Tag: Outside broadcasts

SOUTHERN IMAGE

1 Foremost to give the station its regional stamp is the Outside Broadcast Unit. Here members of the public quiz local government representatives on some burning local topic in “Probe” — one of the unit’s most successful programmes.

What sort of station did Southern Television set out to be? What image of itself has it projected?

Above all, Southern is a regional station. It serves the South, and the people of the South. It brings them southern news, southern features, southern personalities, and it looks at the wider world from their standpoint. It is their own television station, not a remote impersonal colossus.

Southern is a responsible station. It knows it has a duty to give people the best — and it tries very hard to do so. It is alive and alert — and young in heart.

Let its programmes speak for themselves.

2 “snakes and ladders” is another Outside Broadcast giving people a chance to participate in their station’s activities. This popular quiz game travels from town to town. Kenneth Horne comperes this show and the inter-school quiz — “full marks”.

3 Recruiting of local talent is taken very seriously. Hundreds of amateurs from southern towns were auditioned for “home grown” — in which viewers’ votes could win performers cash prizes.

4 Southern Television is in on the most significant events — and the most entertaining. “southern affairs” is the news magazine which holds up a mirror to the South. Here is Mr. Macmillan being interviewed during a visit to the South.

SOUTHERN TELEVISION and SOUTHERN VIEWERS

Southern’s relations with its viewers must be as close as possible if the station is to be truly regional.

Probably nothing can do so much to this end as the Outside Broadcast Unit—going everywhere, being seen by everybody, getting people to participate in their television service.

People who appear regularly on the screen are in constant demand for opening fetes, judging beauty contests, talking to clubs and signing autographs. All these requests are carefully considered, and complied with whenever possible. It is always worthwhile to let people see their television favourites in the flesh.

No letter from a viewer, praising, criticising, or asking for information, goes unanswered.

Another facet of public relations is organising audiences for lunchtime shows. There is a growing waiting list of clubs, women’s institutes and other organisations all over the South. It is all part of the job of making people feel that Southern Television is their station.

1 Jim Dale and Janie Marden with some of the audience at the Lunchtime show, “Take it easy”.

2 Meryl O’Keeffe, one of the four station announcers, making a persona! appearance at a local speedway track.

3 The Outside Broadcast unit with all its equipment. In Southern’s first year this unit was responsible for over 120 outside broadcasts all over the area.