Pipe dreams

A witty remark over coffee suggested the title. It was made following a symposium on the Wednesday afternoon on the theme YOU AND CABLE TV, when discussion centred round the theme of television piped into one's home. Nicholas Mellersh of Rediffusion Ltd set things going by outlining what he saw to be the form of cable tv during an experimental period when six stations, provisionally licensed, would be able to channel a wide choice of networks direct into homes. First start was likely to be at Greenwich, where advanced planning was well under way. The immediate sensational difference would be the budget on which such stations worked — perhaps £20,000 to £30,000 for capital equipment (a studio, two VTR units, two studio cameras, a simple telecine system and two outside‐broadcast VTR units); and some £15,000 to £20,000 annual running costs. This implied a staff of about six — ludicrous by comparison with conventional tv set‐ups.