Country Calendar continues to delight audiences 50 years on

4 March 2016

Country Calendar continues to delight audiences 50 years on

NZ On Air congratulates the production team at Country Calendar and TVNZ for providing beautiful, stimulating television for 50 years.

NZ On Air has supported the programme since 1991 – making it not only the longest running programme on NZ television, but also the longest-running show funded by NZ On Air. It is consistently the highest-rating NZ On Air funded programme, with more than half a million people tuning in every week.

“Our brief, in the Broadcasting Act, is to support content that reflects New Zealand identity and culture. Nothing meets this brief more fully than Country Calendar, it is quintessentially New Zealand,” said NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.

The programme has stood the test of time, never waning in popularity, holding its own in prime time.

“The Country Calendar team have perfected the art of visual story-telling.

Their magic formula is simple: interesting characters, telling their own stories, against a backdrop of stunning New Zealand land and seascapes. And all put together with technical excellence in the television crafts,” said Ms Wrightson.

NZ On Air salutes the production team past and present, and in particular the programme’s voice and mastermind Frank Torley, and current producer Julian O’Brien.

A special 50th anniversary programme screens on TV One this Saturday March 5th. The first ever episode went to air in 1966 on March 6. Historical episodes of Country Calendar can be viewed at NZ On Screen.

ends

© Scoop Media