Rural yarns turn into longest running TV show
Frank Torley
Julian O'Brien
By Kathryn Stewart
Most Kiwis can probably hum the tune to Country Calendar , or at least roll it over in their heads while tapping it out on the steering wheel.
The show, which tells the stories of hardworking folk from the heartland, is now in its 45th year, making it New Zealand's longest running television show.
It came to life in April 1966 at a time when wool was one of the mainstays of the country's economy.
As Country Calendar's executive producer Frank Torley recalls, it was people like Fred Barnes, the show's first front man, who were keen to use television to inform the large, farming community.
"There were a few who realised that this new fangled form of communication was going to be important and that farming should have its own programme," says Torley.
A suited Barnes fronted the show in the studio, interviewing various industry people and bringing farmers up to speed with the latest research and stock price information.
This all changed, however, when Tony Trotter began producing the show in 1974.
With Trotter at the helm, Country Calendar evolved from a magazine style programme to one that concentrated on a single story each episode, making farmers and their stories the heart and soul of the show.
Torley, who was a reporter at the time, says until then they weren't in the habit of interviewing farmers.
"I suppose the premise was that we were supposedly the experts, we told the story. It was Tony Trotter's influence who said 'no, let's talk to the farmers, let's get their point of view and let's let them tell the story'," he says.
With this decision, the show moved out of the studio and into the field. Trotter also changed the theme music to the distinctive tune it has now (Hillbilly Child), setting the foundations for the Country Calendar we know today.
Where the grass is greener
Over the years, Country Calendar's stories have become increasingly diverse, ranging from the more traditional high country musters to newer ventures like truffle farming.
Most of the stories are told against a backdrop of stunning scenery - enough to make townies go gooey for the heartland, and make the heartland proud.
Torley believes nostalgia for earning an honest living from the land is what makes people yearn for the lifestyles the show portrays.
Indeed, the show is as popular in the urban, latte-quaffing cities as it is in the provinces where the stories come from.
"Although they (townies) have a strong identification with the land, they don't necessarily have an intimate, immediate connection, and I think Country Calendar helps create a bridge," says Country Calendar's producer Julian O'Brien.
Both Torley, who has been with the show for 35 years, and O'Brien for 25 years, say much of the show's success reflects the show's dedicated team.
"They're all professional people and they all give it their absolute best shot. They come up with those extra ideas and go the extra yard," says O'Brien.
Country Calendar has garnered a swag of awards over the years. Most recently it took TV Guide's gong for Best Lifestyle Show in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Cameraman Peter Young has won a number of Qantas Media awards for Best Camera, and just last month reporter-director Tony Benny was named runner-up in the Star Prize for Agricultural Broadcasting.
Along with a top notch team and good ratings, a combination of funding over the years from NZ On Air, sponsors and advertising has helped keep the show in people's living rooms.
Whether Country Calendar will continue to provide a window on rural life for the next 44 years is anyone's guess, though O'Brien says it is possible if the essentials stay the same.
"If New Zealand as a society keeps that identification with the land and if the programme keeps telling those stories about interesting people doing interesting things in lovely locations, there's no real reason it shouldn't continue."
You can watch County Calendar on Saturday at 7pm on TV ONE.
