Rhodesia and Zambia

I'm going to take a break from the TTI/TIE marathon for a moment and go back to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland - also known as the Central African Federation, which was dissolved on 31 December 1963 and became:

• Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia)
• Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe)
• Nyasaland (later Malawi).

Assiduous readers will recall that, in this post, I mooted a radical and typically ill-informed hypothesis: that the fact that, when Doctor Who started to be broadcast in Zambia and Rhodesia, both countries had virtually identical TV schedules (three weeks apart) might not really be evidence of 'bicycling' in the sense that it's usually understood. It looked possible that this was a special case, resulting from the fact that the two countries were effectively one when their TV systems were set up in 1960 and 1961. 

I've found some evidence to support that. And it also suggests a reason why there was a delay in sending the series from Rhodesia to Zambia, as reported in this newspaper story (which, again, I've borrowed from Broadwcast):

The series was supposed to hit Zambian TV screens on 19 September 1965:

Borrowed from Broadwcast!

But it was delayed until 17 October 1965. Why?

Now! This is going to be a bit of a roller-coaster ride. According to Page 97 of the August 1960 edition of Television Magazine, the contract to operate a TV service in the Central African Federation (with stations planned in Rhodesia and the Copperbelt Province of the future Zambia) went to Rhodesia Television Ltd (RTV), which was owned by an unnamed Dutch group:

Who were these mysterious Dutchmen? Well, on page 82 of the 11 January 1965 edition of Broadcasting Magazine, there's a story about the nationalisation of RTV. And, according to that story, RTV's previous commercial operator (which would continue to supply programmes after nationalisation) was a company called International TeleVision (Pvt) Ltd. It was based in Salisbury, and had stations not only in Rhodesia (Salisbury and Bulawayo) but also at Kitwe in the Zambian Copperbelt  - see the last paragraph:

By this time, the TV service in Zambia was ostensibly run by a company called Zambia TV Ltd, and not by RTV. But Zambia TV Ltd seems to have been only nominally a different company. The same contractors ran it, under licence. 

This is from a UNESCO report of a mission to Northern Rhodesia (following the 1963 break-up of the Central African Federation, what had been 'Northern Rhodesia' became the independent Republic of Zambia on 24 October 1964):

The same report has this to offer, on page 21:

And then, from the 1967 edition of the invaluable Television Factbook, there's this:

So, the situation seems to have been as follows:

• Zambia TV had a contract for the supply of programmes with a company called ITV. And that must have been International TeleVision (Pvt) Ltd, who had also remained the Salisbury-based programme supplier for RTV, even after nationalisation in 1965 (although, by 1967 at least, they seem to have had a Zambian subsidiary)

• Zambia TV's contract with ITV was due to end on 31 August 1965, the day before television and broadcasting in Zambia TV was to come under the direct control of the Ministry of Information. 

• And the Ministry was busily trying to negotiate an extension, while dealing at the same time with taking over responsibility for a television service that was evidently in a certain amount of disarray

Is it really any wonder that there was a delay of nearly a month before Doctor Who was flown up from Salisbury and began to screen in Zambia on 17 October 1965? And is it any wonder that RTV's 1965 schedules were so very similar to ZTV's schedules, if they had exactly the same programme supplier? 

On the face of it, this isn't really bicycling as we know it. And it might be worth finding out what happened to International Television (Pvt) Ltd, and whether they ever had any interesting warehouses anywhere  ...

Zambian flag! 

Ahem. A small update, 1 April 2015: It's been gently pointed out to me that the above doesn't factor in the effect of trade sanctions imposed on Rhodesia after UDI. 

However, these had no bearing on sales of BBC TV programmes. 

From Hansard, 12 March 1968:

'85. Mr. Hugh Jenkins asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs why the British Broadcasting Corporation are allowed to sell television programmes, including the Forsyte Saga and Pinky and Perky, to Rhodesia; and if he will now tighten up sanctions with a view to forbidding such sales.

Mr. George Thomas: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear on 31st January, 1966, when he announced the embargo on virtually all trade with Rhodesia, that it was not the intention to interfere with the free movement of books, periodicals and cinema films. Television films come under the heading cinema films.

While Her Majesty's Government are opposed to any action which might inhibit freedom of expression or impede the movement of news and information, the effectiveness of this sanction, together with others, is continually under review.'

So there!