78 rpm library discs from 2UEs record library. The theme that I remember most is the News Theme. Its title was 'Achievement' on a white label English Impress company record, and Channel 3 used it for many years for their nightly 7pm. News. Again it didn't worry me 'borrowing' the discs, just one department lending to another, so to speak.
On the 3 hour rail journey I had time to think about 2UE and the people. Another operator, Brian Lehman took over production of Soundabout and one person I should have mentioned earlier was Jack Pettit, manager of the panel operators. On the 4th floor Mr. Pettit was a very quiet reserved person. One morning about 8.30 after a very tight breakfast program with split second timing, as Jack walked into the booth to check the log book entries, I intentionally swung around in the chair knocking over my empty coffee cup. Jack laughed, he knew what I was doing.
And it was a surprise when I saw that Jack Pettit was a war veteran. On an ABC TV program about the RAAF in WW2, he appeared as a fighter pilot in New Guinea, serving with 75 Squadron in 1942. They had a very bad time and as far as I know, no one at 2UE ever mentioned it. But on Anzac Day, I think about Jack and his quiet sense of humour, it probably kept him sane in the intense tropical heat, the mosquitoes and the enemy.
When the Flyer arrived at Newcastle station, Reg Davis from 2KO greeted me and we drove to Portland Place New Lambton, to a house where Reg once boarded while his folks were away. He'd previously arranged for me to board there with Mr. and Mrs. Connaghan, while I got established in Newcastle.
On the drive, one thing I noticed was the very tall TV aerial masts on many houses, they all faced south as they could pick up Sydney TV programs, and the question was, how many Novocastrians would watch their new NBN3. Reg and I agreed curiosity would get us the first audiences, but if we didn't produce good professional entertaining programs, then they'd all go back to watching Sydney.
We knew the local critics would be watching every minute we were on air, and that included every NBN production. Our big advantage was, we would feature local talent, local entertainment and local events, and NBNs management was well aware of this.
To this end they'd looked around carefully for their on air presenters and production staff, a mix of local and imported people from all around the world. And at 8.30am on Monday Jan. 8 1962, I arrived at NBN studios to join them and get started.
They weren't all there that morning but among the first people I met was the Chief Engineer Ken Greenhalgh and Assistant Chief, Harry McPhee. And what a project they were facing, the studios were way behind schedule for the official opening on Sunday March 4. No fault of theirs because this was building from the ground up with all the brand new RCA equipment imported from the USA.
A few years ago, Ken Stone told me RCA had to search around the U.S. for television engineers who had experience installing a black and white TV station, as many had retired with colour TV coming to the United States. But in early 1961, a few did arrive in Newcastle to join Ken and Harry and their engineering staff, who were all knowledgeable professional engineers, well up to the task.
I also met many of the new production staff and they were as excited as I was. By lunchtime I could tell this was going to be 2UE on steroids. What a project! a brand new television station and we were going to play with it ... er I mean operate it.
Part 17
It's unfortunate that the National Broadband Network currently being rolled out around Australia as I write this in July 2017, has the same initials as NBN Channel 3. In fact NBN stands for Newcastle Broadcasting New (South Wales), the title being awarded by the Aust. Broadcasting Control Board in 1961, but everyone referred to us as the Newcastle Broadcasting Network.
So, in Jan. 1962, the problem right at the start was, the Channel 3 production crew was here ready to start work, learning and rehearsing with our new RCA equipment, but none of it was ready. The 2 studios and the control room weren't finished, the special Magnesite floor in Studio A wasn't laid down, the lights in the studios weren't rigged and worst of all ... the staff canteen wasn't open.
How did management handle this? The following day, Tuesday Jan 9, we'd all been told to report to Elliot's Menswear in Hunter St. at 9am. This we did and we were all fitted with 2 pairs of new white overalls. Elliot's was owned by the Lamb family who owned Channel 3, so the clothes were free.
At the studios later that morning, Ken Stone the operations manager addressed us all together, officially introducing each of us to the rest of the production staff and dividing us into smaller groups for a guided tour of the studio building. As it happened Harry McPhee led our group and we started to get a better idea of our new surroundings.
We then reported to Studio A and under lighting director Barry Jones' direction we were taught how to wire up the lighting battens. Did I say it was hot? The Hunter region was in the middle of a summer heatwave with temps. around 100F (37.7C) and with no air conditioning in any part of the building it was sweltering, we all sweated gallons. Part of this job was to climb up on this tall scaffolding in Studio A and lay on our backs, just under the studio ceiling and cut, twist and fit the power cables into the lighting ducts and connect the terminals. It was extremely hot and you could only endure about 20mins before you had to climb down for a break, while Barry buzzed out the connections. And woe betide anyone who connected up the wrong cables, you had to climb up and do it again.
So, in Jan. 1962, the problem right at the start was, the Channel 3 production crew was here ready to start work, learning and rehearsing with our new RCA equipment, but none of it was ready. The 2 studios and the control room weren't finished, the special Magnesite floor in Studio A wasn't laid down, the lights in the studios weren't rigged and worst of all ... the staff canteen wasn't open.
How did management handle this? The following day, Tuesday Jan 9, we'd all been told to report to Elliot's Menswear in Hunter St. at 9am. This we did and we were all fitted with 2 pairs of new white overalls. Elliot's was owned by the Lamb family who owned Channel 3, so the clothes were free.
At the studios later that morning, Ken Stone the operations manager addressed us all together, officially introducing each of us to the rest of the production staff and dividing us into smaller groups for a guided tour of the studio building. As it happened Harry McPhee led our group and we started to get a better idea of our new surroundings.
We then reported to Studio A and under lighting director Barry Jones' direction we were taught how to wire up the lighting battens. Did I say it was hot? The Hunter region was in the middle of a summer heatwave with temps. around 100F (37.7C) and with no air conditioning in any part of the building it was sweltering, we all sweated gallons. Part of this job was to climb up on this tall scaffolding in Studio A and lay on our backs, just under the studio ceiling and cut, twist and fit the power cables into the lighting ducts and connect the terminals. It was extremely hot and you could only endure about 20mins before you had to climb down for a break, while Barry buzzed out the connections. And woe betide anyone who connected up the wrong cables, you had to climb up and do it again.
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Here's Mr. Jones, up on a tall ladder in Studio A with 2 of the Barton flood lights. Barton theatrical lighting in Sydney won the contract to make and supply all the studio fittings. Why is Barry looking confident, well because he knows how to connect them.
Ken Stone told me, when they were advertising for studio lighting directors, Barry Jones was the only applicant with a current electricians licence, he lived locally, had a specialised tool kit and he wasn't afraid of heights. Nothing fazed Barry, he'd studied everything about studio lighting even though he'd never worked in television, he was the right man for the job. He also made sure we all drank plenty of water, but even so I lost a few lbs. This went on and off for over a week, while we wired up the whole of Studio A lights. |
Barry Jones
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Here is an early pic. of NBN3 studios. The reception area at the front leads to the ground floor film dept. engineering and main control room, Studio B for news presentations and interviews and at the rear, the larger Studio A is seen at the back on the left, with the prop bay to its right. Most cars had to be parked at the front because the parking lot at the back of the building has yet to be finished.
When Studio A floor was surfaced with Magnesite for silent and level tracking of the TV cameras, we couldn't walk in there for a few days till it hardened.
Magnesite is usually a reddish pink colour although some floors were coloured using pigments. It was commonly applied on top of concrete ground floor slabs. Magnesite flooring was made from a mixture of calcined magnesite and magnesium chloride solution with various fillers (e.g. wood flour, sawdust, asbestos). The RCA studio communications aerial for the floor crew was laid under the Magnesite.
The staff canteen wasn't in operation yet, so we all bought in our lunches, Mrs. Connaghan having made me some sandwiches. After lunch we were introduced to the 3 studio program directors, Godfrey Philipp, Ron Gaist and the American, John Brown from Ohio, and we started to plan our program rehearsal schedules.
When Studio A floor was surfaced with Magnesite for silent and level tracking of the TV cameras, we couldn't walk in there for a few days till it hardened.
Magnesite is usually a reddish pink colour although some floors were coloured using pigments. It was commonly applied on top of concrete ground floor slabs. Magnesite flooring was made from a mixture of calcined magnesite and magnesium chloride solution with various fillers (e.g. wood flour, sawdust, asbestos). The RCA studio communications aerial for the floor crew was laid under the Magnesite.
The staff canteen wasn't in operation yet, so we all bought in our lunches, Mrs. Connaghan having made me some sandwiches. After lunch we were introduced to the 3 studio program directors, Godfrey Philipp, Ron Gaist and the American, John Brown from Ohio, and we started to plan our program rehearsal schedules.
Part 18
We were all working hard to ready Channel 3 for its first night's programming on Sunday March 4, 1962. At the new transmitter building on Mount Sugarloaf south west of the studios, they were working 24x7. The RCA engineers from America, were busy supervising installation of their dual black and white transmitters and the 455ft. transmission tower. Forward planning had all this equipment ready for conversion to colour when it arrived, a plus from RCA now well involved with colour in the USA.
But on top of Mt. Sugarloaf (someone with a sweet tooth and a sense of humour) they had their problems grappling with black and white, not the least being the weather. The road up to the transmitter building was very muddy, sightseers had to be kept away and the engineers were sleeping on the site.
But on top of Mt. Sugarloaf (someone with a sweet tooth and a sense of humour) they had their problems grappling with black and white, not the least being the weather. The road up to the transmitter building was very muddy, sightseers had to be kept away and the engineers were sleeping on the site.
Back at the studios, here is our crew setting up the control room. An RCA engineer is showing trainee George Brown how to adjust picture control. George went on from the technical dept. to work in Promotions and following Ken Stone, he eventually became station manager at Channel 3. And he was good at it, not bad career moves for a local boy.
Because there is no power available yet, there are no room lights, there's no picture monitors on the shelf to the right, and you can just make out the large fan. Without any aircon, management set up a number of these fans around the building to keep air circulating in the stifling heat.
Excitement was mounting, the Connaghans where I was boarding in New Lambton bought a TV set, they had a young son Michael who had Spina Bifida, and he was in a wheel chair. He was very clever and asked me many questions about our studios. Some mornings I'd tell him what we were planning to do that day and he wouldn't go to bed that night, till I arrived back from work to tell him what had happened. I was happy to see Michael caught up in the excitement and later I would bring him program scripts so he could proudly show his young friends who visited him from the neighbourhood.
Because there is no power available yet, there are no room lights, there's no picture monitors on the shelf to the right, and you can just make out the large fan. Without any aircon, management set up a number of these fans around the building to keep air circulating in the stifling heat.
Excitement was mounting, the Connaghans where I was boarding in New Lambton bought a TV set, they had a young son Michael who had Spina Bifida, and he was in a wheel chair. He was very clever and asked me many questions about our studios. Some mornings I'd tell him what we were planning to do that day and he wouldn't go to bed that night, till I arrived back from work to tell him what had happened. I was happy to see Michael caught up in the excitement and later I would bring him program scripts so he could proudly show his young friends who visited him from the neighbourhood.
Here is the RCA black and white test pattern in use in the early 1960s. This was generated from a Monoscope tube and transmitted from Mt. Sugarloaf. This was so Newcastle local television technicians could adjust domestic sets, many with new roof aerials aimed at our transmitter to receive a properly aligned picture. And of course this test pattern proudly announced our presence to everyone in our viewing area.
The very first NBN test transmissions were at 2am during week nights to make final adjustments before the first official test transmission at 2.57pm on Friday Feb. 16, a few weeks before the station opening. This test was continued over the weekend and the following week, accompanied by music played from LP records at the transmitter. Radio and TV shops downtown had multiple sets in their front windows showing our test pattern, with passersby standing staring at them listening to our music. At Bondi in Sydney, my parents could see our snowy picture on their indoor 17" Astor set, with a rabbits ears aerial on top. This meant a good picture was reaching well into the northern suburbs of Sydney, and this was causing some consternation in the board rooms of the Sydney television stations.
But right up to that time there was no power in our studios. I clearly remember the day someone said to me, "Hey! did you know there's power on in audio A" No I didn't so I raced up stairs to see for myself. Oh boy, Harry McPhee happened to be in A video control next door and he said, "Ok, you can turn the power on" What a moment, I threw the switch and the lights on the brand new RCA audio console, all lit up. We both stood there and marvelled at it. I went down to my locker in the staff room, got out the 78rpm records I'd bought up from 2UE and played some on our new turntable. They sounded better than I'd ever heard them, maybe because by that time the console had warmed up and the aroma from all the valves was very intoxicating.
Part 19
From Radio 2KO in Newcastle, expert panel operators Reginald Davis and Donald Coles, both who lived locally, joined us to complete our audio crew: three young radio musketeers in a television station, 'one for all and all for one!' .. so to speak.
So we got started working with our new audio gear in the large Studio A, and the smaller Studio B. The power had come on in Studio A video control, the ground floor master control, the film dept., staff canteen and all of the admin. offices on the top floor. Out in Studio A, lighting director Barry Jones switched on each of the banks of studio lighting, testing the lighting console he designed and built. And best of all the air conditioning came on, what a relief!
So we got started working with our new audio gear in the large Studio A, and the smaller Studio B. The power had come on in Studio A video control, the ground floor master control, the film dept., staff canteen and all of the admin. offices on the top floor. Out in Studio A, lighting director Barry Jones switched on each of the banks of studio lighting, testing the lighting console he designed and built. And best of all the air conditioning came on, what a relief!
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In Studio A we had this brand new Mole Richardson type 103B microphone boom with an RCA BK5 mic. Neither of us three audio guys had worked with this type of boom before, with a reach of 17 feet (5.18m) it can be tracked around the studio floor to pre-arranged areas of the set by a boom tracker from the floor crew. The operator standing on the 'pram' then positions the mic. just up out of camera picture frame and aims it to favour one or more talent. A certain skill is required to operate this equipment, not the least hitting the talent or falling off. With no picture monitor we had to be constantly aware of proceedings, without a seat, standing in the one spot for the whole program. If there was a very wide boom swing while being moved to another area, you had to duck under the arm while you swung it around without being swept off onto the floor, a hilarious undertaking for the floor crew while we learnt how to accomplish it.
The boom operator had headphones for instructions from both the audio and video directors, and we practiced every day, talked about it at the Delany Hotel after work each evening ... and I was dreaming about it at the Connaghans each night. |
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The micro wave links from the studios to the Mt. Sugarloaf transmitter tested satisfactorily and immediately the busy engineers up there, requested we take over playing the music for the test transmission each afternoon. We had a good selection of recorded album music, and the very first Channel 3 crew roster was issued. This was so each of us took control playing the music from master control to the transmitter, to accompany our RCA black and white test pattern.
The Studio A Magnesite floor had set firmly, now our camera crew was hard at work getting to grips with their new RCA cameras. The floor crew with the new sets built in the prop bay for the Home at 3 program, the 3 Cheers children's show, the News set and the Focus program. The look and smell of these newly painted sets by property master Bud Buddens crew encouraged everyone.
Each day, I would walk through Buds prop. bay to get to the control room and appreciate what he was doing, he would look at me and I knew he appreciated what I was doing. Our jobs were poles apart but we both were aware we were on the same team, and the viewers of Newcastle were expecting us to introduce them to their new television station.
The Studio A Magnesite floor had set firmly, now our camera crew was hard at work getting to grips with their new RCA cameras. The floor crew with the new sets built in the prop bay for the Home at 3 program, the 3 Cheers children's show, the News set and the Focus program. The look and smell of these newly painted sets by property master Bud Buddens crew encouraged everyone.
Each day, I would walk through Buds prop. bay to get to the control room and appreciate what he was doing, he would look at me and I knew he appreciated what I was doing. Our jobs were poles apart but we both were aware we were on the same team, and the viewers of Newcastle were expecting us to introduce them to their new television station.
Downtown on Hunter St. and in our coverage area each hot evening, crowds gathered in front of the radio and television shops which displayed our TV picture. This is not Newcastle, but it's an example of what it looked like in early 1962. You arrived with a seat, met new friends, watched the screen, listened to the music, and as long as you didn't block the footpath everyone had a good time.
Part 20
The differences in the 'sound' for 1960 radio programs and 1962 Channel 3 television productions are now apparent to each of us three radio panel operators.
At Radio 2UE and 2KO there is continuous speech, together with non stop music and commercials from tape and vinyl records. There is never any silent periods or 'dead air.' If there is, after about 15 secs. the warning alarm sounds loudly in the station's control room and engineers come running. All professional radio announcers speak close to one microphone, their voice is clear it rarely varies, and the music comes from professionally made studio recordings.
Television sound is different, TV program sound accompanies the pictures on the screen.
At Radio 2UE and 2KO there is continuous speech, together with non stop music and commercials from tape and vinyl records. There is never any silent periods or 'dead air.' If there is, after about 15 secs. the warning alarm sounds loudly in the station's control room and engineers come running. All professional radio announcers speak close to one microphone, their voice is clear it rarely varies, and the music comes from professionally made studio recordings.
Television sound is different, TV program sound accompanies the pictures on the screen.
Here is our Studio A audio booth, its console is bigger than a radio studio console with 4 black microphone controls on the left. The announcers booth is on the left of the console. The studio mic. is usually on the boom which can be 5-10 feet away from the person speaking, and as we are discovering, not everyone is a professional speaker. Speech can vary a lot, so we have to constantly monitor the mic. with its volume control.
But in 1962, our advantages over radio sound are,
1. the viewers will be watching the person speaking and
2. TV sound is higher fidelity or higher quality than radio, and many NBN Channel 3 viewers are about to experience this for the first time. And there can be long periods of silence on TV, especially when the action on the screen is telling the story.
But in 1962, our advantages over radio sound are,
1. the viewers will be watching the person speaking and
2. TV sound is higher fidelity or higher quality than radio, and many NBN Channel 3 viewers are about to experience this for the first time. And there can be long periods of silence on TV, especially when the action on the screen is telling the story.
On the right next to Studio A audio control booth, here is A video control. In here the program director and his assistant are concerned with the pictures and you can see the camera's monitors, the director pushes his selected camera button on his control panel for the viewers. So this leaves us audio guys to produce clear balanced sound for the programs, and we are now hearing new jargon, television terms I'd studied at the Film and Television school in Nth. Sydney ... 'Cue theme, Fade and dissolve to camera, Cue talent, Cut to camera, Roll projector' etc.
Now at 10am each weekday, our Studio A production crew is earnestly rehearsing for NBNs live programs, each day getting closer to the stations official opening date, March 4. 'Home at 3' is one, a quality afternoon program with an attractive living room set for interviews and next to it, a complete kitchen for the cooking segment.
One morning I remember our specialist chef on the show Iris Lang, is in camera rehearsals, demonstrating how to prepare and cook delicious scones. She'd previously made some to show various stages of preparation and in closing, she opens the oven and takes out a plate of her lovely 'cooked' browned scones. Director Godfrey Philipp calls for a short crew break, and while Iris is talking to Len Richardson our floor manager, the 3 camera operators rush over to sample the scones. One takes a bite when Iris turns and shouts 'No! No! don't!' These particular 'scones' are made from coloured plaster, they save cooking time and Iris made them to look delicious on the home screen. It's a television cooking trick still in use today.
I'm in Studio A audio and Reg Davis is on boom, he turns to look up at me and we both laugh, however a short time later the tables turn. After the break Godfrey instructs us to rehearse the program opening. This consists of a 'Home at 3' graphic slide and on Godfrey's cue I play the vinyl record with the theme music and fade it down for Laurie Burrows the booth announcer to announce, "It's time for Home at 3 on Channel 3 and now, here is your host, Ken Eady."
At this point the theme music reaches a point where the violins swell up, so I fade them up right on Lauries cue, perfect! But I've turned my program speaker up so loud I don't hear Godfrey call "Dissolve to camera one, cue Ken." Seconds later I look up at my picture monitor and there's Ken full screen, mouthing his welcome speech together with my soaring violins. Only then I hear Godfrey shouting "Stop! Stop!" Everyone stops and turns to look up at us.
And on the studio talkback, Godfrey with his eyes as big as saucers utters the immortal line, "What do you think this is Allan, radio with pictures ..?"
Now at 10am each weekday, our Studio A production crew is earnestly rehearsing for NBNs live programs, each day getting closer to the stations official opening date, March 4. 'Home at 3' is one, a quality afternoon program with an attractive living room set for interviews and next to it, a complete kitchen for the cooking segment.
One morning I remember our specialist chef on the show Iris Lang, is in camera rehearsals, demonstrating how to prepare and cook delicious scones. She'd previously made some to show various stages of preparation and in closing, she opens the oven and takes out a plate of her lovely 'cooked' browned scones. Director Godfrey Philipp calls for a short crew break, and while Iris is talking to Len Richardson our floor manager, the 3 camera operators rush over to sample the scones. One takes a bite when Iris turns and shouts 'No! No! don't!' These particular 'scones' are made from coloured plaster, they save cooking time and Iris made them to look delicious on the home screen. It's a television cooking trick still in use today.
I'm in Studio A audio and Reg Davis is on boom, he turns to look up at me and we both laugh, however a short time later the tables turn. After the break Godfrey instructs us to rehearse the program opening. This consists of a 'Home at 3' graphic slide and on Godfrey's cue I play the vinyl record with the theme music and fade it down for Laurie Burrows the booth announcer to announce, "It's time for Home at 3 on Channel 3 and now, here is your host, Ken Eady."
At this point the theme music reaches a point where the violins swell up, so I fade them up right on Lauries cue, perfect! But I've turned my program speaker up so loud I don't hear Godfrey call "Dissolve to camera one, cue Ken." Seconds later I look up at my picture monitor and there's Ken full screen, mouthing his welcome speech together with my soaring violins. Only then I hear Godfrey shouting "Stop! Stop!" Everyone stops and turns to look up at us.
And on the studio talkback, Godfrey with his eyes as big as saucers utters the immortal line, "What do you think this is Allan, radio with pictures ..?"
Part 21
Everyone roars laughing at this and after we all settle down, Godfrey calls for a restart. The following ‘Home at Three’ program opening happens as he directs, the one after that even better. Host Ken Eady ‘welcomes’ everyone and goes on to conduct a full rehearsal for the 3 cameras, the floor crew and us sound guys.
In the canteen at midday I get a good natured ribbing from our crew and we all enjoy a hot meal. Reg. and I have lunch with floor manager Len Richardson, who says Godfrey's 'radio with pictures' comment is his astute way of releasing the crews nervous energy that's been building up to the March 4 opening. We agree, and it's the start of Godfrey Philipp's wonderful tenure at Channel 3, justifying operations manager Ken Stone's selection as the senior producer director.
And we're building a new team, not like an established football or cricket team that gets one or two new players, we're all brand new players in the exciting new game of Newcastle television.
Len Richardson also turns out to be a wise appointment as floor manager.
His christian name is Lenin, that’s right his father christened him after the historic Russian communist leader. Len would have had to deal with this right through his school years, and there’s a saying that goes ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ This certainly applies to our clever new floor manager.
In the canteen at midday I get a good natured ribbing from our crew and we all enjoy a hot meal. Reg. and I have lunch with floor manager Len Richardson, who says Godfrey's 'radio with pictures' comment is his astute way of releasing the crews nervous energy that's been building up to the March 4 opening. We agree, and it's the start of Godfrey Philipp's wonderful tenure at Channel 3, justifying operations manager Ken Stone's selection as the senior producer director.
And we're building a new team, not like an established football or cricket team that gets one or two new players, we're all brand new players in the exciting new game of Newcastle television.
Len Richardson also turns out to be a wise appointment as floor manager.
His christian name is Lenin, that’s right his father christened him after the historic Russian communist leader. Len would have had to deal with this right through his school years, and there’s a saying that goes ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ This certainly applies to our clever new floor manager.
Here’s Len as senior cameraman on Sydneys ABN2 crane camera for their very first drama program in 1956. A few years ago Ken Stone told me there were quite a few applicants for his Channel 3 floor manager position but Len had all the necessary qualifications. One is, he spent time in the Royal Australian Navy so management believes he has the necessary discipline to keep us young guns in check. Hah!
And Len has other attributes and a wonderful sense of humour is one. Later on in the children’s ‘Three Cheers Show’ Len will appear as the zany character Leonardo De Funbird, the animated voice behind the scenery. Having worked with another bird, Sammy Sparrow at 2UE, I knew we were going to have fun.
And Len has other attributes and a wonderful sense of humour is one. Later on in the children’s ‘Three Cheers Show’ Len will appear as the zany character Leonardo De Funbird, the animated voice behind the scenery. Having worked with another bird, Sammy Sparrow at 2UE, I knew we were going to have fun.
On the home front, as time goes on boarding with the Connaghans at New Lambton is becoming a chore, not for me, them. My rent there includes my clothes laundered, shirts ironed, dinner cooked, and it’s the same arrangement for Harvey their other boarder. He’s a local Commonwealth bank teller, a regular guy originally from the country, he works weekdays 9-5, and is always there for dinner, I’m not. Most mornings I tell Mrs. C. I’ll be working late, l’ll be late getting in and not to keep dinner for me. I have it at the Delany which is our local hotel not far from the studios, and off we all go to some party or other. Mrs. Franks the Delany Hotel licensee has taken us all under her wing and a few of us stay at her hotel. She is also a good business woman.
But it all comes to a head one Saturday night. The Connaghans have decided to extend the back of their house to accommodate more boarders. They extended their back verandah, added another bedroom with a bathroom, and this Saturday, husband Pat has carefully laid a new concrete floor on the whole verandah. I’m actually working late this day, so Pat leaves a note at the back steps for me to use the front door, to avoid the wet concrete. But the wind blows the note away, I arrive about 2am from the Delany, make it up the back stairs, stagger through the wet concrete, get the back door open and fall into bed.
At 6am I’m jerked awake by Mrs. C. sitting astride me, shaking my shoulders and yelling about her new concrete. I manage to get up and go out to see it. It looks like about 20 guys have stumbled through it, there’s wet footprints going in all directions.
Thankfully the big Irishman Pat C. keeps silent, he’s thinking about his younger days while he quietly sees the funny side of all this, but Mrs. C. has had enough. I offer to pay for the damage while telling them I’ll find other accommodation. The sad thing about all this is, I have to say goodbye to their handicapped son Michael, but I promise to drop our television program scripts in to him, and I manage to do this during the year.
But it all comes to a head one Saturday night. The Connaghans have decided to extend the back of their house to accommodate more boarders. They extended their back verandah, added another bedroom with a bathroom, and this Saturday, husband Pat has carefully laid a new concrete floor on the whole verandah. I’m actually working late this day, so Pat leaves a note at the back steps for me to use the front door, to avoid the wet concrete. But the wind blows the note away, I arrive about 2am from the Delany, make it up the back stairs, stagger through the wet concrete, get the back door open and fall into bed.
At 6am I’m jerked awake by Mrs. C. sitting astride me, shaking my shoulders and yelling about her new concrete. I manage to get up and go out to see it. It looks like about 20 guys have stumbled through it, there’s wet footprints going in all directions.
Thankfully the big Irishman Pat C. keeps silent, he’s thinking about his younger days while he quietly sees the funny side of all this, but Mrs. C. has had enough. I offer to pay for the damage while telling them I’ll find other accommodation. The sad thing about all this is, I have to say goodbye to their handicapped son Michael, but I promise to drop our television program scripts in to him, and I manage to do this during the year.
So the next day, Sunday afternoon, Des Barry the Channel 3 stills photographer who currently resides at the Delany, answers my phone call and drives to their house in his new Peugeot 403 with its white wall tyres.
So with my wet shoes wrapped in plastic I load my stuff and move to a spare bedroom at nearby Russell Rd. It’s in a large old house recently leased by Phillip Pride, the new Channel 3 on air co-ordinator, and Bill Bowen the senior studio cameraman.
Phillip originally from South Australia brings with him a taste for Adelaide’s Coopers Beer. In 1962 it’s not sold at the Delany Hotel in Newcastle but that doesn’t bother Phil, he has his mother air freight cases of the stuff up from Adelaide, so at our house parties, we all get to enjoy it.
So with my wet shoes wrapped in plastic I load my stuff and move to a spare bedroom at nearby Russell Rd. It’s in a large old house recently leased by Phillip Pride, the new Channel 3 on air co-ordinator, and Bill Bowen the senior studio cameraman.
Phillip originally from South Australia brings with him a taste for Adelaide’s Coopers Beer. In 1962 it’s not sold at the Delany Hotel in Newcastle but that doesn’t bother Phil, he has his mother air freight cases of the stuff up from Adelaide, so at our house parties, we all get to enjoy it.
Part 22
Meanwhile at the NBN studios in Feb. 1962, we’re all working flat out rehearsing for the forthcoming live programs with our new RCA equipment. Everything is made by RCA America, from the microphones, cameras, control room equipment, right through to the transmitter.
But there are some serious problems for us sound guys: all the long studio microphone cables did not arrive with any male Cannon connectors. These are the 3 pin connectors on the end of each long mic. cable that plug into the sockets around the walls of Studios A and B. Studio B is our smaller news and interview studio.
But there are some serious problems for us sound guys: all the long studio microphone cables did not arrive with any male Cannon connectors. These are the 3 pin connectors on the end of each long mic. cable that plug into the sockets around the walls of Studios A and B. Studio B is our smaller news and interview studio.
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There is a thorough check of all the large equipment containers but no connectors. So to use our mics., there’s only one thing to do, and that is to poke each of the 3 mic cable wires into each of the 3 position wall sockets, and to keep these wires firmly in place we push 3 match sticks in as well. At this stage of our lives most of us are smoking cigarettes, and Reg. Davis and I each carry a box of safety matches with their strike heads cut off. And at any time, anyone who trips over a mic. cable on the studio floor, could pull the 3 wires out of the wall socket, and that mic. will go off the air. (an old radio term)
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And this is time consuming as we are now rehearsing for Tempo, our new teenage music program to be telecast live at 6pm each Saturday night directed by Godfrey Philipp from Studio A. This will be followed by our 30 min. weekend news presented from Studio B at 6.30.
Ken Stone our operations manager assures us an urgent cable has been sent to RCA in the USA to send us the missing Cannon connectors ASAP, while rehearsals continue. At the time we don’t think anything of this as we are all caught up in the excitement of our brand new valve television equipment, which gives off an intoxicating aroma as it warms up each morning.
Ken Stone our operations manager assures us an urgent cable has been sent to RCA in the USA to send us the missing Cannon connectors ASAP, while rehearsals continue. At the time we don’t think anything of this as we are all caught up in the excitement of our brand new valve television equipment, which gives off an intoxicating aroma as it warms up each morning.
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The RCA microphones we have are the state of the art in 1962, some are still in use today, but another problem is we don’t have many of them. Our mic. compliment is one classic 77-DX. This is a mic. with 3 sound pickup positions, but we set it to ‘Cardioid’ meaning it picks up sound at the front of it and rejects most of the sound coming from the sides or rear. This mic. is mounted on a small boom which is mostly positioned stationary on the program set. The next is the RCA BK-5B, it’s mounted on our big Mole Richardson boom with our operator in Studio A, seen in Part 19. It will be used for program hosts, interviews and vocalists. And a good boom operator is very important, in Hollywood at the introduction of sound in the early 1930s, the studio boom sound operator was the highest paid member of the crew. Also we have 3 small BK-6 mics, these are intended to be placed on talent, very good for people who move around, twisting and turning. This mic. includes a clip that hangs on the talents chest, the mic cable runs down their leg and plugs into a floor cable that runs to a studio wall socket. The talent can walk around but not very far, and this must be rehearsed beforehand. |
We also have 4 BK-1A mics, these are omni directional meaning they will pickup sound from all around them. We plan to use them on live bands, to balance the sound of all the instruments.
Apart from balancing the sound of the orchestra for 2UEs National Old Time Dance Program each Sunday night, and this is always the same for each program, I’ve never balanced a band with a vocalist for anything, let alone on live TV.
My three advantages are, for the last 5 years, I’ve been studying jazz records, in particular the Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan quartets from California and, I’ve got a tenor saxophone. Since 1962, I’ve always known that these helped me in balancing the musical entertainment for NBNs programs.
And my 3rd advantage is, my buddy from 2UE, musical director Frank Scott with his many years of experience, has also joined Channel 3, and he’s now rehearsing his quartet who are all local professional musicians. And they’re looking forward to being among the first entertainers to appear on Channel 3.
The plan is to give local Newcastle talent of all ages, wide exposure on their brand new black and white television station with 17” screens and monaural sound ... and they’re all as excited as we are.
Apart from balancing the sound of the orchestra for 2UEs National Old Time Dance Program each Sunday night, and this is always the same for each program, I’ve never balanced a band with a vocalist for anything, let alone on live TV.
My three advantages are, for the last 5 years, I’ve been studying jazz records, in particular the Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan quartets from California and, I’ve got a tenor saxophone. Since 1962, I’ve always known that these helped me in balancing the musical entertainment for NBNs programs.
And my 3rd advantage is, my buddy from 2UE, musical director Frank Scott with his many years of experience, has also joined Channel 3, and he’s now rehearsing his quartet who are all local professional musicians. And they’re looking forward to being among the first entertainers to appear on Channel 3.
The plan is to give local Newcastle talent of all ages, wide exposure on their brand new black and white television station with 17” screens and monaural sound ... and they’re all as excited as we are.
Part 23
One of the programs we rehearse is our nightly news program. It’s fairly easy for us sound crew as there’s only one mic. on the news desk. But the plan is to include as many local film stories as possible and play background music for them on our turntables, so this means careful cueing of library music discs, similar to my work at Radio 2UE and Reg. Davis and Don Coles at 2KO.
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NBNs first news reader is Murray Finlay, he comes from country radio, 2WG Wagga then 2TM Tamworth. And how will he read the TV news without an autocue. This is a scrolling script that plays on a screen 3, attached to the camera, 1. It’s controlled by an operator who scrolls the script paced with the person reading 6, and he or she reads from it while looking at the camera 5, and of course the viewers.
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Autocues were introduced in the 1950s and today, every television station has them, but now in Feb. 1962, we haven’t, in fact I’ve never even heard of them.
Well Murray tells me he was born in New Zealand and comes from a very religious family. As a young boy after dinner at night, the family took turns in reading from the Bible. So Murray developed his technique and is now able to look down at his news script on the desk in front of him, instantly memorise 2 or 3 sentences, then look up at the camera and deliver them to the viewers. Not a bad trick, try it sometime.
Well Murray tells me he was born in New Zealand and comes from a very religious family. As a young boy after dinner at night, the family took turns in reading from the Bible. So Murray developed his technique and is now able to look down at his news script on the desk in front of him, instantly memorise 2 or 3 sentences, then look up at the camera and deliver them to the viewers. Not a bad trick, try it sometime.
Another new machine we have is a huge valve RCA Model TRT-1B. It’s called a Television Tape Recorder, because the rival U.S. company Ampex, has trademarked the name ‘Videotape.’ The TRT-1B is RCAs first production video recorder and we’re very proud that ours is the first one outside the major city TV stations in Australia. And it’s certainly an attraction when showing potential advertising clients around our station facilities.
The TRT runs on 2” wide magnetic video tape, which I’ve never seen before and neither has any of our visitors. One story currently going around the staff, is a puzzled visitor who holds the tape up to the light to see if he can see the picture.
And these big rolls of tape are heavy, but our tape operator Pat ‘Billie’ Teare, handles the tapes with ease while she and assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee, study the intricacies of running the machine. And one is letting it warm up for 30 minutes before use, this is a nominal time but meant to make sure all the valves and circuitry of the TRT stabilise before use.
Some of their fondest memories are, forgetting to fully drain the condensed water from the head wheel compressor, and sometime during a playback, water begins spitting out of the head.
Now our opening night program is being put in place. It’s to be a pre-filmed address by Charles Davidson, the Minister for Telecommunications, followed by a welcome to Channel 3, from our production manager Mathew Tapp. Happy go lucky Matt comes from 2KO with many years of announcing and presentation experience, and it seems everyone in Newcastle knows him.
Matt will then introduce presenter Ken Eady, who’ll conduct a walking tour of our production facilities, the whole program to run 30 minutes.
Not as easy as it sounds, because an RCA TV camera on a studio pedestal has to be tracked along our ground floor corridors, and they’re meant to be tracked on dead flat smooth level studio flooring. So the plan is to mount one on a wheeled tripod and our floor manager Len Richardson who has ABC TV tripod experience is elected to be the cameraman, to follow Ken around our ground floor facilities. Ken also has this long, very long mic. cable and I’m now staring at it hoping he won’t get tangled up.
Now senior director Godfrey Philipp is telling us this all has to be video recorded in one long 30 minute take, as we can’t edit our 2” video tape, oh boy. Well we can edit the tape, but it’s a long complicated process, and if we edit once, then the pressure’s off and we can edit it again. Godfrey laughs saying there’s no fun in that, and there’s dead silence from the crew.
So we practice stationing our guys to haul the long camera and mic. cables along the corridors, while keeping out of the way of Len and his camera.
The TRT runs on 2” wide magnetic video tape, which I’ve never seen before and neither has any of our visitors. One story currently going around the staff, is a puzzled visitor who holds the tape up to the light to see if he can see the picture.
And these big rolls of tape are heavy, but our tape operator Pat ‘Billie’ Teare, handles the tapes with ease while she and assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee, study the intricacies of running the machine. And one is letting it warm up for 30 minutes before use, this is a nominal time but meant to make sure all the valves and circuitry of the TRT stabilise before use.
Some of their fondest memories are, forgetting to fully drain the condensed water from the head wheel compressor, and sometime during a playback, water begins spitting out of the head.
Now our opening night program is being put in place. It’s to be a pre-filmed address by Charles Davidson, the Minister for Telecommunications, followed by a welcome to Channel 3, from our production manager Mathew Tapp. Happy go lucky Matt comes from 2KO with many years of announcing and presentation experience, and it seems everyone in Newcastle knows him.
Matt will then introduce presenter Ken Eady, who’ll conduct a walking tour of our production facilities, the whole program to run 30 minutes.
Not as easy as it sounds, because an RCA TV camera on a studio pedestal has to be tracked along our ground floor corridors, and they’re meant to be tracked on dead flat smooth level studio flooring. So the plan is to mount one on a wheeled tripod and our floor manager Len Richardson who has ABC TV tripod experience is elected to be the cameraman, to follow Ken around our ground floor facilities. Ken also has this long, very long mic. cable and I’m now staring at it hoping he won’t get tangled up.
Now senior director Godfrey Philipp is telling us this all has to be video recorded in one long 30 minute take, as we can’t edit our 2” video tape, oh boy. Well we can edit the tape, but it’s a long complicated process, and if we edit once, then the pressure’s off and we can edit it again. Godfrey laughs saying there’s no fun in that, and there’s dead silence from the crew.
So we practice stationing our guys to haul the long camera and mic. cables along the corridors, while keeping out of the way of Len and his camera.
A week before we officially open Channel 3 , god bless him assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee comes into Studio A with a box of shiny new Cannon male microphone plug connectors, and engineers George Brown and Len Daly spend a couple of hours soldering them to the ends of all our studio mic. cables. Harry tells us that RCA in America has instructed him to do this because the U.S audio cable wiring is different to Australia. So George and Len follow Harry’s directions, carefully soldering and shielding audio pins 1-3 connections, wiring pin 3 as earth.
You can’t imagine Reg Davis, Don Coles and my relief at being able to plug all our mics. straight into our studio wall connections, without using dead matches to jam the 3 bare cable ends tight in place so they don’t fall out - just before we go live on air - phew!
Part 24
Before the opening night’s program and to keep this story balanced, I should tell you more about my current Newcastle domestic life. At Channel 3 in 1962, there are 2 groups of staff. One is the local people, after work each day they go home to their families. The 2nd group is us, the ‘imports’, staff whose families live in other towns and cities, although operations manager Ken Stone and his family from Sydney, now live in nice house right at Bar Beach.
As a result, after work we all separate, mostly we ‘imports’ go to our nearby Delany hotel for a drink, maybe dinner then home to our various digs.
So it’s not long before we guys host parties on Friday and Saturday nights. To balance the sexes, early one Friday night we phone the Newcastle Hospital nurses home and invite the off duty ladies to a party. As a result, I meet a lovely nurse Carmen S., a 19yr. old country girl studying 2nd year nursing here in Newcastle.
A pretty girl, Carmen had lived with her family, brothers and sisters on a farm and she’s as down to earth as you can imagine. She and I get on well and soon one Sunday night she invites me to dinner at her grandmothers house, locally at Adamstown. Looking back I think Nanna was giving me the once over for the family, and I believe I passed, using the correct knife and fork for her delicious roast dinner.
Now, if I can’t get my washing to the local laundry I do it myself, struggling ironing the shirts with the new steam iron we bought for the house. One Sat. night, Carmen noticing this, says ‘Allan, I can put your washing through the hospital laundry, ironing and everything, I’ll list you as Dr. Black’ At first I hesitate, but Carmen insists, so I give her my weeks dirty shirts when I drop her off back at the nurses home.
As a result, after work we all separate, mostly we ‘imports’ go to our nearby Delany hotel for a drink, maybe dinner then home to our various digs.
So it’s not long before we guys host parties on Friday and Saturday nights. To balance the sexes, early one Friday night we phone the Newcastle Hospital nurses home and invite the off duty ladies to a party. As a result, I meet a lovely nurse Carmen S., a 19yr. old country girl studying 2nd year nursing here in Newcastle.
A pretty girl, Carmen had lived with her family, brothers and sisters on a farm and she’s as down to earth as you can imagine. She and I get on well and soon one Sunday night she invites me to dinner at her grandmothers house, locally at Adamstown. Looking back I think Nanna was giving me the once over for the family, and I believe I passed, using the correct knife and fork for her delicious roast dinner.
Now, if I can’t get my washing to the local laundry I do it myself, struggling ironing the shirts with the new steam iron we bought for the house. One Sat. night, Carmen noticing this, says ‘Allan, I can put your washing through the hospital laundry, ironing and everything, I’ll list you as Dr. Black’ At first I hesitate, but Carmen insists, so I give her my weeks dirty shirts when I drop her off back at the nurses home.
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A week later she has them ready and I bring them home leaving them in my bedroom. Monday morning when I go to get dressed, I select a nice clean ironed shirt and discover it’s as stiff as a board. My load of washing has been through the hospital system and with all the heavy starch, I can literally stand my shirts up against a wall. To put one on I have to punch my way into the sleeves, so I get up 15mins. early each day to get dressed for work.
Thankfully, I’m sensible enough not to complain about any of this to dear Carmen, and not long after that she writes to tell her sisters more about the nice boy she’s met from Channel 3. |
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Part 25
With my laundry now being done at Newcastle Hospital, I’m starting to feel like a local, a Novocastrian. Novo > New, Castrian > Castle.
At the studios, the script for the very first opening program is being finalised. Operations manager Ken Stone told me that when this production was being formulated by management in early 1962, a number of ideas were put forward.
One, is a 1hr. video taped variety show with imported and local talent. But getting talent from Sydney would be time consuming and expensive with all the rehearsals needed. And we would need a larger orchestra with new arrangements written for some local artists.
Another, is a 1hr. 16mm filmed documentary on the history of Newcastle, leading up to the building of the station. It could lead up to the transmitter at Mt. Sugarloaf, right from the top of the mast overlooking Newcastle. Then include interviews on location with local personalities anticipating the benefits the community will gain, and interviews with excited people on the street in country centres in the viewing area.
But eventually it was decided we should demonstrate the picture quality of our brand new state of the art RCA video tape, over 16mm film, and show the features of our modern studio facilities which are the largest outside of any Australian capital city. This would hopefully encourage big national companies to produce their television commercials with us, competing at the same level as the professional Sydney production companies. This is considered an ambitious undertaking by NBN management. But as Newcastle is only 100 miles from Sydney and with a fast new freeway being built, ‘economical TV commercial production packages’ are already being put together by our Sydney sales office.
So here is the very first script for our very first station program. ‘Matt’ is our production manager Matt Tapp, who wrote the script with contributions by our technical staff. The booth announcer is Laurie Burrows and CUE GRAMS: > gramophone > play theme > Hey! that’s my cue ...
At the studios, the script for the very first opening program is being finalised. Operations manager Ken Stone told me that when this production was being formulated by management in early 1962, a number of ideas were put forward.
One, is a 1hr. video taped variety show with imported and local talent. But getting talent from Sydney would be time consuming and expensive with all the rehearsals needed. And we would need a larger orchestra with new arrangements written for some local artists.
Another, is a 1hr. 16mm filmed documentary on the history of Newcastle, leading up to the building of the station. It could lead up to the transmitter at Mt. Sugarloaf, right from the top of the mast overlooking Newcastle. Then include interviews on location with local personalities anticipating the benefits the community will gain, and interviews with excited people on the street in country centres in the viewing area.
But eventually it was decided we should demonstrate the picture quality of our brand new state of the art RCA video tape, over 16mm film, and show the features of our modern studio facilities which are the largest outside of any Australian capital city. This would hopefully encourage big national companies to produce their television commercials with us, competing at the same level as the professional Sydney production companies. This is considered an ambitious undertaking by NBN management. But as Newcastle is only 100 miles from Sydney and with a fast new freeway being built, ‘economical TV commercial production packages’ are already being put together by our Sydney sales office.
So here is the very first script for our very first station program. ‘Matt’ is our production manager Matt Tapp, who wrote the script with contributions by our technical staff. The booth announcer is Laurie Burrows and CUE GRAMS: > gramophone > play theme > Hey! that’s my cue ...
After this script was approved, to give our taped opening program better continuity, director Godfrey Philipp decided to move the opening address by the Post Master General, the Hon. C. W. Davidson O.B.E. from the closing to the front of the show, to be introduced by Matt Tapp. This will be followed by a short dedication by Anglican Bishop James Housden, Matt will then introduce host Ken Eady, who’ll conduct a walking tour of our ground floor studio facilities. To close the program, Ken will then introduce the first half hour news program to be read by Murray Finlay at 6.30, live from Studio A.
Part 26
So at 9am on a hot Saturday March 3, 1962, the day before the official opening, our production crew assemble in Studio A, ready to video tape our opening program. Matt Tapp arrives, and he’s full of enthusiasm having done this before, hosting many Newcastle functions over the years.
Director Godfrey Philipp is in close conference with host Ken Eady who has the bulk of the work. Ken also has much experience but not in television. It’s suggested that he place basic cue cards in positions out of Len Richardson’s camera range and he rehearses on the floor, walking with Godfrey and Len along the studio corridors.
As the audio crew in Studio A, Reg Davis and I won’t have that much to do. Reg will operate the boom mic. set in the one position for Matt Tapps introduction. The Post Master Generals opening address will come from film in telecine, followed by the Anglican dedication in the studio, host Ken Eady will then take over with his hand mic. hosting his 20 minute tour of the studios facilities.
My job is to maintain all the audio levels, probably the least difficult of the whole production, but from my experience so far, anything can happen.
Director Godfrey Philipp is in close conference with host Ken Eady who has the bulk of the work. Ken also has much experience but not in television. It’s suggested that he place basic cue cards in positions out of Len Richardson’s camera range and he rehearses on the floor, walking with Godfrey and Len along the studio corridors.
As the audio crew in Studio A, Reg Davis and I won’t have that much to do. Reg will operate the boom mic. set in the one position for Matt Tapps introduction. The Post Master Generals opening address will come from film in telecine, followed by the Anglican dedication in the studio, host Ken Eady will then take over with his hand mic. hosting his 20 minute tour of the studios facilities.
My job is to maintain all the audio levels, probably the least difficult of the whole production, but from my experience so far, anything can happen.
In the video tape room downstairs, Assistant Chief Engineer Harry McPhee and operator Pat ‘Billie’ Tiere are warming up the valves and circuitry of our new RCA Tape Recorder, and a new roll of 2” video tape is being laced up ready to record. At this time there are only a couple of these new RCA (Video) Tape Recorders in the country and they will actually record a colour picture, as well as our black and white signal.
So with everyone in position, cameras and audio levels set, Godfrey calls for the first time, “Roll tape and record” 10 seconds later Billie calls from the tape room intercom “Tape recording Godfrey” His assistant Marie Thompson starts her stopwatch as he calls to me, “Cue theme.” I fade up the opening music, then announcer Laurie Burrows in the booth reads “This is NBN .... Channel 3”
Matt Tapp gets his cue and walks out of the darkness into the light to start the opening program, he introduces the Post Master General on film and we’re under way, very exciting. After his official opening and the dedication, Matt introduces Ken Eady and he starts his studio tour tracked by Len Richardson with his RCA camera on a wheeled tripod.
But about 15 minutes in, there’s an urgent call from the video tape room as Harry says, “Godfrey, sorry we’ve got a problem here, tape stopped” Godfrey calls “Hold it, stop everyone” and we all stop with silent groans. We take a break while Harry and Billie work on their recorder problem, Len begins repositioning his camera while Godfrey, Matt and Ken review how the program is going so far, knowing we all have to start again from the beginning.
But the busy Bishop Housden his dedication complete, has left the studio, driving away from the building.
But about 15 minutes in, there’s an urgent call from the video tape room as Harry says, “Godfrey, sorry we’ve got a problem here, tape stopped” Godfrey calls “Hold it, stop everyone” and we all stop with silent groans. We take a break while Harry and Billie work on their recorder problem, Len begins repositioning his camera while Godfrey, Matt and Ken review how the program is going so far, knowing we all have to start again from the beginning.
But the busy Bishop Housden his dedication complete, has left the studio, driving away from the building.
Part 27
In the video tape room downstairs, assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee and tape operator Billie study the problem with our new RCA Tape Recorder. Even though thorough operational tests were completed, this is our first ‘real’ program recording and the pressure is on.
Harry has rewound the video tape to the beginning and tells us that they can replay the opening of the program, but the picture quality degraded to the point where they stopped recording, and this stopped our production.
Harry has rewound the video tape to the beginning and tells us that they can replay the opening of the program, but the picture quality degraded to the point where they stopped recording, and this stopped our production.
Meanwhile a phone call has gone out to locate Bishop Housden who hasn’t told any of us where he’s going now. The Newcastle Anglican office is not open yet, so one of our staff rings them every few minutes to hopefully find him.
We hope the Bishop can return to the studio and when the recorder is ready to record again, we can restart recording the opening program including his dedication, and we’re thinking of asking him to bring some divine help. If the Bishop can’t be located, after consultation with Ken Stone and Matt Tapp, Godfrey decides we’ll delete the dedication, or maybe do it at the end of the program, if he arrives while we’re recording.
One of our crew will be stationed in the parking area in case the Bishop arrives. There’s nothing that Reg Davis, myself or any of our crew can do, and as Godfrey says, we should all keep out of the video tape room while Harry and Billie work on the problem.
We hope the Bishop can return to the studio and when the recorder is ready to record again, we can restart recording the opening program including his dedication, and we’re thinking of asking him to bring some divine help. If the Bishop can’t be located, after consultation with Ken Stone and Matt Tapp, Godfrey decides we’ll delete the dedication, or maybe do it at the end of the program, if he arrives while we’re recording.
One of our crew will be stationed in the parking area in case the Bishop arrives. There’s nothing that Reg Davis, myself or any of our crew can do, and as Godfrey says, we should all keep out of the video tape room while Harry and Billie work on the problem.
About 30 minutes later, success! Harry calls on the intercom that the problem is fixed and the video tape is laced up ready to record. Godfrey calls the crew together, just as Bishop Housden arrives. Matt Tapp and Ken Eady are ready and we restart the opening program, then Len Richardson starts tracking his RCA camera along the corridors following Ken.
But Ken gets halfway through his walk around the studio facilities when he falters, stops and looks at Lens camera and says, “Sorry Godfrey” The pressure seems to be too much.
I look to my right to the video control booth just as Godfrey kicks back his chair, stands up and shouts “Damn it all, stop tape!, we’ll do it live!” and storms out of the control room. There’s silence from everyone, Matt and Godfrey confer, then call a late lunch for the crew, saying after that we’ll have one more try.
Having the break seems to settle everyone down, Bishop Housden joins us and following lunch, we complete recording our half hour opening show, and it looks and sounds thoroughly professional.
Congratulations all round, now we just have to put it to air tomorrow evening for the official opening of NBN Channel 3, at 6pm, Sunday March 4, 1962.
I look to my right to the video control booth just as Godfrey kicks back his chair, stands up and shouts “Damn it all, stop tape!, we’ll do it live!” and storms out of the control room. There’s silence from everyone, Matt and Godfrey confer, then call a late lunch for the crew, saying after that we’ll have one more try.
Having the break seems to settle everyone down, Bishop Housden joins us and following lunch, we complete recording our half hour opening show, and it looks and sounds thoroughly professional.
Congratulations all round, now we just have to put it to air tomorrow evening for the official opening of NBN Channel 3, at 6pm, Sunday March 4, 1962.
Part 28
This morning, Sunday 4th dawns fine and warm. It’s going to be a long day for some of us, and an exciting day for everyone at Channel 3 and in our viewing area.
Mrs. Franks the licencee of the Delany Hotel in local Darby St. has offered a celebratory dinner for all our off duty staff, to watch the official opening of their new television station on her big new black and white Astor TV set. It’s been set up in the hotel beer garden and there’ll be a big audience, including local customers. Also many Radio and TV stores in our viewing area will host open nights for their local customers, some have mailed out special invitations.
But I’ll be at the business end of the opening, working in master control with video co-ordinator Phillip Pride, to put the opening show to air from the tape at 6pm. Once the program starts, I’ll go upstairs to Studio A audio to do the first live 30 minute news program read by newsreader Murray Finlay. After that at 7pm control will be handed back to Phillip and the master control crew with Don Coles on audio. They’ll telecast the first scheduled programs till they close down the station at 10.30pm.
Mrs. Franks the licencee of the Delany Hotel in local Darby St. has offered a celebratory dinner for all our off duty staff, to watch the official opening of their new television station on her big new black and white Astor TV set. It’s been set up in the hotel beer garden and there’ll be a big audience, including local customers. Also many Radio and TV stores in our viewing area will host open nights for their local customers, some have mailed out special invitations.
But I’ll be at the business end of the opening, working in master control with video co-ordinator Phillip Pride, to put the opening show to air from the tape at 6pm. Once the program starts, I’ll go upstairs to Studio A audio to do the first live 30 minute news program read by newsreader Murray Finlay. After that at 7pm control will be handed back to Phillip and the master control crew with Don Coles on audio. They’ll telecast the first scheduled programs till they close down the station at 10.30pm.
In the Ncle. suburb of Mayfield West, keen photographer Bruce Langley takes this photo showing the special graphic that our graphic artist Rob Cornwall has prepared. We’re transmitting this graphic regularly during our Sunday afternoon fill in programs, an historic graphic for an historic occasion.
For a while now Bruce has had a 60’ TV antenna on his roof, aligned south to receive the Sydney stations. But because Mayfield West is only 20kms from our transmitter at Mt. Sugarloaf, Bruce and his family receive a good picture from our new RCA transmitter. His daughter Pat. tells me later, they’re all excited as we are.
I start work at 2pm along with news director John Brown, floor manager Len Richardson and our studio cameramen. In the news room, the latest news reports from their new teleprinter and local reporters are being collated by Murray Finlay and the journalists in the news room. Des Barry our film editor is editing local film news stories to be included, all this in time for the very first news telecast, tonight at 6.30pm.
From the ground floor corridor, it’s possible to look through a window into the video tape room. But we’ve been told to stay clear, while assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee and operator Pat ‘Billie’ Tiere, make final checks with our new RCA video tape recorder.
At 6pm, when she hears the ‘Roll tape’ cue from Phillip, Billie will have the honour of pressing the ‘Play’ button for the opening program tape. It has a 10-1 video countdown to stabilise the tape playback, then it fades to black. At this point, watching his monitor, Phillip will select the ‘video tape’ button on his console. The tape then locks to the station sync. pulse and he’ll fade up the opening picture on air, while I open the audio fader to the correct level.
Then with our black and white picture and monaural sound, NBN Channel 3 Newcastle will officially be open, proud to be the first Australian regional television station outside the major capital cities.
For a while now Bruce has had a 60’ TV antenna on his roof, aligned south to receive the Sydney stations. But because Mayfield West is only 20kms from our transmitter at Mt. Sugarloaf, Bruce and his family receive a good picture from our new RCA transmitter. His daughter Pat. tells me later, they’re all excited as we are.
I start work at 2pm along with news director John Brown, floor manager Len Richardson and our studio cameramen. In the news room, the latest news reports from their new teleprinter and local reporters are being collated by Murray Finlay and the journalists in the news room. Des Barry our film editor is editing local film news stories to be included, all this in time for the very first news telecast, tonight at 6.30pm.
From the ground floor corridor, it’s possible to look through a window into the video tape room. But we’ve been told to stay clear, while assistant chief engineer Harry McPhee and operator Pat ‘Billie’ Tiere, make final checks with our new RCA video tape recorder.
At 6pm, when she hears the ‘Roll tape’ cue from Phillip, Billie will have the honour of pressing the ‘Play’ button for the opening program tape. It has a 10-1 video countdown to stabilise the tape playback, then it fades to black. At this point, watching his monitor, Phillip will select the ‘video tape’ button on his console. The tape then locks to the station sync. pulse and he’ll fade up the opening picture on air, while I open the audio fader to the correct level.
Then with our black and white picture and monaural sound, NBN Channel 3 Newcastle will officially be open, proud to be the first Australian regional television station outside the major capital cities.
Part 29
And that’s what’s happening, everything is running according to plan. A few seconds before 6pm. in the video tape room, on cue, Billie presses the play button, and our RCA TRT-1B starts to roll. In master control on our preview screen the tape countdown reads 10-09-08-07-06-05-04-03-02-01, then the screen goes to black. Co-ordinator Phillip Pride selects ‘video tape’ on his panel, and fades up the opening picture. I open the audio fader, and we’re officially on the air.
At the Delany hotel there’s a cheer going up in the beer garden with more than a few fingers crossed along with a prayer or two. But they’re not needed as engineer Harry McPhee and operator Billie Tiere have done their job, and the video tape plays on with production manager Matt Tapp introducing presenter Ken Eady who walks around displaying and describing our studio installation. We’ve certainly got faith in Harry, Billie and good old RCA, because if the tape stops now, there’s no plan B.
In master control I wait 10 minutes, then hand over audio control to Don Coles, collect the mood music discs I’d selected for the first filmed stories, and go upstairs to Studio A audio. News director John Brown and assistant Marie Thompson, settle into their Video A control room chairs, with their news scripts ready to go.
At 6.30pm when the opening program concludes, booth announcer Laurie Burrows declares, “This is NBN Channel 3 Newcastle” and before John Brown says “Cue grams” I hit the news theme, full volume ...
At the Delany hotel there’s a cheer going up in the beer garden with more than a few fingers crossed along with a prayer or two. But they’re not needed as engineer Harry McPhee and operator Billie Tiere have done their job, and the video tape plays on with production manager Matt Tapp introducing presenter Ken Eady who walks around displaying and describing our studio installation. We’ve certainly got faith in Harry, Billie and good old RCA, because if the tape stops now, there’s no plan B.
In master control I wait 10 minutes, then hand over audio control to Don Coles, collect the mood music discs I’d selected for the first filmed stories, and go upstairs to Studio A audio. News director John Brown and assistant Marie Thompson, settle into their Video A control room chairs, with their news scripts ready to go.
At 6.30pm when the opening program concludes, booth announcer Laurie Burrows declares, “This is NBN Channel 3 Newcastle” and before John Brown says “Cue grams” I hit the news theme, full volume ...
Fortunately for me, the theme syncs exactly with John cueing the NBN Channel 3 News graphic to air, then floor manager Len Richardson cues news reader Murray Finlay and he starts to present the latest news. I have only one mic. and one turntable to operate and Murray has years of experience, so no worries.
Except, that during a lull in one of the local film news reports, Murray coughs.
Uh oh, there’s no ‘cough button’ installed on his news desk. This is an on/off button the presenter can trigger when he or she wants to cough or talk to the floor crew when they’re off camera. I manage to contact Len and say when Murray wants to cough during a film report, hold his hand up, I’ll see it and shut his mic off for a few seconds. This’ll work but thankfully it’s not needed for the rest of the news.
Just before 7pm, Murray signs off says good night, John Brown gives me the cue and we close the program ...
Except, that during a lull in one of the local film news reports, Murray coughs.
Uh oh, there’s no ‘cough button’ installed on his news desk. This is an on/off button the presenter can trigger when he or she wants to cough or talk to the floor crew when they’re off camera. I manage to contact Len and say when Murray wants to cough during a film report, hold his hand up, I’ll see it and shut his mic off for a few seconds. This’ll work but thankfully it’s not needed for the rest of the news.
Just before 7pm, Murray signs off says good night, John Brown gives me the cue and we close the program ...
Control is handed over to master control and Laurie Burrows who’s now downstairs in the master control booth, announces, “This is NBN Channel 3 Newcastle” Then we see the opening video and hear ...
It’s the first episode of the Phil Silvers Show folks, and that’s it for me on our opening night. John Brown comes into Audio A booth, we shake hands, collect our news scripts, discs and prepare to go downstairs. Murray leaves the news desk and all the bright lights on the news set are switched off.
I look out into the dark Studio A, after the many busy rehearsals and excitement over the past few weeks, I’m aware how still and quiet it is now.
Then I follow John, Murray and Len down to master control and in the corridor as we approach, we hear the noise of a big crowd of people. We open the door and there’s most of our off duty staff, all noisily celebrating. They’ve come up from the Delany hotel, some still with their drinks.
As the Phil Silvers Show plays, Phillip and Don watch out for the commercial break as the noise goes on. Phil shouts for quiet, does the break and the celebrations resume. Operations manager Ken Stone sees me across the control room, makes his way through the happy crowd, we shake hands and just smile, it’s too noisy to say anything.
At 7.30pm, after a few commercials, Laurie Burrows introduces our very first feature film. It’s the 1937 Warner Bros. classic titled, Green Light.
I look out into the dark Studio A, after the many busy rehearsals and excitement over the past few weeks, I’m aware how still and quiet it is now.
Then I follow John, Murray and Len down to master control and in the corridor as we approach, we hear the noise of a big crowd of people. We open the door and there’s most of our off duty staff, all noisily celebrating. They’ve come up from the Delany hotel, some still with their drinks.
As the Phil Silvers Show plays, Phillip and Don watch out for the commercial break as the noise goes on. Phil shouts for quiet, does the break and the celebrations resume. Operations manager Ken Stone sees me across the control room, makes his way through the happy crowd, we shake hands and just smile, it’s too noisy to say anything.
At 7.30pm, after a few commercials, Laurie Burrows introduces our very first feature film. It’s the 1937 Warner Bros. classic titled, Green Light.
In the control room, we agree the subtle irony of the title Green Light on our opening night, will be appreciated by many viewers, operations manager Ken Stone has a dry sense of humour. But I have a question Ken, “Instead of a 90 minute movie, why aren’t we presenting 2 of our newer half hour shows, demonstrating the variety?” Ken says, “Because we want to keep our audience watching. It’s Sunday night, most have to work tomorrow and after 30 or 60 minutes they’ll switch off and go to bed.” Later we find out that Kens strategy to keep viewer ratings works.
So that’s our busy Sunday night, March 4, 1962, Channel 3 is open for business and the only person who isn’t all that happy is owner Stewart Lamb. He’s not happy with the suit that Murray Finlay wore for the first news telecast. Shortly after he phones Murray and says, “Go down to Elliot’s Menswear in Hunter St., get fitted and buy 2 new suits, put them on my bill.”
The Lamb family own Elliot’s Menswear and I see that as a continuation of Stewarts concern for his staff at 2UE, 2KO and now at NBN.
So that’s our busy Sunday night, March 4, 1962, Channel 3 is open for business and the only person who isn’t all that happy is owner Stewart Lamb. He’s not happy with the suit that Murray Finlay wore for the first news telecast. Shortly after he phones Murray and says, “Go down to Elliot’s Menswear in Hunter St., get fitted and buy 2 new suits, put them on my bill.”
The Lamb family own Elliot’s Menswear and I see that as a continuation of Stewarts concern for his staff at 2UE, 2KO and now at NBN.
Editor's Note: A big thank you to Craig Nugent who supplied the 'Achievement' Audio contained on Impress 78rpm.
Part 30
While Reg Davis, Don Coles and I think that presenting 3 of our new half hour shows on Sunday night would have been better viewing than a 90 minute 1937 movie, Ken Stone and managements strategy in maintaining the best nights ratings possible for as long as possible, is this.
We need local sponsors asap, sure we have national advertisers booked in, Rothmans, Stuyvescent, Marlboro cigarettes etc. with the petrol giants and soap powders, but local program sponsors with advertisers will be the connection to our viewers so very high viewer ratings are needed by our sales team, right from the start.
We need local sponsors asap, sure we have national advertisers booked in, Rothmans, Stuyvescent, Marlboro cigarettes etc. with the petrol giants and soap powders, but local program sponsors with advertisers will be the connection to our viewers so very high viewer ratings are needed by our sales team, right from the start.
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Our hours will be 2-10.30pm with no less than 10 hours a week being devoted to the presentation of features, with our first Channel 3 live shows including the women’s program Home At Three, hosted by Ken Eady.
And the Three Cheers Show, a children’s program hosted by Murray Finlay who’ll play straight man to a clown with a live audience of kids. And here is our crazy Norman Brown who’ll do anything for a laugh. In our first 3 Cheers show, Norman got himself soaked with wet paint. Later we heard of mothers who came into the room, suddenly noticed what their children were watching, and were shocked thinking maybe he was accidentally covered in something else. So they hurriedly switched their TV sets off before their kiddies started asking awkward questions. A couple actually rang our switchboard and were calmed down by our busy switch girls. |
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Our public affairs program is Focus at 7pm on Sunday nights, moderated by Professor Cyril Renwick, the director of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation; and Tempo, a music show and talent quest for teenagers, hosted by 2KO deejay Allan Lappan each Saturday night at 6pm.
National and international programs include The Phil Silver’s Show, Whirlybirds, Hopalong Cassidy, Rescue 8, The Gale Storm Show, The Mickey Mouse Club, Dan Raven, Gunslinger, The Tab Hunter Show, Amos and Andy, Colt 45, The Red Skelton Show, Richard Diamond, Sugarfoot and The Honeymooners. Late on Saturday night we’ll present Playboy’s Penthouse with Hugh Hefner and guest stars.
Our N.S.W. market stretches from the Central Coast to the Gold Coast, and in the north and west to Moree and Narrabri. We’ll serve a population of 1.9 million people, the fourth-largest television market in Australia behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Sunday night I fell into bed exhausted, tomorrow Monday 5th, March 1962, we have to start doing all this.
National and international programs include The Phil Silver’s Show, Whirlybirds, Hopalong Cassidy, Rescue 8, The Gale Storm Show, The Mickey Mouse Club, Dan Raven, Gunslinger, The Tab Hunter Show, Amos and Andy, Colt 45, The Red Skelton Show, Richard Diamond, Sugarfoot and The Honeymooners. Late on Saturday night we’ll present Playboy’s Penthouse with Hugh Hefner and guest stars.
Our N.S.W. market stretches from the Central Coast to the Gold Coast, and in the north and west to Moree and Narrabri. We’ll serve a population of 1.9 million people, the fourth-largest television market in Australia behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Sunday night I fell into bed exhausted, tomorrow Monday 5th, March 1962, we have to start doing all this.
Part 31
So the first week on air, things go Ok with some unusual, no strange, no funny incidents happening. For the first weeks daily Home at Three show, program manager Matt Tapp outdoes himself.
Here’s our director Godfrey Philipp who appears on Tuesday and Thursdays show as zany Newcastle inventor Emmett Frost, with his unusual fun creations.
Matt has booked new comedian Barry Humphries to appear on Emmett Frosts segment as his visiting inventor friend from Sydney. But today, Barry’s train from Sydney is late so we have a staff member at Ncle. station, ready to race him to the studio. The result is he arrives about 3.15, just after Emmett commences his segment. Barry drops his suitcase in the prop bay and comes straight on the set. Without any rehearsal this is going to be interesting, Don Coles and I have only the one boom microphone to operate, so we watch and listen.
Emmett sees Barry walking on and says, “Ah here’s Barry my inventor friend from Sydney, what do we have today Barry?” Humphries is away, he starts with “Good afternoon ladies, today I have a cure I just invented, for your armadillo elbows. First you need a lemon” And he produces one. “Then you slice it in two, and squeeze the juice into a saucer” Emmett hands him a saucer, he does this and continues. “Then you roll your sleeves up and dip your elbows alternately in the lemon juice, for a minute each.” He demonstrates this as he continues, “Regular use of lemons in this way will cure your armadillo elbows, then you can go back to wearing your short sleeve dresses.”
Matt has booked new comedian Barry Humphries to appear on Emmett Frosts segment as his visiting inventor friend from Sydney. But today, Barry’s train from Sydney is late so we have a staff member at Ncle. station, ready to race him to the studio. The result is he arrives about 3.15, just after Emmett commences his segment. Barry drops his suitcase in the prop bay and comes straight on the set. Without any rehearsal this is going to be interesting, Don Coles and I have only the one boom microphone to operate, so we watch and listen.
Emmett sees Barry walking on and says, “Ah here’s Barry my inventor friend from Sydney, what do we have today Barry?” Humphries is away, he starts with “Good afternoon ladies, today I have a cure I just invented, for your armadillo elbows. First you need a lemon” And he produces one. “Then you slice it in two, and squeeze the juice into a saucer” Emmett hands him a saucer, he does this and continues. “Then you roll your sleeves up and dip your elbows alternately in the lemon juice, for a minute each.” He demonstrates this as he continues, “Regular use of lemons in this way will cure your armadillo elbows, then you can go back to wearing your short sleeve dresses.”
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Here’s Len Richardson our floor manager who always remains quiet on the set no matter what, but Humphries is too much and Len suddenly guffaws loudly. This causes the floor crew and all of us to laugh and Barry and Emmett respond with brilliant repartee. This goes well past the allocated segment duration, with our camera crew responding to the unrehearsed fun.
The segment closes, we go to commercials, then after a shortened cooking demonstration we close the show. Off air, Barry and Godfrey have coffee and tell us they arranged Barry’s visiting inventor sketch on the phone from Sydney, basically as back up in case the train was late. Another lesson learned, always have a Plan B. On this 1962 visit, Barry Humphries is performing elsewhere in Newcastle clubs and we all agree, he has a successful career starting in the world of comedy. |
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To get a break and celebrate NBNs opening night, nurse Carmen and I book a table for dinner at the Alcron, a continental restaurant not far from the studios. We’ve never been to a classy restaurant like this and never had Hungarian Goulash for dinner, it’s delicious.
But I notice that Carmen isn’t herself, she’s quiet and reserved. I ask her “What’s wrong?” And she replies with a tear, “Mr. Thompson died today.” Mr. Thompson was Carmen’s favourite patient, never any trouble and always had a smile for her.
Just now, pushing audio controls at Channel 3 doesn’t seem anything at all.
But I notice that Carmen isn’t herself, she’s quiet and reserved. I ask her “What’s wrong?” And she replies with a tear, “Mr. Thompson died today.” Mr. Thompson was Carmen’s favourite patient, never any trouble and always had a smile for her.
Just now, pushing audio controls at Channel 3 doesn’t seem anything at all.
Part 32
During our first week on air, here’s a couple of incidents. Firstly, production manager Matt Tapp is in his element when Ashtons Circus rolls into Newcastle. I haven’t heard about it, don’t know it’s in town or where they’ve set their big circus tents up.
But Matt does, he contacts Ashtons, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows the manager personally. Anyway Matt and someone there arrange to send a circus elephant to the studio to appear in the 3 Cheers children’s show, live with the audience of kids, it’ll be a surprise. It’s also a huge surprise to me in Studio A audio and Reg Davis driving the studio’s long 17’ mic. boom. Apart from titles ‘Ashtons Circus’ and ‘NPCBCB' segments there’s nothing else in our program sheets.
We start the show at 4.30 and compere Murray Finlay introduces the Newcastle Police Citizens Boys Club Band. From the prop bay, this little uniformed kid clashing 2 huge cymbals together marches into the studio, followed in single file by the loud 15 piece brass band. Reg with the one boom mic. tries his best to follow them as they all proceed up to the far end of the studio to form up with their conductor. They play another number, huge applause and we go to commercials, during which the band is hustled out into the prop bay.
After the commercials, Murray Finlay introduces Ashtons elephant and our resident clown Norman Brown, rides it into the studio to wild cheers from the audience. It’s a big heavy pachyderm and our lovely new magnesite studio floor has no chance, everywhere it walks, its big feet sink into the floor, leaving footprints behind it. Our 3 camera operators frantically avoid rear shots while tracking around the dents in the floor. With the kids cheers getting louder the elephant does some tricks. Reg. tells me later he was worried it would fall in love with his long boom and wrap its trunk around it. But it finishes its act, and we go to more commercials. I play the theme, the show closes, the elephant departs, the audience goes home and we’re all exhausted.
By the first Friday night, with the weekend coming up, we’re all somewhat relaxed. At 7.30pm we telecast our first 30 min. episode of Richard Diamond Private Detective. Like all our other imported shows it’s on 16mm film, each 12 minute Act is to be played by our Telecine Dept.
We start the show at 4.30 and compere Murray Finlay introduces the Newcastle Police Citizens Boys Club Band. From the prop bay, this little uniformed kid clashing 2 huge cymbals together marches into the studio, followed in single file by the loud 15 piece brass band. Reg with the one boom mic. tries his best to follow them as they all proceed up to the far end of the studio to form up with their conductor. They play another number, huge applause and we go to commercials, during which the band is hustled out into the prop bay.
After the commercials, Murray Finlay introduces Ashtons elephant and our resident clown Norman Brown, rides it into the studio to wild cheers from the audience. It’s a big heavy pachyderm and our lovely new magnesite studio floor has no chance, everywhere it walks, its big feet sink into the floor, leaving footprints behind it. Our 3 camera operators frantically avoid rear shots while tracking around the dents in the floor. With the kids cheers getting louder the elephant does some tricks. Reg. tells me later he was worried it would fall in love with his long boom and wrap its trunk around it. But it finishes its act, and we go to more commercials. I play the theme, the show closes, the elephant departs, the audience goes home and we’re all exhausted.
By the first Friday night, with the weekend coming up, we’re all somewhat relaxed. At 7.30pm we telecast our first 30 min. episode of Richard Diamond Private Detective. Like all our other imported shows it’s on 16mm film, each 12 minute Act is to be played by our Telecine Dept.
Here’s ours behind master control, we have 2 new RCA projector chains so each alternate roll of film can be laced up ready to be cued to air. Richard D. is played by the popular actor David Janssen and in Act One, he’s investigating a murder suspect in Los Angeles. At the middle break we present our commercials then Phillip Pride our duty co-ordinator in master control, presses the button on his RCA panel to roll the film of Act Two.
On our screen things have changed, we watch our monitors and see palm trees, new characters, and everyone seems to be wearing Hawaiian shirts. We watch puzzled, and the outside phone line rings, Phillip answers it saying to a viewer “No sorry, we don’t know what’s happening either” He hangs up and immediately it rings again, same question and it doesn’t stop ringing till he leaves it off the hook. Uh oh we’re playing the wrong Act Two, our announcer Laurie Burrows comes out of his booth and we all discuss what to do about this.
Well we can’t stop it, we can’t do anything but I have a solution. When it finishes Laurie should read an apology, saying next week we’ll reverse the Acts, play Act One of tonight’s Act Two etc. My idea goes over like a lead balloon, but I point out that at least with the phone off the hook, management can’t bawl us out. Everyone just looks at me and the show plays on to the finish.
Later we find out, in the Film Dept. the lids on the tins of film have accidentally been reversed, and because the guys in Telecine are so relaxed tonight, no one remembers to check the Episode and Act number printed on the leader of the film.
So we make it to the first weekend, no one is seriously injured, but our pride is bruised.
On our screen things have changed, we watch our monitors and see palm trees, new characters, and everyone seems to be wearing Hawaiian shirts. We watch puzzled, and the outside phone line rings, Phillip answers it saying to a viewer “No sorry, we don’t know what’s happening either” He hangs up and immediately it rings again, same question and it doesn’t stop ringing till he leaves it off the hook. Uh oh we’re playing the wrong Act Two, our announcer Laurie Burrows comes out of his booth and we all discuss what to do about this.
Well we can’t stop it, we can’t do anything but I have a solution. When it finishes Laurie should read an apology, saying next week we’ll reverse the Acts, play Act One of tonight’s Act Two etc. My idea goes over like a lead balloon, but I point out that at least with the phone off the hook, management can’t bawl us out. Everyone just looks at me and the show plays on to the finish.
Later we find out, in the Film Dept. the lids on the tins of film have accidentally been reversed, and because the guys in Telecine are so relaxed tonight, no one remembers to check the Episode and Act number printed on the leader of the film.
So we make it to the first weekend, no one is seriously injured, but our pride is bruised.
Part 33
The next day, our first Saturday March 10, 1962, is the biggest yet for Reg. Davis and I. At 6pm we have the first ‘Tempo’ a weekly 30 minute live program for the teenage audience in our viewing area and on audio, Reg. and I will have our work cut out.
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Tempo will be compered by radio disc jockey Allan Lappan who has years of experience on Newcastle’s 2KO, but this will be his introduction to working on live television to our big audience, which reaches into some suburbs in Sydney.
On this fine Saturday, Reg and I start work at 1pm with our production crew for camera rehearsals in Studio A. This will be director Godfrey Philipps debut with NBNs program of popular talent. With much on air and local press advertising we expect big ratings and hopefully good reviews, so after a couple of months getting familiar with our brand new RCA equipment, everyone is excited and ready to go. |
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As usual our erstwhile production manager Matt Tapp has been working behind the scenes and has previously booked some well known talent in the teenage world, the Bee Gees who are getting much airplay around Australia.
Their manager their father, has driven them up from Sydney for the day and we’re surprised how young they are. They bring their own music, their backing tracks on a 10” disc, they do this for all their TV appearances. And I’m thankful they do because we don’t have enough microphones of the right type, to balance a live band in Studio A. |
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Reg. has to position his RCA BK5b boom mic. in the correct position in front of the boys on the set. And I have to, not only play their backing track loud enough in the studio monitors for them to hear and sing to it, I have to balance their live vocals with their recorded music, and of course play the correct track, there’s two on their disc.
There’s no doubt the Bee Gees have been practicing doing this, rehearsals go very well. In Studio A audio, I look to the right to see in video A booth, director Godfrey and his assistant Marie Thompson smiling their approvals.
Right at 6pm. booth announcer Laurie Burrows says, “This is NBN Channel 3 Newcastle, and now we present Tempo” We go to air, compere Allan introduces the Bee Gees, I play their music track, they hear it clearly and balance themselves, their distinctive close harmonies to become world famous for many years to come.
I balance the whole thing, and we go to local commercials. Then Allan introduces more local talent with our musical director Frank Scott, providing some with piano backing. After more commercials, the Bee Gees return to present their second hit song and the show goes on to a successful finish. On Monday in the Newcastle Herald entertainment pages, our first Tempo gets a great review.
But in the back of my mind, I believe we’re going to have trouble.
There’s no doubt the Bee Gees have been practicing doing this, rehearsals go very well. In Studio A audio, I look to the right to see in video A booth, director Godfrey and his assistant Marie Thompson smiling their approvals.
Right at 6pm. booth announcer Laurie Burrows says, “This is NBN Channel 3 Newcastle, and now we present Tempo” We go to air, compere Allan introduces the Bee Gees, I play their music track, they hear it clearly and balance themselves, their distinctive close harmonies to become world famous for many years to come.
I balance the whole thing, and we go to local commercials. Then Allan introduces more local talent with our musical director Frank Scott, providing some with piano backing. After more commercials, the Bee Gees return to present their second hit song and the show goes on to a successful finish. On Monday in the Newcastle Herald entertainment pages, our first Tempo gets a great review.
But in the back of my mind, I believe we’re going to have trouble.
Part 34
At Channel 3 in 1962, there are 3 producer/directors. Godfrey Philipp from Melbourne, does ‘Tempo’ each Saturday at 6pm. also ‘Astor Showcase’ once a fortnight on a Saturday night.
Ron Gaist ex ABCTV Sydney, does ‘Home at Three’ each weekday, and ‘Focus’ a studio recorded program, once a fortnight on a Sunday night.
And John Brown from the USA does the nightly news program, and The 3 Cheers Show each weekday. Operationally, in Studio A video, our directors not only direct the movements of each of our 3 RCA cameras in the studio, they also switch each camera to air with a recessed panel of switches. Each director has his PA, an assistant with a program script and a stopwatch, sitting alongside him timing each segment during the show.
On this Wednesday June 6, 1962, on the other side of the world, 4 lads from Liverpool England, go into EMIs Studio 2 at Abbey Road to record their song, ‘Love Me Do’ the first of their world famous records.
While here in Newcastle, happy go lucky John ‘Brownie’ from the US midwest has his work cut out with the crazy antics of Norman Brown as the 3 Cheers resident clown, and our floor manager Len Richardson playing the puppet Leonardo D’Funbird, with his comedy adlibs from behind a screen. The show is compered by Murray Finlay with an enthusiastic live audience of children and their parents.
Ron Gaist ex ABCTV Sydney, does ‘Home at Three’ each weekday, and ‘Focus’ a studio recorded program, once a fortnight on a Sunday night.
And John Brown from the USA does the nightly news program, and The 3 Cheers Show each weekday. Operationally, in Studio A video, our directors not only direct the movements of each of our 3 RCA cameras in the studio, they also switch each camera to air with a recessed panel of switches. Each director has his PA, an assistant with a program script and a stopwatch, sitting alongside him timing each segment during the show.
On this Wednesday June 6, 1962, on the other side of the world, 4 lads from Liverpool England, go into EMIs Studio 2 at Abbey Road to record their song, ‘Love Me Do’ the first of their world famous records.
While here in Newcastle, happy go lucky John ‘Brownie’ from the US midwest has his work cut out with the crazy antics of Norman Brown as the 3 Cheers resident clown, and our floor manager Len Richardson playing the puppet Leonardo D’Funbird, with his comedy adlibs from behind a screen. The show is compered by Murray Finlay with an enthusiastic live audience of children and their parents.
‘Brownie’ has a dog, it’s a big Armenian hound with one blue eye and one green. Each 3 Cheers program it comes into Video A booth with John and sits quietly in the back. John also likes Coca Cola, he brings in a few small bottles to enjoy during the show.
This one particular show, excitement is running at a high level, Norman is crazier than usual, Leonardo D’Funbird is very funny, the big audience of kids love it and they’re louder than usual. Host Murray is barely able to contain it all.
I’m in Studio A audio trying to stay ahead of things and Brownie is running his booth audio speaker louder than usual. The cheering audience is too much for his hound, it stands up and starts barking WOOF! then WOOF!! WOOF!!! Then he jumps up with his front feet on the console and knocks a bottle of Coke over. Before Brownie can grab it, it spills into his video switcher and because his crew talkback mic. is close to it, we all hear the FIZZZZ as the Cola starts dissolving the polystyrene buttons on top of each camera switch.
PA Marie Thompson looks on horrified but Brownie takes it all in his stride. He picks up a 12” wooden ruler and positions the end of it over each sharp camera switch, and as he calls the next shot he punches the top of the ruler to select that camera. Amazing.
With all the kids having a great time the show goes on to a big finish. Just after we go off air, Brownie calms his hound and turns to look at me and smiles. Oh boy, how is he going to explain all this to operations manager Ken Stone and engineering.
This one particular show, excitement is running at a high level, Norman is crazier than usual, Leonardo D’Funbird is very funny, the big audience of kids love it and they’re louder than usual. Host Murray is barely able to contain it all.
I’m in Studio A audio trying to stay ahead of things and Brownie is running his booth audio speaker louder than usual. The cheering audience is too much for his hound, it stands up and starts barking WOOF! then WOOF!! WOOF!!! Then he jumps up with his front feet on the console and knocks a bottle of Coke over. Before Brownie can grab it, it spills into his video switcher and because his crew talkback mic. is close to it, we all hear the FIZZZZ as the Cola starts dissolving the polystyrene buttons on top of each camera switch.
PA Marie Thompson looks on horrified but Brownie takes it all in his stride. He picks up a 12” wooden ruler and positions the end of it over each sharp camera switch, and as he calls the next shot he punches the top of the ruler to select that camera. Amazing.
With all the kids having a great time the show goes on to a big finish. Just after we go off air, Brownie calms his hound and turns to look at me and smiles. Oh boy, how is he going to explain all this to operations manager Ken Stone and engineering.
Part 35
Television studios are not designed like acoustic sound studios. TV studios are designed for the best quality images in the cameras. In 1962 with our hot TV lights, if the studio temperature gets too high our black and white cameras suffer to the point where they’ll shut down.
If this happens it’ll probably be during a live telecast, with drastic results. So RCA specified 2 giant studio air conditioning systems installed out in the prop. bay, one unit as backup. The exhaust ducts can be seen hanging down from the studio ceiling and the temperature is constantly monitored.
Currently with our 3 analogue RCA TK12 valve cameras in Studio A, maintaining the studio temperature takes priority over the requirements for good program sound.
The only consideration for our sound is, the Studio A walls are treated with what’s called ‘bulls wool’ very similar to pink batts. This deadens unwanted studio sound, stops the studio reverberating like a big drum but it also retains heat.
And bulls wool tends to deaden our music sound, especially when we haven’t got enough of the right type of microphones, with the general rule being, these should never be seen on camera. As a result we can’t get them close enough to the band which makes it sound like it’s out in the prop. bay.
After the first Saturday’s Tempo program, in Monday’s edition of the Newcastle Herald, the entertainment reviewer gave us a great review ... except he added ‘The sound has a lot to be desired.’
If this happens it’ll probably be during a live telecast, with drastic results. So RCA specified 2 giant studio air conditioning systems installed out in the prop. bay, one unit as backup. The exhaust ducts can be seen hanging down from the studio ceiling and the temperature is constantly monitored.
Currently with our 3 analogue RCA TK12 valve cameras in Studio A, maintaining the studio temperature takes priority over the requirements for good program sound.
The only consideration for our sound is, the Studio A walls are treated with what’s called ‘bulls wool’ very similar to pink batts. This deadens unwanted studio sound, stops the studio reverberating like a big drum but it also retains heat.
And bulls wool tends to deaden our music sound, especially when we haven’t got enough of the right type of microphones, with the general rule being, these should never be seen on camera. As a result we can’t get them close enough to the band which makes it sound like it’s out in the prop. bay.
After the first Saturday’s Tempo program, in Monday’s edition of the Newcastle Herald, the entertainment reviewer gave us a great review ... except he added ‘The sound has a lot to be desired.’
I waited for our post Tempo conference when I knew this would come up. I’d talked with Reg. Davis and we decided I would bring up the problem and propose the solution that, during Saturday rehearsals, we needed to pre-audio tape record some artists. This will get the mics in closer to them and also closer to our band to make their sound much better, more presence.
Here’s the Provost Brothers, a popular Newcastle group and the next week when we pre audio record their appearance on Tempo, they expertly lip sync their song live on air and the Ncle. Herald reviewer writes, ‘The Provost Brothers are excellent, the sound is streets ahead.’
Here’s the Provost Brothers, a popular Newcastle group and the next week when we pre audio record their appearance on Tempo, they expertly lip sync their song live on air and the Ncle. Herald reviewer writes, ‘The Provost Brothers are excellent, the sound is streets ahead.’
We’re making progress, and following this Tempo director Godfrey Philipp decides to pre-video record some performers, this will allow the floor crew time to reset for a bigger set for the next song, while the video tape is on air. And this works very well, more progress, and we can still include 1 or 2 video tape commercials, with tape op. ‘Billie’ working flat out changing tapes. We start Tempo rehearsals each Saturday morning for the 30 minute program live at 6pm.
My parents at Bondi in Sydney can just get a snowy picture on their STC 17” black and white TV set and they watch Tempo, just to see my audio credit on their screen. Bless them they’re proud of me but when I find out mum tells the neighbours, well it’s embarrassing.
My parents at Bondi in Sydney can just get a snowy picture on their STC 17” black and white TV set and they watch Tempo, just to see my audio credit on their screen. Bless them they’re proud of me but when I find out mum tells the neighbours, well it’s embarrassing.
Part 36
Not long after ABN2, the govt. television station opens in Sydney in Nov. 1956, they run a series of tests with audiences in their studios. This is to study how people react to various programs, including how viewers react to bad quality vision and poor sound from their TV sets.
They publish the results including, ‘Viewers will put up with bad quality pictures for a while before they start fiddling with their TV dials, but with bad sound, they’ll go straight to their sets to try and fix it.’ The conclusion drawn is: people had radio long before they had this new television, so they depend on their sound, it comes first the picture comes second.
Now in 1962 to get more support for our audio dept, I think about bringing this up in our weekly production meetings. But after conferring with Reg. Davis, we agree it would just dwell on the difficulties we have with our live studio programs.
They publish the results including, ‘Viewers will put up with bad quality pictures for a while before they start fiddling with their TV dials, but with bad sound, they’ll go straight to their sets to try and fix it.’ The conclusion drawn is: people had radio long before they had this new television, so they depend on their sound, it comes first the picture comes second.
Now in 1962 to get more support for our audio dept, I think about bringing this up in our weekly production meetings. But after conferring with Reg. Davis, we agree it would just dwell on the difficulties we have with our live studio programs.
Ken Greenhalgh NBN Channel 3 chief engineer 1962. Proudly contributed by his son Athol and his grandson David.
The welcome support we do get is from chief engineer Ken Greenhalgh and assistant chief, Harry McPhee. When I pass either of these knowledgeable gentlemen in the corridor, they’ll stop and ask me, “How’s it going Al.” They’re both aware of our lack of more good microphones, but they ask anyway.
So when I have the idea to build a reverberation chamber to add echo to our live musical programs, Harry asks, “Where do you want to build that Al?” “In the Ladies rest room Harry, right behind Studio A audio booth.” “Really. Ok if you say that’ll work it might be good to run your idea past operations manager Ken Stone.”
Good on you Harry. So I explain it to Ken adding that before we use my reverb chamber live on air, I’ll leave a warning sign on the rest room door reminding all our staff to, ‘Attention, please be quiet the rest room is in use. Ladies, please use the downstairs facility.’ Ken agrees to this, but the first time we use the room we’re running late setting up and after closing all the doors I don’t tape the sign to the rest room door securely enough. A few minutes later it falls off, face down on the floor. No one else notices this either.
I know what you’re thinking but fortunately we don’t get caught with one of our girls barging into the rest room while we’re on air, but I can tell you this, it’s just sheer luck. Here’s the plan of the set up.
So when I have the idea to build a reverberation chamber to add echo to our live musical programs, Harry asks, “Where do you want to build that Al?” “In the Ladies rest room Harry, right behind Studio A audio booth.” “Really. Ok if you say that’ll work it might be good to run your idea past operations manager Ken Stone.”
Good on you Harry. So I explain it to Ken adding that before we use my reverb chamber live on air, I’ll leave a warning sign on the rest room door reminding all our staff to, ‘Attention, please be quiet the rest room is in use. Ladies, please use the downstairs facility.’ Ken agrees to this, but the first time we use the room we’re running late setting up and after closing all the doors I don’t tape the sign to the rest room door securely enough. A few minutes later it falls off, face down on the floor. No one else notices this either.
I know what you’re thinking but fortunately we don’t get caught with one of our girls barging into the rest room while we’re on air, but I can tell you this, it’s just sheer luck. Here’s the plan of the set up.
A. Studio A. B. Announcers booth. C. RCA audio console. D. Ladies rest room. E. Audio speaker. F. Microphone. G. Studio A video control room. H. Stairs down to Studio A.
I. Vanity table. J. General offices.
When setting up, I run a speaker cable from the audio console C. into the rest room to feed the audio speaker E. then a cable from the microphone F. back to an audio input on the console. During a program by feeding a vocalists sound into the speaker, the reverberant room sound is picked up by the mic. I add that to the primary vocalists sound on the console and this adds echo to their performance on air.
This is similar to the reverberant chambers used at Capitol Records in California and other recording studios, but if I open my return mic. too far, the room sound from the speaker goes into howling feedback. ‘Do not exceed the Chinagraph mark.’ I note on the mic. return input on our RCA console.
Our reverb. chamber works well for vocalists in Tempo and our monthly Sunday Night feature program, Astor Showcase. It makes them and us sound more professional. It’s a big deal for me and staff comment on it, however Reg. Davis and I agree, the Newcastle Herald critic won’t mention it in his TV column. And he doesn’t.
This is similar to the reverberant chambers used at Capitol Records in California and other recording studios, but if I open my return mic. too far, the room sound from the speaker goes into howling feedback. ‘Do not exceed the Chinagraph mark.’ I note on the mic. return input on our RCA console.
Our reverb. chamber works well for vocalists in Tempo and our monthly Sunday Night feature program, Astor Showcase. It makes them and us sound more professional. It’s a big deal for me and staff comment on it, however Reg. Davis and I agree, the Newcastle Herald critic won’t mention it in his TV column. And he doesn’t.
Part 37
I team up with Des. the NBN official photographer and film editor, and Mike a journalist from the newsroom, to lease a house in the local suburb of Waratah. The owners have gone to the UK for a year, so this fits well with our requirements. The estate agent for the house takes note we’re all working at NBN so because of possible ‘wild’ parties, he’s apprehensive with our 12 month lease.
This is confirmed when I mention our new abode to operations manager Ken Stone. Unknown to me the agent has called NBN for a reference and Ken has signed as guarantor for us. His instruction to me is, “Just don’t burn the place down.”
We do have parties, every Saturday Night in fact, the word goes around the station and we become great party hosts. The ladies at the station make sure we keep the house in good order and we have some great times. The NBN staff is a family.
This is confirmed when I mention our new abode to operations manager Ken Stone. Unknown to me the agent has called NBN for a reference and Ken has signed as guarantor for us. His instruction to me is, “Just don’t burn the place down.”
We do have parties, every Saturday Night in fact, the word goes around the station and we become great party hosts. The ladies at the station make sure we keep the house in good order and we have some great times. The NBN staff is a family.
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The owner Stewart Lamb, who represents the Lamb family is ahead of his time when he introduces a voluntary NBN staff Superannuation scheme. Now in 1962, this is well before the Federal Govts. compulsory scheme to be introduced 30 years later in 1992.
Each staff member who joins the scheme, contributes 5 Pounds weekly, to be automatically deducted from our wages. This will be matched by a 5 Pound contribution from management, further details are explained in a staff letter from the secretary. As far as I know everyone joins up, and this new scheme is another contribution to staff morale. Later I meet Mr. Lamb, a clever Scotsman like my father and following our discussion I can tell he has our interests at heart. A television station is a very costly operation to run, it relies on plenty of advertising, both national and local support and Newcastle advertising is slow in building up. |
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However I’m fed up cadging a lift or waiting for a taxi, so with a loan from the Commonwealth bank I’ve bought my first car, and the British Motor Corporation agency off Hunter St. has called to say it’s been delivered from Sydney. I first saw the Austin Healey Sprite Mk. 11 displayed in their BMC showroom. It was announced at the end of May 1961 and uses the same 948 cc engine as the Mk 1 , but with larger twin 11⁄4 inch SU carburettors, increasing power to 46.5 bhp. A close-ratio gearbox is fitted, but there’s no roll over bar and no seat belts. That doesn’t worry me so much, but no synchronisation on first gear does.
But it’s great, and it’s the first one to be sold in Newcastle. BMC registered it for me, CUX 717, and the staff comes out to see me lurch out of their garage to carefully get it back to Waratah. No synchro on first gear takes some getting used to, so I practice double clutching in the back streets, that’s changing down into first gear on the drive to and from the studios each day. |
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Gradually another small problem develops. My Sprite has a soft top, a hood I can take off and store in the boot, but it takes time to do this and it fills up the boot. So regardless of the weather, I take to leaving it off, just relying on the tonneau cover to cover the passenger seat with 2 plastic rain jackets folded up behind me, one for the passenger.
When I call nurse Carmen to arrange a date, she asks me, “Do you know what the weather’s going to be.” I realise my answer tells her whether to get her hair done, and what to wear. However we both enjoy driving in the Sprite, sunny day top down, wind blowing. With my NBN job going well, and musical director Frank Scotts help, the program vocal and band sound have greatly improved and life is good. |
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Part 38
It’s Wednesday June 6 1962. On the other side of the world in London, at Abbey Road studios, a new group called the Beatles is preparing to record ‘Love me Do’ their first single on the way to world wide fame and fortune. While this is happening, here at Channel 3 musical director Frank Scott a valuable member of our team, is auditioning new local talent who all hope to do the same, to appear on our 3 Cheers and Tempo programs.
Downtown NBN has leased audition rooms with a piano and Frank spends much time auditioning hopeful young performers. This is part of Channel 3’s publicly stated initiative to promote local talent, and as 1962 develops it’s working well.
Downtown NBN has leased audition rooms with a piano and Frank spends much time auditioning hopeful young performers. This is part of Channel 3’s publicly stated initiative to promote local talent, and as 1962 develops it’s working well.
And Frank conducts the band live on air, in this photo the side of the camera is removed to cope with the heat in the studio. Frank’s had years of experience at 2UE, as the musical director on a radio station, he started in the 1940s. He joined Channel 3 after playing piano live on 2UEs afternoon children’s show in the late 1950s.
And his experience shows. One afternoon a nervous young vocalist appears live on the 3 Cheers show. Following Murray Finlay’s introduction and applause from the audience, Frank plays her piano intro in their rehearsed key, but she starts singing in a lower key. Without missing a beat Frank drops to her key and away they go. She looks and sounds good, but it’s all too much, and after the last chorus she just stops singing and stands there, frozen on the spot. Instantly Godfrey cuts to Frank who plays the closing, there’s applause while floor manager Len Richardson helps her off and we go to commercials. It’s live television folks.
Directors Godfrey Philipp, Ron Gaist and Len Richardson all live at the Beverly Apartments, a 5 minute walk across from the studio. They also hold parties sometimes in competition with Des. and Mike and I out at Waratah. So we get together to work out a schedule, but my idea to pin it on the studio notice board, gets a no no from just about everyone. So we alert the staff and the Ncle. hospital nurses by phone.
And his experience shows. One afternoon a nervous young vocalist appears live on the 3 Cheers show. Following Murray Finlay’s introduction and applause from the audience, Frank plays her piano intro in their rehearsed key, but she starts singing in a lower key. Without missing a beat Frank drops to her key and away they go. She looks and sounds good, but it’s all too much, and after the last chorus she just stops singing and stands there, frozen on the spot. Instantly Godfrey cuts to Frank who plays the closing, there’s applause while floor manager Len Richardson helps her off and we go to commercials. It’s live television folks.
Directors Godfrey Philipp, Ron Gaist and Len Richardson all live at the Beverly Apartments, a 5 minute walk across from the studio. They also hold parties sometimes in competition with Des. and Mike and I out at Waratah. So we get together to work out a schedule, but my idea to pin it on the studio notice board, gets a no no from just about everyone. So we alert the staff and the Ncle. hospital nurses by phone.
Len has also bought a car, a small 2 seater Goggomobile. I don’t know at the time that Lens fibreglass microcar is made in Sydney by Buckle Motors at Manly. So it’s very lightweight and easy to run into the studio to use as a prop. for any of the shows. Management remembers the Ashtons Circus elephant that was so heavy, in our 3 Cheers show, before anyone could stop it, it left big footprints in our lovely brand new carefully laid Magnesite floor. A specialist repair crew has come up from Sydney and these have all now been filled in, smoothed and cured. With all the busy productions we’ve forgotten about the heavy pachyderm, but management hasn’t. The unexpected expensive repair bill has been added to the increasing costs of running the studios.
Knowing production manager Matt Tapp, a joke going around the staff is, that Matt probably tried to claim the elephant on insurance, and that he got away with it.
But fun aside, at a Sat. night party at the Beverly Apts. in October, as director Ron Gaist and I enjoy a drink on the balcony, he looks across at the studios and says, “I’ve got a temporary feeling about all this.”
I also look across at the studios and wonder, what does he know that I don’t.
Knowing production manager Matt Tapp, a joke going around the staff is, that Matt probably tried to claim the elephant on insurance, and that he got away with it.
But fun aside, at a Sat. night party at the Beverly Apts. in October, as director Ron Gaist and I enjoy a drink on the balcony, he looks across at the studios and says, “I’ve got a temporary feeling about all this.”
I also look across at the studios and wonder, what does he know that I don’t.
Part 39
Unbeknown to us in the Production Dept. dark clouds are approaching while we concentrate on producing quality programs to compete with the 3 TV stations 100 miles south in Sydney. Channel 10 won’t start till 1964. Our Ken Stone, Matt Tapp and their staff work hard securing national talent to appear on our shows while local talent benefit from their exposure alongside them. And we are having some fun too.
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One of the regular shows we present for the kids each afternoon, is the Mickey Mouse Club. It’s very popular and each episode opens with the Mouseketeers singing their famous song, “Who’s the leader of the club that’s known to you and me ....” At the end of it, Donald Duck lines up to hit a huge gong, and with each episode he gets a different result. Sometimes the gong explodes, another time Donald gets covered with jam. Another time the gong turns into a wall and shatters, then there’s a solid metal plate and Don and the gong stick vibrate to pieces.
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Each afternoon in master control, the crew place bets on which DD gong effect will appear in the Mickey Mouse Club show today. It’s a 10 shillings bet for each of the 8 crew, who draw their selection blind from a film can. Yesterday’s winner draws last and the folks in the Film Dept. and Telecine don’t participate, they could preview the film. Our video tape operator ‘Billie’ Tiere holds the pot and a yell goes up from each days‘ winner. It’s a lot of fun.
Our monthly premiere show Astor Showcase has gradually built up a big local audience and after the 1962 December program, we all have our photo taken by Des Barry the station photographer. Note all the ladies are nicely dressed and the guys are wearing ties. In this photo, I’ve named everyone I can recall. Following the NBN general manager Ken Stone, trainee technician George Brown eventually worked his way up to became the NBN Channel 3 general manager.
Our monthly premiere show Astor Showcase has gradually built up a big local audience and after the 1962 December program, we all have our photo taken by Des Barry the station photographer. Note all the ladies are nicely dressed and the guys are wearing ties. In this photo, I’ve named everyone I can recall. Following the NBN general manager Ken Stone, trainee technician George Brown eventually worked his way up to became the NBN Channel 3 general manager.
So we complete NBN Channel 3s first year on air, and it’s been great. We close production for Christmas and all the prod. people who’ve come from outside Newcastle, go home for the holidays. I pack my stuff in my Austin Healey and drive down the old highway to my folks home in Bondi to enjoy a family Christmas. I also get a chance to catch up with the folk at the Surf Club and strangely, not much has changed, but it’s only been a year.
After the holidays I look forward to a successful 1963 at NBN, so I farewell my folks and drive north. When I get back to our leased house in Waratah, there’s a note on the kitchen table, ‘Come to the Delany asap.’ So without unpacking I drive into Darby St. and the Delany Hotel. In the beer garden there’s many of our crew, but they’re quiet and have long faces.
I’m a bit taken aback and when I ask what’s wrong someone says, “You better order a drink, we’ve all been fired.”
After the holidays I look forward to a successful 1963 at NBN, so I farewell my folks and drive north. When I get back to our leased house in Waratah, there’s a note on the kitchen table, ‘Come to the Delany asap.’ So without unpacking I drive into Darby St. and the Delany Hotel. In the beer garden there’s many of our crew, but they’re quiet and have long faces.
I’m a bit taken aback and when I ask what’s wrong someone says, “You better order a drink, we’ve all been fired.”
Part 40
I don’t know what to do, I just stand there staring as shock develops. I don’t know what to say, to anyone. A beer arrives ... I don’t remember ordering it. Someone tries to explain that the whole production dept. has been closed with many people being put off. “But where did you hear this, we’re not due back at work till tomorrow?”
Everyone speaks at once just as operations manager Ken Stone arrives to quietly say that due to low revenue and increasing production costs, management has decided to close the production dept. and reduce the size of live programs. There’s also some political considerations outside the scope of this series. Reduced local staff will continue to operate the station.
Owner Stewart Lamb’s idea was to build not only the first but the best profitable television station outside any Aust. capital city, staff it with professionals, produce quality programs and offer Sydney adv. agencies good deals for production of their national tv commercials. And while we all worked hard including our Sydney sales staff, we received serious enquiries but not enough commercials. The Sydney TV stations retaliated with their own special deals and what’s just as bad, we’re a 100 miles with a 3 hour drive north of the big city.
I sit down as the conversation with director Ron Gaist before Christmas comes to mind. Ron had ‘a temporary feeling about all this’ and I realise that management knew about this fateful closure before Christmas, but decided not to tell us before we enjoyed the holidays with our families. Right now and few here appreciate this, I realise that telling us before the holidays would have totally wrecked our Christmases, and we might not have had the chance to say goodbye to our friends.
But it’s still a shock and there’s not much conversation with each of us thinking, did we do enough, waste production time, party too much or what? We silently sip our beer then Ken Stone takes the floor to say that unfortunately it’s out of our control, and as he says goodnight adds, we should all turn up at the studios tomorrow, on time as usual.
We do and to condense the story, on Monday I’m called into manager Clem. Derwin’s office and basically advised to return to 2UE ‘when you’re ready.’ So I still have a job but the rest of the day is a blur, with many staff clearing out their lockers. Anyway I hang around Ncle. for a week, signing out of our house lease and saying goodbye to the nurses. Then I pack my things in the car and one wet Sunday afternoon, drive slowly home to Bondi in Sydney.
Everyone speaks at once just as operations manager Ken Stone arrives to quietly say that due to low revenue and increasing production costs, management has decided to close the production dept. and reduce the size of live programs. There’s also some political considerations outside the scope of this series. Reduced local staff will continue to operate the station.
Owner Stewart Lamb’s idea was to build not only the first but the best profitable television station outside any Aust. capital city, staff it with professionals, produce quality programs and offer Sydney adv. agencies good deals for production of their national tv commercials. And while we all worked hard including our Sydney sales staff, we received serious enquiries but not enough commercials. The Sydney TV stations retaliated with their own special deals and what’s just as bad, we’re a 100 miles with a 3 hour drive north of the big city.
I sit down as the conversation with director Ron Gaist before Christmas comes to mind. Ron had ‘a temporary feeling about all this’ and I realise that management knew about this fateful closure before Christmas, but decided not to tell us before we enjoyed the holidays with our families. Right now and few here appreciate this, I realise that telling us before the holidays would have totally wrecked our Christmases, and we might not have had the chance to say goodbye to our friends.
But it’s still a shock and there’s not much conversation with each of us thinking, did we do enough, waste production time, party too much or what? We silently sip our beer then Ken Stone takes the floor to say that unfortunately it’s out of our control, and as he says goodnight adds, we should all turn up at the studios tomorrow, on time as usual.
We do and to condense the story, on Monday I’m called into manager Clem. Derwin’s office and basically advised to return to 2UE ‘when you’re ready.’ So I still have a job but the rest of the day is a blur, with many staff clearing out their lockers. Anyway I hang around Ncle. for a week, signing out of our house lease and saying goodbye to the nurses. Then I pack my things in the car and one wet Sunday afternoon, drive slowly home to Bondi in Sydney.
Now hang on while we fast forward 50 years. In early 2012, to celebrate the achievement of successfully launching very first TV station outside any Australian capital city, the current management of NBN Channel 3, plans to stage a 50th anniversary celebration at an RSL club in Newcastle. They send invitations to over 500 people, all of whom worked at the studios in Mosbri Cresent over the years.
And in 2012 on 10th March 50 yrs and 6 days after the night we went on air, they’ve come from everywhere, from all over the world. Together with Ken and Eileen Stone, Reg. Davis, Don Coles and I attend and at 6pm a resounding cheer goes up then we enjoy meeting some of the people we worked with, all those 50 years ago. Sadly directors Godfrey Philipp and Ron Gaist have passed, and our charismatic floor manager Len Richardson sends this email following the event.
Evening All
Just wanted to say that I worked in nine television companies, three of them when they first went on air. None of them matched NBN for fun, camaraderie, shoestring creativity and such life long friendships.
Thank you all
Len.
As I write this in Feb. 2020, Channel 3 is now owned by the Nine Network and called 9HD Newcastle. They’re in the process of closing our old NBN Mosbri Crescent studios to run the station from their new headquarters in Sydney. They’ve sold the whole site for redevelopment as housing, and at the time of writing here’s one of the plans.
And in 2012 on 10th March 50 yrs and 6 days after the night we went on air, they’ve come from everywhere, from all over the world. Together with Ken and Eileen Stone, Reg. Davis, Don Coles and I attend and at 6pm a resounding cheer goes up then we enjoy meeting some of the people we worked with, all those 50 years ago. Sadly directors Godfrey Philipp and Ron Gaist have passed, and our charismatic floor manager Len Richardson sends this email following the event.
Evening All
Just wanted to say that I worked in nine television companies, three of them when they first went on air. None of them matched NBN for fun, camaraderie, shoestring creativity and such life long friendships.
Thank you all
Len.
As I write this in Feb. 2020, Channel 3 is now owned by the Nine Network and called 9HD Newcastle. They’re in the process of closing our old NBN Mosbri Crescent studios to run the station from their new headquarters in Sydney. They’ve sold the whole site for redevelopment as housing, and at the time of writing here’s one of the plans.
My proposal is to place a plaque at the completed new development which reads, ‘This is the site of NBN Channel 3 studios, which opened on the 4th. March 1962. Commemorating all the staff who worked here over the years, bringing television to the people of Newcastle.’