Gerald Fenech

The once proud bastion of public broadcasting of the radio era, the PBS studios known as Broadcasting House in St Luke’s Road, are being fast evacuated with only a skeleton staff remaining to perform very basic duties.

This is a far cry from the buzz of activity that was always present in the building as three radio stations transmitted programmes from the various studios, with other balancers and operators involved in assisting producers with their research and recordings.

Sources inside PBS told The Malta Independent on Sunday that at present, the radio station is operating on a skeleton staff basis. The shift is split into two periods, from 6:30am to 3:30pm and from 3:30 to 11:00pm, with only one operator manning the respective shift while another is off for that day. This adds up to the grand total of three operators, down from the three shifts of four operators per shift who used to operate in the “glory days”. This sole operator has to man a complex mixing desk, ensure that all programmes are transmitted on time, attend to maintenance duties in the logging and organisation of programmes, as well as assisting those producers who may wish to record their programmes on tape and who are still not used to the system of “self operation”.

Almost all the former radio staff has now moved on and one cannot but remember them with high regard for their outstanding ability and competence in running the station. The operators who have left are: Elija Borg, Joseph Griscti, James Gafa’, Alfred Bongailas, Joseph Sciberras, Francis Camilleri and Jackie Borg. Tony Vella and Joseph Azzopardi were transferred to the news and TV sections a couple of years ago.

The technical area, which also used to have a technician on duty up till around 2000, has long been a ghost room as the staff was transferred to television some years ago. Almost all those mentioned have taken the early retirement option. On the administration side, Marlene Abela, Margaret Zahra, Mary Rose Johnson and Joe Flask have left as well as the production team of Charles Caruana and Peter Paul Ciantar. It has indeed been an exodus that has left Radio Malta standing uncertainly on its feet.

Another important point is the Effects Library at the former main studio, which contains hundreds if not thousands of 78 rpm records containing myriad sound effects and other musical excerpts that have not been used for a number of years. Although this library does not have any practical use as most of the sound effects are now on CD, the items contain considerable historical interest although it is uncertain whether these records will be retained.

Sources told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the process of transferring the thousands of LPs, 78 rpm records and CDs from the main library to Television House will start shortly while the vast archive of programmes recorded on tape will also be transferred to the TV building. The former librarians have long gone and sources said this important source has been operating on a “self-service” basis for the past few months.

The main studio, once the site of many a memorable radio programme such as Staqsini 20, has recently been converted into a television studio, although sources told The Malta Independent on Sunday that this venue will no longer be used and programmes for the new schedule will be filmed in the studio at the news building next to Broadcasting House.

In the meantime, plans are already underway to transfer the radio studios to Television House just down the road, so that the demolition of the old radio and head office building can go ahead.

Sources told The Malta Independent on Sunday that a room occupied by former TV producer/directors, Anton Grasso, Lino Giuliano and Charles Callus (who are being re-deployed with the government) is being transformed to accommodate the radio transmitting equipment. Other rooms which are currently not in use at the similarly deserted Television House will undoubtedly be transformed into temporary recording studios.

At present, the frequency that used to transmit FM Bronja or 91.7FM is being used merely to mirror Radio Malta on 93.7FM and is transmitting in mono sound.

Sources who wish to remain anonymous told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the frequency might be given to a Sicilian radio station called Radio Margherita for night time transmission.

FM Bronja used to transmit regular programme chunks from the BBC and an American channel called Maestro in its last year or so, although it was not clear whether there was any official agreement for these transmissions.

When contacted by The Malta Independent on Sunday, the Malta Communications Authority, which is now responsible for frequency regulation, said that such an issue was the remit of the Broadcasting Authority.

Although it has been reported that the sorting process for programmes for the new schedule is still far behind, there does appear to have been some movement. Some radio producers have been told that their programme is to continue in the October schedule, although there are some who are still in the dark.

The situation remains as fluid as ever, although it appears that the new schedule will be approved sooner rather than later.