TELEVISION history was made last month—and ATV helped to make it, writes NORMAN HARE. Operation Telstar—providing a TV link across the Atlantic has proved, without any doubt, that when it comes to the big occasion ATV can meet it. In the many thousands of words which have been written about the occasion little mention has been made of the ITV contributions to its success. And because of an agreement between the companies not to seek individual publicity, no mention at all has been made of the skilled operators and facilities provided by ATV.

On the memorable Monday night when viewers in the United States looked-in on Europe, ATV provided the major contribution to the British programme.

An Outside Broadcasts unit was in Cornwall televising the launching of The Lizard lifeboat and another was in London providing night scenes with the Houses of Parliament as the focus of attention.

Tony Flanagan was the producer in charge in Cornwall with John Appleby as supervisory engineer. The pictures were fed into the GPO transmitter at Goonhilly in two “hops” by Links Dept men under Harry Angus.

Steve Wade produced the Company’s contribution in London with “Tiny” Crane in charge of engineering.

Sharing overall production responsibility with a BBC man in the whole of the London ITV/BBC contribution was Alan Chivers and at the nerve centre — the International Control Room at the BBC — sat Bill Ward and Len Mathews, the two men who, more than any others in ITV, had contributed towards the success of the operation. On the nights of the experimental transmissions and receptions, July 10-11, Company facilities were also used.

John Harrison was at Goonhilly operating the Mobile Ampex recording unit and put on record that first flickering picture which excited millions of viewers who had stayed up until lam to see the experiment. In the back of the van was the sound equipment which brought to ITV viewers the voice of Ian Trethowan the commentator. Here, John Appleby was in charge.

A behind-the-scenes crisis occurred when the rotary converter which the Company had sent to Goonhilly showed a bearing fault.

Without this aid the conversion from the English 50 cycles to the American 60 cycles would have been impossible and this would have placed the whole Telstar operation in jeopardy, so far as British participation was concerned.

An emergency call to London got our new diesel generator on the road heading for Cornwall as quickly as it could be driven by Geoffrey Humbling, accompanied by fitter Eric Griffiths. They left at teatime on Monday, drove 332 miles through the night and arrived at Goonhilly at 10 am on the Tuesday when Telstar went into orbit. They were later joined by fitter-driver Cyril Penfold.

Another ATV contribution to Telstar was the 20-minute film produced by Phil Wrestler and shown to viewers on both the Tuesday and Wednesday nights of the experiment.

Cameramen were Alan Harries and Mike Whittcutt at Westminster and Dave Higgon at The Lizard. Sound was handled by Ron Harding at The Lizard and Len Penfold, John Parker and Dave Ashley-Smith at Westminster. The backroom staff:— Dave Haley (Managing Engineer, Communications), Freddie Dix (Managing Engineer, OBs), Ross Compton (OB Planning Manager), Brian Longman and Ralph Taylor.

The post This team helped to make history appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

THE men who really make television — but rarely make the news — had the unusual experience of being in the limelight when an exhibition of their work was staged at ATV House.

Members of the Company’s Development Department and Planning and Installation Department had assembled a selection of some of the most advanced television equipment that can be seen not only in Britain but in any part of the world.

And every piece of equipment on show was the result of work by ATV staff.

More than 300 people, including the new Chairman of the Company. Sir Robert Renwick, representatives of the national and trade press, electronic manufacturing companies and the BBC visited the impressive exhibition.

Centre-piece was the 34-channel fully transistorised studio sound mixer, designed and manufactured by Pye Ltd. to ATV’s requirements. This mixer is installed in the new studios at Elstree.

Peter Fowler and Ray McCabe dealt with hundreds of enquiries from visitors who marvelled at this remarkable piece of engineering which is quite unrivalled in the field of technical equipment.

The control vision mixer, designed and manufactured by the Development Department was explained to visitors by Ken Searle and Arthur Burbidge. This is a great contribution towards the stabilizing of the studio output picture. Unique circuits stabilize the picture against large variations of voltage and temperature.

ON DISPLAY

Among the interesting items of equipment designed and made by ATV were:

Cut and Effects Mixer. At the touch of a button or fader it provides inter-frame cutting and separate fading from twelve picture inputs.

Line Up Panel. This enables the accurate and speedy alignment of the many electronic circuits concerned with the vision mixing unit.

Special Effects Control Unit. This is used to select special visual effects to make programmes more interesting. Inlay and over lay may be used.

FOR OB’s

OB Portable Video Distribution Amplifier. The unit provides four separate vision outputs from a single co-axial input, particularly -useful at OBs where large areas are involved.

Transistorised Video Amplifier. Sixteen separate vision outputs are provided with integral power units.

Transistorised Microwave Transmitter. Designed for testing microwave paths before use on programmes. It is used in conjunction with a portable radio telephone.

Transistor Intercom Units. One is a simple transistor amplifier for a small technical centre. The other is a multi-studio system capable of operating between 44 stations in a studio centre.

Helping to explain the workings of these and other pieces of equipment were members of the company’s Engineering Department, all of whom have contributed to their development and manufacture.

The post Engineers on parade… appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

COLOUR pictures were cast 25 miles across London last month in a demonstration which showed how the latest television techniques can be used by companies in promoting their products.

Carreras Ltd, the tobacco manufacturers, were introducing their new Piccadilly filter-tip cigarettes at the Piccadilly Hotel. They wanted to show those present how the cigarettes were being made at their factory in Basildon, Essex — and show it all in colour.

It was the task of ATV engineers to link the factory with the hotel suite. This they achieved via a water tower at Laindon Hills, Essex, and the company’s permanent link at Hillcrest, Highgate. E.M.I equipment was used for the linking, Marconi equipment for the “shooting” at the factory and Bush monitors enabled the party at the Piccadilly to see the various processes taking place at the factory.

For ATV Bob Cooper, Stan Merrick and Bill Smith were at Basildon. Dennis Sippings and Arthur Durrell at Laindon Hills, Gordon Daniels and Vic Zytek at Highgate and Cliff Whiting, Percy Tickle and Henry Hall at the Piccadilly Hotel.

MOST LIKELY SYSTEM

When Britain gets Colour TV the system most likely to be used is the NTSC system now operating in the United States.

Len Mathews, Assistant Technical Controller, Communications and OBs, told guests at the Carreras colour demonstration some of the advantages and disadvantages of the system, with particular reference to the importance of the linking ATV had provided.

The NTSC system is a colour specification proposed by the National Television System Committee, an American industrywide engineering group set up between 1950 and 1953 to develop colour TV specification for the United States, said Mr Mathews.

FAIRLY COMPLEX

Although the NTSC system is a fairly complex one, which requires the use of what is known as a coding and a decoding equipment, it has two main advantages.

Firstly, it is compatible with the present monochrome system.

Secondly, the bandwidth occupied by the television signal is the same as required for the present-day black and white.

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Russian viewers to see our O.B.

YURI FOKIN, Russia’s top television commentator, will face an ATV camera next month to introduce the first live outside ITV broadcast from Britain to the Soviet Union.

An ATV outside broadcast unit will be covering the Soviet State Fair at Earls Court, which will open on July 7.

The Russians are sending their own TV producer to direct the unit and the whole operation is part of our reciprocal deal with the Soviet State Committee for Radio and Television.

The first part of the exchange took place last month when British viewers saw our coverage of the British Trade Fair in Moscow.

The Moscow relay was introduced by Mr Norman Collins, Deputy Chairman, from the Foley Street studio.

Originally, the introduction was planned to last four minutes but half way through — since Moscow wasn’t ready — a chalked “Keep Going” notice was put in front of the camera. And Mr Collins kept going — for eight and a half minutes.

Then came the dramatic moment for James Ferman, who directed the relay, to say “Cue Moscow” … and ATV’s first live link with the Soviet capital was on the air.

Our 90 minutes relay also made TV history through the enterprise of ATV commentator Shaw Taylor. Shaw pushed his way through the crowd with a microphone to obtain a TV scoop by interviewing Mr Kruschev.

This was the first time any TV commentator had secured an off-the-cuff comment from the Russian Premier.

The ATV team in Moscow were Bill Ward, Productions Controller; his P.A. Pam Matthews; Len Mathews, Assistant Technical Controller, Communications and Outside Broadcasts; Stephen Wade, Head of Outside Broadcasts; his P.A. Doreen Ayres; floor manager, Bill Glaze and commentators, Shaw Taylor and Reginald Bosanquet of ITN.

ATV’s Russian programmes included a ballet performance direct from the famous Bolshoi Theatre directed by Bill Ward.

Our mobile recording unit, with recording engineer, John Harrison and rigger driver, Cyril Penfold, were also in action recording documentary material for future programmes.

One of these projects has been provisionally entitled “Gorki-street, U.S.S.R.” and will be a Russian equivalent to “Main-street, U.S.A.” in which we depicted the lives of typical American families.

ELSTREE VISIT

The details of the programme we are sending to Russia next month were arranged during a visit to the Elstree Studio Centre and ATV House by a team of Russian television experts.

This was the first time a Russian television delegation had visited any ITV studios.

Heading the delegation was Mr Konstantin Kuzakov, Deputy Chairman of the Soviet State Committee for Radio and Television.

His colleagues were Mr Yuri Fokin, Head of Russian Television News and Mr S. J. Martsenitsen [sic: usually transliterated as S. I. Martsenitsen – Ed], Deputy Head of the Main Department of the Soviet Ministry of Communications.

COMPLETE TOUR

They made a complete tour of the Elstree Studio Centre accompanied by Bill Ward, Stephen Wade, Len Mathews and Technical Controller, Terence Macnamara.

The Russians were particularly interested in the control rooms of Studios C and D and the advanced technical equipment designed by ATV’s own engineering staff.

In the evening the Russians were entertained at a party at ATV House by Mr Norman Collins, Deputy Chairman; Mr Val Parnell, Managing Director; Mr Lew Grade, Deputy Managing Director and Lord Bessborough, Director.

Mr Kuzakov said they would like to prepare a documentary programme on Lenin’s life in London and some kind of musical programme.

His immediate concern, however, was the coverage of the Soviet State Fair next month.

The post Moscow here we come appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

ANY journey to Moscow must have an element of excitement, as one never knows just what to expect, and also there is always so much to learn about the Russians.

The trips made in connection with ATV’s live programme exchange deal have had the added excitement of the pioneering feeling, for, whatever stories have been written in the Press, ATV has truly pioneered this television break-through.

The first trip, in company with Lord Bessborough [Frederick Edward Neuflize “Eric” Ponsonby, 10th Earl of Bessborough – Ed], Mr Norman Collins, Messrs [Terence] Macnamara and [Stephen] Wade, was placed in what now appears the “dim and distant past” of December 1960, and although lasting less than a week, the stay in Moscow enabled us to learn a little of the Muscovite, and “what makes him tick”.

As a result of our business meetings, we made a number of social contacts at varying levels.

Over meals in our hotel with these “new found friends” we were able to find out how and where they live; their likes and dislikes; and we of course reciprocated.

We were rather surprised to find that they were very like us in many ways, and even more surprising, they even looked like us!

Food and Drink

Most Muscovites live in rather large apartment houses, State-controlled of course. The apartment rents are paid to the Government, and there appears to be no choice of location. As a result, the intellectual professor may live next door to the crossing sweeper, who will, incidentally, be a woman!

The Muscovite is very fond of his food and drink, and in our hotel eating and drinking appeared to be the favourite pastime. There was in addition a small four or five piece band playing what sounded suspiciously like capitalist music, to which the clientele danced western foxtrots, quicksteps, etc.

THE modern Moscow young lady appears to have discovered that beauty preparations and stylish clothes have a desirable effect, for we saw much evidence of lipstick and jewellery, being worn with dresses which were prettier than we would have expected.

There were, of course, still a number of people attired in more utilitarian clothes, but we suspected that they were slightly envious of their better dressed neighbours.

We also had the opportunity of a quick shopping expedition in Gorki Street, where the largest shops are to be found. Most of the shops are big and imposing as buildings, but take on the appearance of rather sombre “self-service stores” inside, where one finds a perpetual fur-hatted crowd all trying to reach the counter at the same time.

The Gum Store

One large multiple store by the inspiring name of “Gum” [Государственный универсальный магазин, Gosudarstvennyy universalnyy magazin, State Department Store] dominates a large area close to Red Square.

This is a most remarkable building which I can only describe as similar to the conventional prison block, because it consists mainly of balconies around the inner wall, up to I believe three stories, connected horizontally and vertically by steps and bridges.

Colour TV

We were further privileged to be given a conducted tour of the Moscow Television Centre, which, in addition to the normal studios for black and white transmission, houses a studio from which a colour programme is transmitted on most evenings.

This colour service is in the form of a test, as the programme time is rather limited, and we understood that only people intimately concerned with television had a colour receiver.

The senior engineer of the colour studio was, like a number of other senior staff — a woman.

We enjoyed a lengthy discussion in English and Russian, illustrated with little drawings, into the niceties of the various television waveforms.

ON leaving Moscow, to our surprise and pleasure, we were given presents of vodka, caviar and, believe it or not, Russian perfume called “Red Moscow” from our hosts, and I think we were all agreed that we liked them (our hosts).

The post This is Moscow! appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

THE man who is planning the Company’s participation in spanning the Atlantic in a split second this summer once took three months to cross from Liverpool to New York.

That was when LEN MATHEWS, M.Brit. I.R.E., Assistant Technical Controller (Commumcations and Outside Broadcasts), was in the Royal Navy aboard an armed merchant-cruiser dodging U-boats in a trans-Atlantic convoy.

Wartime service took Len all over the world setting up maintenance and development sections for radar and radio to be used by the Services.

His job was one of the “hush-hush” type — a Special Service appointment. The knowledge he had was considered to be of such importance that the Admiralty issued him and his colleagues — there were six of them chosen for the job — with “suicide pills” to be taken if captured by the enemy.

The nearest he came to being captured was when his ship was sunk by a Japanese aerial torpedo, but he was lucky enough to be rescued by a Dutch ship. Many of his shipmates were not so fortunate, being picked up by the Japanese and receiving brutal treatment when put ashore at Singapore.

Len went to India, Africa, Australia and America, and served a long period with the Far Eastern Fleet.

When the war ended he joined the BBC where he spent some time in charge of regional control rooms and was subsequently transferred to a group concerned with the expansion of the TV network.

He helped to establish the links between London, Manchester and Scotland and eventually obtained a special assignment that took him into all departments of BBC Television in order that he should gain experience of every facet of the operations.

At one time he attended a course on production, which he has always regarded as great benefit as it enabled him to see the producer’s point of view.

In July 1955 Len came over to ATV to build up a communications department before the company went on the air, and shortly afterwards he took over the OB Department.

LEADING EXPERT

He is now recognised as one of Europe’s leading experts in TV communications.

He planned the links between Moscow and London for the first ITV television exchange with the Soviet. At present his big job outside normal duties is dealing with the way in which trans-Atlantic TV will get to viewers’ screens not only in Britain but also in several Continental countries.

When the satellite TV experiment was announced ITN called on Len to explain to viewers in layman’s language what it was all about. He was also called in as adviser on their Colonel Glenn [John Herschel Glenn Jr (1921–2016), first American to orbit the Earth – Ed] coverage.

He is ATV’s representative on the British Space Development Company’s technical committee.

His paper on “Television Communications Using Earth Satellite Vehicles”, presented to the British Institute of Radio Engineers at Oxford last year, is regarded as one of the most important contributions to knowledge of communications to be made for many years.

A report of the National Association of Educational Broadcasts, submitted to the United States Administration, refers in detail to this paper, and the European Broadcasting Union recommends it to members as an essential authority on television communications.

It is in the family tradition of the family that a Mathews should be taking part in new developments in communication.

Len s grandfather worked on the design of the first-ever submarine cable and his father was a senior engineer at Siemens.

It seemed natural for Len, after attending Birmingham Technical College, to start a student apprenticeship in telecommunications.

Now 45, Len lives at Dartford, Kent. One of his sons, Paul, works in the Company’s Engineering Department at Elstree and the other, 15-year-old Anthony, is studying for his GCE.

SPARE TIME

In his spare time Len has done some painting and drawing. In his younger days he was quite an athlete combining running the mile with playing wing three-quarter at rugby, and also scoring considerable success in the boxing ring as a southpaw lightweight.

A spare-time task which Len considers of great importance nowadays is his work as the examiner for the Television Graduate Examination of the British Institute of Radio Engineers.

He sets the questions and marks the papers which means that most of the young men who will be concerned with the technical future of television in Britain will have gained something from the knowledge of our Len Mathews.

The post The man behind our Space plan appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.