Overseas Rediffusion
Branches
TELARAMA - REDIFFUSION  (Pty)  Ltd.
Johannesburg
Did you work for Telerama.   Were you involved with the Dial-a -programme development ?

We would be pleased to hear from you.

Associated Companies in over 175 towns in Great Britain and in Barbados, Bermuda. Canada, Ceylon, Guyana,
             Hong Kong, Jamaica, Malaya, Malta, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and West Africa etc.
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The SABC Tower Office Block building, Johannesburg RSA, housing Telarama-Rediffusion Dial-a-Program system
email - Gerald Clode
Johannesburg saw the opening of the new giant broadcasting centre in January 1979 and the start of colour television broadcasting in South Africa.
Telarama-Rediffusion installed a Rediffusion Dial-a-Program system, believed to be the world’s largest random access closed circuit installation in terms of programme capacity.
When the system became operational it enabled executives, studio heads and producers to monitor, by dialling from their desks, all television and radio activities throughout the twin-tower complex, and to call up programmes from the South African Broadcasting Corporation library which had either been broadcast or were due to be broadcast at a later date.
The Dial-a-Program system was designed  to save studio executive time. Programme items which demanded immediate on-the-spot opinions could be displayed on the television receivers and considered by the executive without the need for him to visit the studio. Thus studio directors and producers were able to contact officials in their offices in mid-production for a rapid decisions. The system enabled the SABC to work to tight schedules, to avoid
delays in the studios and with equipment, and to keep abreast of developments as they happened.

The heart of the Dial-a-Program installation was the 72-channel programme switching centre, located in the Television Centre building, which handled 48 vision and 24 radio sound sources. The system was served by cables
linking 74 outlets in the Television Centre and a further 100 outlets in the Tower Office Block building.
The Dial-a-Progreamme system was supplied and commissioned by the research division of Rediffusion
Engineering and was capable of expansion to deal with up to 108 channels and over 200 outlets.


SOUTH AFRICA
Wiring Crew.

Wiring Crew.

Twenty-six Qwixt Cables being fed into Manhole.

Twenty-six Qwixt Cables being fed into Manhole.

The Main Exchange (Front)

The Main Exchange (Front)

The Main Exchange (Rear)

The Main Exchange (Rear)

A Section of teh Exchange Frame.

A Section of teh Exchange Frame.

A Viewers Dialler Unit.

A Viewers Dialler Unit.

Concept of Exchange Selection.

Concept of Exchange Selection.

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