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Vale: Bruce Robertson

Another TV pioneer has passed away. 'Robbo' spent 42 years of his 50 year career at Nine.

Bruce Robertson, who spent 42 of his 50 years in media with the Nine Network has died. He was a pioneer in broadcast technology in Australia.

“Robbo,” as he was best known, joined TCN9 from EMI and Qantas in 1961 working in general television maintenance, remaining until he retired in 2003 as Network Head of Engineering.

Nine Entertainment CEO David Gyngell said he leaves an indelible mark on the development of television in Australia.

“Bruce was justly famous for being able to make everything work, and his capacity to repair problems which no-one else could. He did it all and saw it all. He was one of the very few people of whom it could be said he made Nine what it is today. He was a perfectionist and a bloke of inspiring passion and pride in his craft and in our medium. He loved television and he loved finding better ways to do it. And Robbo was more than all of that,” he said.

“Whenever and wherever there was a major development in Australian television, Robbo was at the centre of it. From the first days of broadcasting to a series of firsts for Nine, including the introduction of colour television, stereophonic sound, satellite gateways, multi camera live coverage, digital television services, and even the lighting specifications at the Sydney Cricket Ground for World Series Cricket, and much, much, more.”

Bruce Robertson was also awarded the Paul Marlan Award in 1990 by FACTS for the advancement of television broadcasting. He was a member of the College of Electrical Engineers, The Institute of Engineers Australia, New York Academy of Sciences, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and chairman of the Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations.

One Response

  1. Damn. He developed many items for TCN9. The standards converter for the moon landing coverage, adapting 8mm projector to a broadcastable system, a 525-system up and running in a day for a satellite feed to TBS Japan, and many gadgets assembled from bits and pieces. A sad loss.

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