Ian and Xandir Malta

“If I walked across the Gozo Channel my enemies would still call me a bad swimmer!”

These pages: Waugh in Malta, The Ups and Downs, Ian and Xandir Malta, The Island Sound Fiasco, Malta and Me, Malta Links, Charles Arrigo Tribute

I first experienced Malta when I was sent to advise the national broadcaster (Xandir Malta) primarily on the closure of the pre-war former Rediffusion cable broadcasting system. My remit also included advice to the broadcaster on national programme presentation and production.

Working at Xandir Malta was a highlight of my initial time in Malta. Although the facilities were in dire need of an upgrade there was an unspoken professional camaraderie that echoed back to my early recollections of broadcasting when my father worked for the BBC.

Rediffusion who had brought broadcasting to Malta had been consigned to history – on one side loved, remembered with affection and adored, on the other side hated as part of Britain’s colonial past.

Indeed it was the same Rediffusion company which brought ITV to London and the network back in the 1950′s – a company which was forced the “marry” ABC and then got swallowed up in what became Britain’s most popular and respected television company, Thames Television. But I digress somewhat!

Despite certain “foreigner interference” labelling that was thrust in my direction through some Xandir employees and the the media, I just kept my head down and ploughed on regardless.

There are three people (all called Charles!) who taught me a tremendous amount about broadcasting in Malta, the way of life and the particular Maltese ‘way’. Charles Flores was Head of Radio and became an instant friend of mine. It was Charles who first showed me the real Malta – an experience which became the foundation of my love for these islands. Charles Abela Mizzi is certainly one of Malta’s greatest broadcast producers and broadcasters. I continue to have great respect for his talent and ability. Charles Arrigo had a flamboyance which knew no bounds. He became a social friend of mine as well as a leading figure in Maltese broadcasting.

Then there were the dedicated and professional presenters with whom I conducted some presentation training. I felt sorry for them in way as they had the knowledge, experience and talent but were held back by the lack of raw facilities which was clearly outdated. The radio studios had seen little technological development in years which was a great shame for a ‘national voice’.

I have many fond memories of those days including my struggle and battle to get the news on time. As Malta’s national broadcaster it was their job to get the time right. You might laugh now, but at the time I was driven to almost insanity by all this. The Maltese used to set their clocks and watches by Radio Malta, yet unbeknown to the listeners there were times when the news could appear ten (10) whole minutes early or late.

Then there was the time when, one afternoon, I strolled into Master Control (radio) and found two engineers asleep over the control desk while Radio Malta was over modulating to the point of distortion. I never mentioned it again during my time at Xandir and this event never appeared in my report. But I am happy to say it never happened again during my time.

On the whole the quality and ability of the broadcasters and engineers was exemplary. Xandir Malta used to get quite a lot of unfounded flack from the some of the public and both sides of the political divide. Indeed it was the constant political interference that marred Xandir Malta on so many levels. I always defend the management and staff who tried on a daily basis to do the very best they could under circumstances which was technically restrictive and editorially near on impossible due to the pressures from political figures.

I soon learnt that in Malta you were labelled either Nationalist or Labour whether you liked it or not. The funny, funny thing was that nobody actually asked me my personal politics. Had I been approached I probably would have been thrown out of the country by the ruling Nationalists! The incredible thing was that the Labour supporters actually believed I was automatically a Nationalist supporter purely because I guess most of my acquaintances, by coincidence were known Nationalists! Looking back I remember thinking how annoying this state of affairs was to me personally.

(Charles Arrigo Remembered here)

(Picture: ‘Rediffusion House’, Malta – the former home of the national radio broadcasting services (image: Times of Malta))