A personal piece, an idea I had some time ago, both addressing my name and saluting the days of analogue terrestrial television. We start at HTV studios Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff in South Wales circa. 1986. HTV (Harlech Television named after the head of the company, Lord Harlech) was the ITV franchise for Wales which started broadcasting from Pontcanna in Cardiff in 1968 before relocating to the newly opened, £14 million television centre at Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff in 1984. They broadcast from this location for 30 years before relocating to Assembly Square Cardiff Bay in June 2014. In the studio armed with his usual warmth and professionalism we see Mr. Arfon Haines Davies one of the main presenters of the channel for over 30 years, having joined the station as a continuity announcer in 1976. When he wasn’t telling us what shows where coming up next on HTV, Mr Davies was presenting his own programmes (my main favourites being ‘Brickabrack’ and 'Moneyspinners’) he also hosted the Welsh region ITV Telethons.
His image is then transmitted via the Television camera, an amplifier, a transmitter and transmitting aerial before being received over 160 miles away by the Arfon transmitting station in Nebo in Gwynedd, North Wales. The Arfon transmitting station has long provided most of Gwynedd, Anglesey and central parts of the Llŷn Peninsula with television coverage. Built by the ITA in the 1960’s the mast is 317.4 metres (1041-ft) making it one of the tallest structures in Wales. And at the end of the line 18 miles away in the village of Nefyn, North Wales we find yours truly aged 7, exactly where you would have expected to find me back then, in front of the telly. Although the Arfon transmitting station still stands analogue terrestrial television is a thing of the past, phased out and replaced by digital terrestrial television in fact in 2010 Wales was the first to switch fully to digital TV. A little extra bit, the painting actually features 4 Arfons... Located behind Mr. Haines Davies you will see a backdrop (that used to feature various scenes from around Wales) this one features Caernarfon castle.
© Arfon Jones 2015. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.
That's fun! I had no idea what the H in HTV stood for.
ReplyDeletePleased you like it Mim and that it taught you something! Its more of a personal piece I grant you, but its an idea I had knocking around in my head for some time... ;)
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