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November 20, 2011 - 10:02 PM
Keith Palmer - not the Film Guy
keith_welwyn@yahoo.com

  I Really Miss Those Old VT Days

I joined the BBC as an Engineer in 1978, aged 22, and later moved to VT operations shift 2.
Became an Editor at Elstree working on EastEnders and Top of the Pops.

30 years on I’m now teaching at City University London plus still editing corporate videos and some broadcast such as Children In Need, Inside Out and BBC news.

I still have my chinagraph handy but now I need glasses to see find it.

I miss the old technology such as VT13, Proc Amps and duplex changeovers, tea trolleys at 2015 each night except Sundays, nowadays it’s all 2 pass vbr mpg encoding and H.264!! with upper odd field dominance!!! What the hell is going on?

But I bet I could still operate an EECO VR2000 suite or TR70 - could you? (don’t forget the demod balance)

I would so so love to see a VR-2000 again?

I was sad to see a previous message saying that there are only 10 Editors left in VT, I have a 30 year old VT staff rota to hand that shows 35 editors on shift 2 alone!!!

I’d love to know where Dave Jones and Huw Parsons are now?

I still have a D3 copy of those hilarious Christmas tapes in my Attic.

All the Best Keith Palmer. Nov. 2011
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2
November 06, 2011 - 08:28 PM
Andrew Stacey
andrewkstacey@hotmail.com

  A great site.It brought back many happy memories.I was in current ops for most of the 70's before joining Thames,and I don't think I have ever drunk and smoked so much in my life as I/we did then. Wonderful fun,"Doug & Dinsdale" in charge;Unsure if it was Saturday? Just check out Derek Fawcett, as he always wore a polo neck instead of a white shirt,at weekends. Nick Maingay shoving all the supposedly wiped TOTP tapes back in the library, just as well he did,given all the archive programming they've made out of them since.Brian West sticking all the hole punches, staplers etc, to the office walls, with double sided tape just to see what it looked like, God we were so bored some times!!
All the best to anyone who knows me.
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3
November 04, 2011 - 12:26 AM
Rob Platt
rob.platt@bbc.co.uk

  As I pass into my 25th year in 'VT' it is great to look back at this great archive. Sadly as there are now only 10 or so staff editors in the BBC and about the same number of assistants I'm not sure there will be many more stories to tell both on and off the screen.
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4
May 30, 2011 - 11:14 PM
Martin Fitzgerald
martinjamesfitzgerald@gmail.com

  A fitting tribute to the engineers and the technology of the VTR.
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April 27, 2011 - 08:59 PM
Meirion Hughes
meirion@amecon.co.uk

  Hi, I was in VT ops then VT Maintenance on Shift 1 Television Centre circa 1977-82. If there is a regular email list could you please add me to it. Would hate to miss any more of the reunions. Best regards
Meirion
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April 18, 2011 - 10:49 AM
last minute
http://www.odlotowewakacje.com

  I used to be a VT operator/cameraman/dogsbody for my high school television station in the 70s. It's great to see how things were done by the big boys. I especially enjoyed the Christmas videos. Got any more?
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April 07, 2011 - 05:05 PM
Tony Makepeace
makepeaceanthonypw@yahoo.com

  joined as direct entry engineer
Shift 2
1961-1969
on first round of VT editors
brought up on Edivue & magic markers.

edited everything that came along especially drama & opera

Incidentally I have several pounds weight of Edivue powder (aquired from University of Bristol - not
BBC!!! - happy to give some away - also have first generation Ampex quad head assembly - not from Beeb!!

After leaving Beeb spent rest of working life & beyond working for University of Bristol first making Teaching films & videos then into scientific research - X-Ray crystalography, medical endoscopy, pollution research & more

- programme horrors to follow
now retired - sort of - near Bristol
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February 24, 2011 - 04:39 PM
john bales
johncbales@yahoo.co.uk

  I worked in VT from 1960 - 1964 I think it was on shift 2 under the most splended shift supervisor Don Kershaw
I decided eventually that working for a large organisation was not my scene.
Until retirement I ran my own business in bulk audio tape copying and am currently retired and living in Dorset
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January 18, 2011 - 11:08 PM
Robin Broomfield
robinbroomfield@gmail.com

  Very sad to hear about Ray.
He was my boss when I joined the BBC, always kind, fair and supportive. He really helped me with the start of my career at the Beeb. He was one of lifes really nice guys.

Can you put me on the website -
I joined Enterprises then VT shift 1 before going to Lime Grove.
Then TVS, Meridian/Granada/ITV.
4 years in China - Olympics
Currently BSkyB - Operations and Development Manager for 3D Channel.
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January 08, 2011 - 09:58 PM
Anne Hopkins
anne@careinthehome.net

  Thank you. Ray was the best ever uncle you could have, a childs dream. He let me do all the things your parents would not let you. i nearly put him through the windscreen of his brand new car at the age of eight as he let me drive it!. I am now 54 and arranging the funeral with his best firends. It is so nice to see the tributes so much appreciated. Best wishes to you all. I am not sure if your are aware but he lost his sister my mum in March 2010 and I think he knew he was ill but didn't complain. He has been as always very organised which will help but wont bring him back. I will look at he site this week and it will be in the Telegraph on Tuesday next week with details of the funeral . If anyone wants to contact me please do. Anne ( Rays Niece and next of kin )xxx
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