The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 51

JTHE GUIDE i 1 x'- "You would be surprised at the big executive names on some of these applications," she said. rami AVA HUBBLE produced five years before the BBC's version," he said. "But politicians got wind of it and it was shafted on the night it was due to premiere." Actor Walter Sullivan (now a columnist) was cast as "the-Minister-for-Absolutely recalled Munro. "His co-star, Jeff Ashby, was the naive junior minister whose good ideas always seemed to get shelved just like the series," he lamented. Sydney-based chief of Central Independent Television, John Jackson.

The documentary, featuring Yallop repeating his claims of an international conspiracy to protect Ilich Ramierz Sanchez the alleged to be the perpetrator of the Munich massacre and other outrages, was produced by the BBC's Virginia Films and several other co-producers. COMPLAINTS of a lack of cash for new gear have long been heard around Gore Hill, but now they're emanating from Channel Nine. Yesterday's coverage on the Sunday program of National Party leader, Tim Fisher, on the campaign trail, was said to have been constantly in jeopardy because of the failure of recorders and replacement recorders on location. A previous Channel Nine election special is understood to have been cancelled because of equipment problems. Dr Fitzgerald a theory about republicanism.

the UK on Friday. Those interviewed included Brisbane-based academic author, Dr Ross Fitzgerald, who told this column that he advised British viewers that he thinks very few Australians "would want a man who thinks he's a tampon to be the next king, and therefore in charge of Australia's armed AN EPISODE of Channel Ten's Neighbours is scheduled to be taped in and around Manly today. Cast members will include Elspeth Ballan-tyne, Ian Rawlings, Dan Falzon, Marnie Reece-Wilmore and Troy Beckwith. LAST week's most startling rumour starred ABC Television chief Paddy Conroy. He supposedly had set about bracing his troops for the possibility of a S50 million post-election budget cut by mentioning, at a few meetings, that he favours spot advertisements.

"No, no, no!" Conroy protested when this' column called. "What I have said," he explained, "is that I think you can sustain an argument that spot advertising is cleaner than sponsorship." Sponsors tend to want to support a particular program, he said, "to link a product with a program. Whereas spot advertising is dropped in, more or less at random and unrelated to program But these were simply observations, he stressed. "They had nothing to do with the ABC. I must insist that you make it clear that the policy of the ABC's board and management is 'no sponsorship, no advertising, no compromise'." BILL Munro, whose credits include directing the ground-breaking This Day Tonight, has returned to the industry after more than a decade in the business world.

He is now working on sitcom and comedy ideas at JNP films, which packages A Country Practice for Channel Seven. During his ABC days, Munro produced many sitcoms, including Our Man in Canberra. "It was Australia's Yes, Minister, STLVli Cosser's Broadcom reports signs of confidence that Multipoint Distribution Service (MDS) pay TV will soon be up and running in Australia, whatever the result of the election. A spokeswoman said that although no advertisement had been placed, Cosser has been busy dealing with inquiries from potential investors particularly from job-seekers anxious to "jump ship" at the major networks. CHANNEL Seven executives viewed the second pilot of Seven Days on Friday.

The proposed public affairs series, the current project of Warren McStoker (ex- 60 Minutes and presenterreporter Neil Mercer (ex-Four Corners will be more of an answer to Channel Nine's Sunday program than The 7.30' Report, advised a spokeswoman. "Whatever you've heard, it will go ahead," she said. David Yallop his work may be heading here. THE documentary based on David Yallop's latest book, To the Ends of the Earth, may be screened here during the author's visit. He is due to arrive on March 22.

Negotiations for the Australian rights are being handled by the A BBC program about Australia's republican movement went to air in Jane makes versatility an art Ho Masons LjI I 4 A Cleaning Services Eniav cleaner movie: Enjoy cleaner movies 9 I per room Upholstery music with comfort For quality carpet Jane Clifton's new role as a reporter on the ABC arts program Review is definitely not for laughs, writes bronwyn watson. SI 2 iinhnlsterv rAeaninn. phone 018 860 833 Cf. per seat HE program that has discovered how to sell art to a large television audience, the ABC's Review has IIH.I..W I IH'H MH. JH III! IW IIWJ.

I I IM III! 4 birtt 4- ijf rag it- hm- I iii in in jsflg SONY GIVE-AWAY 3.H. (8) VIDEO CAMCORDER- B10X Power Zoom Remote Control 2 Lux, DateTime Insert (Auto Everything) THIS WEEK ONLY mm 1 Tax Free $1 245 CASH ONLY "So I think I find myself in a very empathic situation with people. I try and make the interviews as quick and as painless as possible and make people at ease. "But working on Review will be pretty challenging stuff. For me it's great; it stretches me, it forces me to use my brain a bit more and do a lot of research, because the job covers all the visual arts and ballet and opera, apart from things that I'm familiar with like theatre, music and cabaret." Although Review was set up five years ago by Peter Ross and executive producer George Pugh, the Sydney-based program has acquired a flavour quite distinct from Ross's Sunday Afternoon arts show, which is now being produced in Melbourne with a new executive producer, Jan McGuinness.

Review's increasing ratings, particularly since the middle of last year, show the formula, which could be described as an MTV approach to arts, is working. Pugh says: "We're a brisk, breezy sort of magazine. Sunday Afternoon has a slightly more austere view." Clifton, who replaces Mary Clarke, should make the Sydney-based Review even more accessible and entertaining. Peter Ross, the so-called "ABCs face of the arts," will continue to front Reiew and Sutuiay Afternoon. Review is on ABC-TV at 10 o'clock tonight.

i 74k tel. I BONUS EXTRA BATTERY AND TAPE 1 added Melbourne comedienne and actress Jane Clifton to its line-up of reporters. "Look, I've finally found something to do with my arts degree," quipped Clifton, whom you might remember as the pregnant one in Andrew Denton's debate on whether laughter was better than sex, or as Margo in Prisoner. Clifton starts her career as a straight television reporter tonight on Review with a segment on the Australian Ballet's production of Don Quixote. Straight because, Clifton says, the production is dedicated to the memory of Rudolph Nureyev.

"It's not exacdy something you can make a lot of jokes about," she says. The signing of the multi-talented Clifton, who will also be working on the Melbourne edition of The 7.30 Report and starring in a play called An Evening with Merv Hughes in Sydney and Brisbane later this year, reflects the expanding ambitions of Review. Clifton believes she may bring a new dimension to the program because she has experience of working on both sides of the camera. "I know what it's like being a performer and that it's often a real drag having those TV cameras around and being asked to do an interview when you've just finished a show and all you want to do is go and lie down. VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER- 14 Head VCR Digital Auto Tracking Unified remote commander (Controls Trinitrons TV s) On screen Multifunction MenuDate Display THIS WEEK ONLY Tax Free $525 CASH ONLY BONUS 5 HOUR TAPE 21" REMOTE CONTROL COLOUR TV Hi-Biack Trinitron Tube Brilliant Colour and contrast Sleep Timer NTSC PlaySacK.

THIS WEEK ONLY Tax Free S64S CASH ONLY ENTRY LEVEL COMPACT DISC PLAYER 20 Track Mus.c 8 B-t DC Dt-tii Sero System ThiS WEEK ONLY Ta. Free- $177 CASH OlY 'For me it's great; it stretches to vise mv brain a bit more." Jane Clifton me, it forces me tmw fa wmm i tm m. a 2S SMH The Guide, Monday, March 8, 1993.