CHTV3

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

CHTV3  —  Christchurch's television channel .....

These details were first published in The Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32621, 1 June 1971, Page 13

Only four months after the start of regular programmes from CHTV3 on June 1, 1961, the transmission hours were increased from 151 to 29 and since then, the scope of television news coverage and its range of entertainment had expanded steadily.  By October, 1962, CHTV3 was transmitting for 36 hours a week and on the station's third birthday, this was increased again to 50 hours a week.  CHTV3's sixth anniversary was marked by the introduction of week-day afternoon programmes, bringing the weekly total to 65 hours.  There was a staff of 14 technicians in the Gloucester Street buildings when CHTV3 began, and this soon grew to 67, distributed among the Sugarloaf transmitter, the outside broadcast unit, the film sound section and the studios at Gloucester Street.  A staff of three or four non-technical workers, originally housed in the McLean Institute Building in Oxford Terrace, grew to 66.

The inimitable Gary Glitter in action in the CHTV3 Studio

The inimitable Gary Glitter in action in the CHTV3 Studio

The first transmitter of 10 kilowatts was situated at Gloucester Street, with the 100 kilowatt Sugarloaf transmitter opening in October, 1965.  Operations at the start were often extremely difficult as there was one small studio for everything, but in very limited space a ballet was produced, as well as an extract from The Taming of The Shrew.  As more space became essential, the Orange Hall was used in conjunction with the mobile control room outside broadcast van and if this was a makeshift arrangement, the Have a Shot series was produced successfully.  Other halls used included the now dismantled Latimer Hall for a ballet and a series of musical programmes and the Girl Guides Hall.  But still, with the growth of production, the demand for space increased.  Offices were built in the back yard of the Gloucester Street premises.  The ground floor of the Canterbury Rugby Union Building in Manchester Street was used for some time, until space was available in the Manchester Unity building.  There the presentation, production, film processing and editing, news, art and design and cine camera sections are housed.  In addition, a large wool store was converted into a workshop and store for properties and furniture used on the various productions.  Meanwhile, in Gloucester Street, work began on the installation of a continuity suite, its control room, and the associated telecine room housing all the projectors.  From the suite the news, weather and spoken announcements originate.  The original control room has been re-built and serves a small studio on the ground floor the home of The South Tonight, and small productions.  The first studio in the country to be designed for television requirements was built at Gloucester Street, and finishing touches were made to the associated control room.  When this is completed, CHTV3 will have a continuity suite, a small studio and a moderately-sized modem studio fully equipped with lighting and cameras and capable of handling most types of productions.