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TomAckroyd

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#214522 15-May-2017 19:45
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Kia ora koutou.

Would any members be able to help me piece together a history of Kiwi Cable Limited? (The cable TV side of the business, not so much phone services.) It wouldn't need to be super-detailed, but I'm interested in getting a "backgrounder" not only into how it came about, but the programming, people etc.

I started subscribing to TelstraClear in 2001? I think, but before that remember the dish at Lindale and then Seaview.

I have a contact in Mark Albiston who can give me an insider view (he worked there in the early days) but am keen to get other voices. A little snippet from http://script-to-screen.co.nz/2010/03/creative-collaboration-with-mark-albiston-and-louis-sutherland/ :
"The two began working together at Kiwi Cable, making local television shows at a community station which doubled as a farm attracting tourists. “It wasn’t our highest quality work,” said Louis, “and there were plenty of animals participating in the shows – but we learned how to direct, shoot and edit both documentaries and live multi-camera studio shoots.” It was here that they began to write short films. They were, by their own admission, pretty bad!"

Any suggestions for cross-posting this in other forums gratefully received.

Ngā mihi nui,
Tom

Tom Ackroyd
Digital Collection Team Leader
Kaiārahi Tira Kohinga Matihiko

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
84 Taranaki Street · PO Box 11 449 · Wellington 6142
Direct dial +64 4 8964 865
www.ngataonga.org.nz

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sbiddle
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  #1782783 15-May-2017 20:45
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Does anybody there know Roger Gascoigne? He had a lot to do with them in the early days.

 

 




gehenna
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  #1782784 15-May-2017 20:49
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sbiddle:

 

Does anybody there know Roger Gascoigne? He had a lot to do with them in the early days.

 

 

 

He's a tour guide at Te Papa these days.


alasta
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  #1782794 15-May-2017 21:07
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TomAckroyd: Kia ora koutou.

"The two began working together at Kiwi Cable, making local television shows at a community station which doubled as a farm attracting tourists. “It wasn’t our highest quality work,” said Louis, “and there were plenty of animals participating in the shows – but we learned how to direct, shoot and edit both documentaries and live multi-camera studio shoots.” It was here that they began to write short films. They were, by their own admission, pretty bad!"

 

Does anyone remember where that farm was? I have vague memories of going there once when I was a teenager and I know it was somewhere on the Kapiti Coast but can't recall the exact location. 




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  #1782802 15-May-2017 21:22
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Pinging @antoniosk... He might know a bit more (although he was in the UK in early 2000s).





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antoniosk
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  #1782813 15-May-2017 21:30
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Lindale.

The big dish was at Lindale farm, and some of the outbuildings there housed the equipment. As I recall they started in kapiti and began working their way down, then started bring services in from Upper Hutt towards the city. Nearly all of Upper Hutt hfc was underground, but they burned through their seed capital really quickly and couldn't go much further.

So they went after pole rights to come into Wellington, and got them. Vodafone got the rights when they purchased tcl, but the understanding of what to do was lost on the new owners.

There was original content being created by the kiwi cable crew, with local news stories from waikanae etc. as you can imagine the source material dried up pretty quick because... well it is a tiny coastal area, not Home & Away.





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sbiddle
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  #1782828 15-May-2017 21:44
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I recall them rolling out in Lower Hutt first as their expansion beyond Kapiti and then expanding into Wgtn and then Upper Hutt last. They had issues in Silverstream because Telecom had put all their HFC cable for First Media at the wrong height on the poles so that all had to be removed first.

 

I was one of the first to trial the Com21 cable modems on a trial ironically called Neon and even had Michael Newbury (who still seems to pop up on here occasionally) install it for me.

 

 


Lias
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  #1782838 15-May-2017 21:59
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Can't help much, I didn't become a customer until Chello launched in 2000, then became a Paradise customer after they pulled out, then moved to Hamilton 6 months later. Didn't become a cable customer again until 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 





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blakamin
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  #1782844 15-May-2017 22:05
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I wonder if @ZollyMonsta knows anything?


ZollyMonsta
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  #1782851 15-May-2017 22:16
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I joined Saturn, which then became TelstraSaturn in 2001. I was hired as they were boosting up to launch their own DTH (satellite) service. The satellite service was mothballed on my last day in my commercial radio job. Aiiieee!

The headend is based out at Seaview and included at the time downlink of various satellite sources and playout. Saturn Sport was TelstraSaturn's own sport channel and this was played out from the Seaview facility, with studio shows (live) and pre-recorded coming out of Centreport where the NZ Rugby Union now resides.

The analogue and later digital TV head ends also originated from Seaview, with these feeds also being sent down the country over fibre to a smaller headend in Christchurch for local broadcast. The analogue broadcasts on HFC being shut down around 2009 (I think... my memory is fading around the dates).

Cable TV continues to be broadcast today, albeit with a smaller staff count and majority of TV channels now sourced from Sky TV.

Cheers,
Grant






 

 

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As per the usual std disclaimer.. "All thoughts typed here are my own."


plod
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  #1782854 15-May-2017 22:42
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I had Saturn TV in Jville/ newlands in 96/97.

alasta
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  #1782925 16-May-2017 08:29
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antoniosk: Lindale.

The big dish was at Lindale farm, and some of the outbuildings there housed the equipment. 

 

Thanks! I remember having lunch there and the 'farmburger' was pretty awful, but I was fascinated with the Kiwi Cable building and equipment.


antoniosk
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  #1782936 16-May-2017 08:52
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sbiddle:

 

I recall them rolling out in Lower Hutt first as their expansion beyond Kapiti and then expanding into Wgtn and then Upper Hutt last. They had issues in Silverstream because Telecom had put all their HFC cable for First Media at the wrong height on the poles so that all had to be removed first.

 

I was one of the first to trial the Com21 cable modems on a trial ironically called Neon and even had Michael Newbury (who still seems to pop up on here occasionally) install it for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think he's still traumatised by the experience





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Rickles
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  #1782961 16-May-2017 09:34
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Extract from Wiki - Saturn Communications was originally known as Kiwi Cable Limited and based on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington. The company was formed by a local entrepreneur. The company was purchased by Austar United Communications an Australian pay television operator and its headquarters moved and an aggressive network rollout planned.

 

The Companies Register may provide further contact people - HERE.


geekiegeek
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  #1782988 16-May-2017 10:14
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I installed the Krone frame into the Seaview exchange in the late 90s as well as terminating a lot of the cabinets in Lower Hutt. Had one of those utes with a cherry picker on the back for terminating the local distribution points on the poles. There were hoards of techs running all over the Hutt valley terminating cables, good times.


Wheelbarrow01
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  #1783197 16-May-2017 15:29
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I started working at Saturn in 1999, originally as a door to door salesman. I wasn't fussed on that role much, but did it for a few months before moving into an advisory role - I advised residents when Saturn contractors were about to start digging their street up lol.

 

I also set up Saturn signage at local sporting events that were being televised on Saturn's SportsNET channel, organised (and played in) a few celebrity golf tournaments to publicise the Golf Channel which was transmitted on Saturn TV, investigated visual pollution complaints as a result of aerial cable deployment, and a few other interesting jobs.

 

Roger Gasgoine was my boss. A delightful man to work for who made even the mundane fun. We were based in the head office - "The Glasshouse" on Petone Esplanade, while the sales guys worked out of  an office on Gracefield Rd. I was working there when we took on @JasonParis as a fresh faced young TV advertising exec. He seems to be doing alright for himself these days.....





The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd


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