Rhodesia Television
[1][2] RTV broadcast on behalf of the then Federal Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), with its major shareholders being South African companies, including the Argus Group of newspapers, parent company of the Rhodesia Herald,[3] and Davenport and Meyer,[4] which also operated LM Radio, based in Mozambique.
Operating in a country under United Nations International Sanctions from 1965, which prevented free trade with the major broadcast manufacturers of the world, RTV electronic engineers had to be particularly resourceful to keep the station on air.
This led to constant sanction busting by the directors to ensure that vital equipment could be replaced and that a good stock of spares and consumables could be maintained.
Imported light entertainment and documentary content[10] was sourced from 16mm film and broadcast live from Rank Telecine units.
The cyclorama did not have an 'infinity curve' until the mid-1970s and was painted a basic pale blue, which equated to a mid to light tone grey for the monochrome cameras.
This had a 50 cm long flexible antenna cable that would often be ripped off accidentally during transmission, causing an explosive cacophony of white noise.
Telecine content was upgraded with the coming of the videotape era in 1975, using man-sized RCA Quad video machines that consumed 10½" spools of 2" magnetic tape.
These huge machines, operated by dedicated 'VT Girls', were the workhorses for recording of entire TV and current affairs programmes.
Under the guise of RBC TV in 1976 the station joined the 'video cassette' era when Sony Umatic 'low band' recorders, cameras and an edit suite were installed.
In 1979 / 1980 the station took delivery of its first Sony 1-inch 'C Spool' edit suite – and the earliest content was shot and produced in colour, though still broadcast in monochrome.
There were two Rank telecine units, each comprising: 16mm projector (optical and magnetic sound), 35mm slide carousels and epidiascope (for caption cards), transferring to video cameras.
This room was heavily air conditioned to keep the machines cool and so it also housed the archive / main store for videotaped content.
A small group of studio newsreaders, location news reporters, film cameramen, office editors/scriptwriters and a duty director handled the day's latest events.
Monochrome film, shot on 16mm cameras (Auricon, Bolex, Arriflex) would be developed on site in the station's film-processing laboratory and left in negative form.
Such films were always mute in the early days, so commercial mood music would be played off acetate or vinyl discs to match the action or emotion.
Imported light entertainment and documentary content was shared with the Salisbury studio and broadcast a day or two or week later.
With the exception of lead stories, collation was as much as possible primed to geographical areas of the world to attempt to introduce a smoother 'flow' to the bulletin.
The headlines' bulletins were presented from a tiny news 'booth', just off the main corridor, which encompassed a fixed position camera, a desk and an AKG microphone.
VT inserts were introduced in the mid 70s and by 1979 a Sony ENG camera with shoulder pack was being utilised along with a new edit suite adjacent to a now downsized newsroom.
The production of advertising magazines (Ad Mags/Market Place) and other commercial spots was undertaken in the Bulawayo studio using RTV staff.
The pictures were fed by cable from the camera down to the recorder (housed in the back of a Ford Taunus station wagon.)
With line of sight to the new microwave tower at the Bulawayo post office in Main Street, the signal was then sent into the studio in Montrose.
Unique to Salisbury Studios, was an Isuzu panel truck that had been converted as a mobile control vehicle for sound, vision and engineering.
The variety of challenges thrown up by these recording venues would tax the fundamentally simple OB Van and its crew to its limits.
At its inception RTV contracted an independent British/Rhodesian company, International Television (Pvt) Ltd (ITV), as its commercial managers.
The company was headed by David Pinnel (Managing Director) and had registered offices in Salisbury, Bulawayo, Kitwe and Johannesburg.
CTV employed a small team of copywriters, sales personnel and directors/producers to service both the advertising agencies and the local direct clients.
With a few exceptions, presenters were employed on a freelance basis: Adrienne Verney, Alan Britten, Alan Cockle, Alan Dickinson, Allan Riddell, Barry Taylor, Bernice Dixon, Beryl Maitland, Bill Franklin, Bob Nixon, Bob Ross, Bonnie van Rooyen, Brian Asch, Brian Cooper, Brian Lawson, Brian Williams, 'Cabby' Caborn, Carol Lynch, Mike Lindley, Clem Tholet, Dave Paterson, David Chodzko, Dave Emberton, Derek Partridge,[12] Des Hamill, Dickie Arbiter, Donna Wurzel, Douglas Gordon, Edrice Royston, Elaine Gillespie, Fortinay Fowler, Frank Alnwaith, Frank Selas, Gail Adams, Gary Worth, Geoffrey Atkins, Gerry Wilmot, Glenn Irving, Gloria Mulliagan, Graham Ross, Ian Dixon, Ian Salmon, Ian Warren, Irene Harding, James Thrush, Jan Smith, Jill Baker, Jimmy Robinson, John Aldridge, John Batwell, John Bishop, John Pank, John Wooton (Wooty), Joy Cameron Dow, Ken Jackson, Lawford Sutton-Pryce, Len Rookes, Leslie MacKenzie, Leslie Sullivan, Libby Railton, Liz James, Mabel Anderson, Malcolm Russell, Margaret Kriel (Maggie Patrick), Mark Lukazinski, Martin Lee, Martin Locke, Mary Morgan-Davies, Mike Lindley, Mike Stewart, Mike Westcott,[13] Nick Critchlow, Nigel Curling, Noreen Welch, Norman Bisby, Odilo Weger, Oliver Ransford, Pat Trevor, Patrick McLaughlin, Paul Tingay, Pauleen Bailey, Peter Bunkell, Peter Butler, Peter Evans, Peter Rollason, Peter Tobin, Peter van Aswegen, Peter Wilson, Ralph Glover, Ray Straker, Reg Salisbury, Rhys Meier, Rick Fenner, Bob Cushman, Rodney Gale, Rory Kilalea, Ross Campbell, Roy Brassington, Sally Donaldson, Sarah Thompson, Simon Parkinson, Sir Henry Gratten-Bellew, Sonia Hattin, Stan Higgins, Stan Trethowan, Stuart Dawes, Stuart Goakes, Ted Patterson, Terrence Kennedy, Toni Fairfield, Tony Adams, Tony Bulling, Tony Hitchman, Tony Oscroft, Trish Johns, Vic Mackeson, Vic Thomas, Viv Wilson, Wrex Tarr,[14] Gerry Wilmot These were called Bric-a-brac, Cabby, Culture Vulture, In Studio Minor, Juke Box Jury, National Foods High School Quiz, Nightcap, Pets Parade, Quirks and Quiddities, Sea Battles, Small Talk, Surf Pick-a-Box, Talkabout, Tele 5 Club, Wooty and Wonderama.
The Rhodesia Television page on Facebook (although currently a private group) remains highly active and shares a variety of anecdotes and photographs, keeping the RTV family vibrant and alive in these modern times.
Physical reunions have taken place in South Africa, UK, Australia and New Zealand with some members travelling many thousands of kilometres to rekindle their former relationships.
