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Bruce Moffat (1956 Leaver) – An Engineering Research Career in Broadcasting

Bruce Moffat (1956 Leaver)

An Engineering Research Career in Broadcasting

 Bruce Moffat

I started in Merchants’ aged 9 in 1947, already sketching TV cameras on dollies, and when I was 11 I was offered a part in a play at the Liverpool Playhouse; I’d been seen by Gerald Cross, the producer there, in Dear Octopus with the Blundellsands ADS. Six weeks off school was needed but there was legally insufficient tutoring available for me and so, much to my relief, I didn’t do it. Instead the boy’s part was played by a girl, Beryl Bainbridge (later Dame Beryl Bainbridge) who was 16 and had left our Girls’ School and become a member of the repertory company. An exciting spin-off was my tiny ‘extra’ part in the film Waterfront, set in Liverpool – see it free on YouTube; the engineering and technology in the making of the film fascinated me.

 

Techniques involved in theatre, film, television, radio, recording and, above all, music in all of those media greatly stimulated me. I saw myself backstage rather than trembling before a live audience. I sang in the school choir and I stage-directed several school plays and made numerous recordings and films using borrowed state of the art equipment. Through this and experience in CCF Signals I learned about electronics, enough to make me realize that I wanted to become an electronics engineer. With a State Scholarship I went to Keble College Oxford to read Engineering Science. All of this prepared me well to apply successfully for an engineering job in the BBC in 1959 in the pioneering days when engineers had a big say in running broadcasting, but I didn’t take up the job. Instead I stayed at Oxford to pursue a doctorate in microwave electronics, specifically to study the design and testing of dielectric-loaded linear electron accelerator structures; ‘linacs’ have many applications in nuclear physics and medicine. I must admit I stayed partly because my girlfriend Anne Phillips, now my wife for 52 years, was a nurse at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.

 

In 1962 the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when I saw in New Scientist a job advert for a musical engineer in BBC Research Department at Kingswood Warren in Surrey; I just knew I was right for the job and to my delight the BBC appointed me. Their decision was partly because I gave the ‘right’ answer about the acoustics of Liverpool Philharmonic Hall – they’re good! But there was a snag: I didn’t complete my DPhil until 1964 and so it was studio acoustics by day and microwave electronics by night! My wife and the BBC were enormously helpful in the production of my thesis.

 

One of my first tasks at Kingswood Warren was to make a stereo sound recording of the opera Turandot from a ‘clean feed’ of the left and right signals from the desk in Covent Garden for use in assessing the acoustics of the newly refurbished Royal Opera House. One of my last tasks in the BBC in 1990 was to help to make a digital TV recording in high-definition with surround sound of the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas at Covent Garden, starring Darcey Bussell. In between those tasks lay the better part of 30 years in engineering research in broadcasting. After studio acoustics I worked on video tape recording and then spent 1968-70 as R&D Manager of Ilford Zonal, developing magnetic tape, disc and film products. Returning to BBC Research in 1970 I worked on digital audio and video signal transmission including NICAM. I was gradually promoted in the 1970s, heading sections dealing with baseband transmission systems and storage/recording, moving to head Studio Group in the early 1980s focused on all-digital studios and HDTV, and finishing up as Head of Research Department in 1984. The Department covered all areas of broadcast engineering and had about 200 staff, 100 of them professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; today it has bases in London and Salford.

 

In the mid-1980s the BBC came close to launching Direct Broadcasting of TV by Satellite using higher-power Olympus satellites before deciding to hold back for commercial reasons while Rupert Murdoch began his satellite broadcasts using lower-power satellites designed for telecommunications, not broadcasting. Fortunately receiver sensitivity was rapidly improving so comprehensive satellite broadcasting using lower power became practicable. Much of the technology used in these and many other kinds of broadcasting system emanates commercially from BBC R&D.

 

I retired from the BBC in 1991. Looking back I can see that my training as a chartered engineer gave me wonderful experiences, and a very good salary, working in the UK and abroad alongside stimulating people ranging from brilliant ‘back-room boys and girls’ to ‘front of camera’ stars like Peter Gabriel and David Attenborough.

 

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We are looking forward to the Merchants’ Winter We are looking forward to the Merchants’ Winter Gala on Friday 10 November.

Tickets will cost £75 and include a drink on arrival, 3 course meal and drinks with dinner. The venue is the Rum Warehouse at the Titanic, and it promises to be fantastic evening, for parents, staff, and members of the wider Merchants’ community. You can book online using the link our bio.

Tables are for 10 people and you will be asked to specify who you want to sit with if you have a group in mind.

We look forward to seeing you there!
Scottish Rugby has chosen Merchant Taylors’ Scho Scottish Rugby has chosen Merchant Taylors’ School as the North West hub for its Scotland Qualified Pathway Programme 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏉 

The UK-wide programme aims to identify and develop young players who live outside Scotland but are eligible to play for its national teams because they, their parents or grandparents were born north of the border.

From Sunday 24 September, boys and girls aged between 14 and 17 can take part in training and assessment sessions led by SRU coaches, with a selected group of players going on to take part in further training camps and play in a regional game series in January and each session will be at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School.

 Find out more via the link in our bio.
Excellence takes many forms 🙌 Join us for our Excellence takes many forms 🙌 

Join us for our Sixth Form Open Evening on Tuesday 10 October 2023 between 4.30pm and 7.30pm.

The evening will be an opportunity to find out more about our new co-educational Sixth Form, meet subject specialist teachers and understand what makes Sixth Form at Merchant Taylors’ so special. 

In 2023 an impressive 32% of all A Level grades were recorded at A*-A, while nearly two-thirds of all grades attained fell within the A*-B range. 

Click the link in our bio for more information ⤴️
It was a pleasure to welcome Old Girl Deborah Macl It was a pleasure to welcome Old Girl Deborah Maclaren (1993) into school today to deliver our first Merchants' Wider World lecture of the year.

Deborah inspired the girls with her passion for books and reading, and shared her journey to becoming the Managing Director and Co-Owner of LoveReading. The library was very busy at lunchtime as the girls went to borrow some of her recommendations!

Thank you for coming back to Merchants', Deborah - it was wonderful to see you back in the library that started your journey.
It was wonderful to see both senior schools come t It was wonderful to see both senior schools come together for our first joint Speech Day last week. Over 1400 people packed into the Philharmonic to celebrate our pupils’ achievements across a wide range of activities and subjects, and to hear some fantastic musical performances.

Old Crosbeian Cdr Gareth Mawdsley RN presented the prizes and spoke about his experiences over an illustrious career in the Navy, and our Head Boy & Girl teams spoke about their experiences at school, and what Merchant Taylors’ means to them.

You can view a full gallery from the day via our Facebook page.
Please be aware that extensive roadworks will begi Please be aware that extensive roadworks will begin tomorrow, Monday 18th September, in the vicinity of Crosby village. This could lead to considerable disruption on the way to and from school, with the work set to last 12 weeks until November.

You can see in the image which areas are included in the initial stage of the project. Sefton Council will be posting updated information on their website, click the link in our bio to find out more.
It’s fantastic to be back at the @liverpool_phil It’s fantastic to be back at the @liverpool_philharmonic today for Speech Day 🏆
Year 7 have enjoyed a thrilling trip to Castle Hea Year 7 have enjoyed a thrilling trip to Castle Head over the past few days and took part in activities such as raft building and orienteering.

You can see a gallery of their trip via our Facebook page 📸
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