Inside the Receiving Station 1957

According to Tan Kai Han( the smiling face in this photo) this was a temporary set up of the communication equipment inside the Receiving Station. Radio Brunei had to set up its own telephone dedicated system to Tutong (see the hand cranked telephone set on the table).

Thank You Tan for your contributions

Radio Brunei Receiving Station

This receiving station at Bukit Silela was the vital broadcast and communication link between the studio and Tutong Transmitting station (20KW) since 1957 to 1975. It also served a the center of receiving foreign news (Reuters) in teleprinter in hard copy format that several collection a day by the driver to the News Room. A very Rre Photo from Tan Kai Han

The first Radio Brunei OB Van 1959

Tan Kai Han (3rd from the left) found this photo in his collections, thanks Tan

Group photo 1959

A very rare group photo taken in front of the 2nd Radio Brunei Building maybe in 1959/1960

Contribution of this photo from Tan Kai Han

Field Strength Measurement Team -Radio Brunei 1959

Chief Engineer Michael Chen led a team to the Ulu Belait for field strength measurement in 1959 when KB studio commenced operation.

(photo: R to L )

Michael Chen - Chief Engineer

Goh Han Chiang -Senior Technical 

Pg Mohammad Matsaruddin

Perera -Guide & Out boat driver from Marine Dept

Tan Kai Hian - Chief Technical 

Photo contributed by Tan Kai Han

Radio Brunei Staff photo in 1960

                                                                                                                                                                        This could be the complete staff working in 1960 except a few working at the remote transmitting and receiving stations.

The 2nd Radio Brunei Studio complex

Radio Brunei moved into this studio complex in 1958. This building was situated next to the Brunei Government Secretariat Building(now known as the Chief Minister's Office) in Brunei Town (now known as the Bandar Seri Begawan.) there were 3 purposed built studios, several administrative offices, News and radio production offices (3 languages), a record library and engineering workshop and technical store. The Studios were: STUDIO A for general purpose recording studios of music and drama productions as well as for group interview studios. One ON-AIR studio and another similar one for production recording studio cum standby ON-AIR studio.

Please check out more photos of these studios set-up and activities to be published very soon.

Radio Brunei First Boradcasting Building in 1957

Radio Brunei started from this small temporary building in 1957. This building was situated next to the then Civic Center (present TAIB building) just opposite to the present Main Post Office in the Brunei Town (now known as Bandar Seri Begawan). It has only one small studio which was used as recording as well as ON-AIR studio. Two Marconi Medium Wave Transmitters radiating a combined RF power of 1000 watts and the reception area was 5 miles radius. You can see this replica model of this building at the exhibitions at RTB Studio A everyday from 2nd May to 12th May from 0830 to 1700 Hours. There are lots of antiques and there several large LCD displaying the really old photos and historical slide of the development of Radio Brunei since 1957. There will be lots of prizes to be won during the live telecast programme through out the day and the chance to meet and take photos with your favourite DJ in all 5 networks of Radio Brunei.

Radio Brunei celebrating the Golden Jubilee

On 2nd May 1957 the very first female voice went on air announcing " Ini lah Radio Brunei" was Dayangku Intan. It was the first day of Hari Raya and the late HM Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin made his Royal Hari Raya Greeting on air for the first time.

Radio Brunei Chinese Language production staff

This was the first published production staff of the Radio Brunei Chinese Section taken in the early 1980. All of them no longer in service.

VIP Visitors

VIP Visitors

VIP Visitors to Radio Studio Complex

Shell Marketing Drama Production in early 1960's

Veterans Radio Production staff, Pg. Dato Abidin, Andrew Phang, Eleana Leong and Hj. Adanan teamed up with the veterans from Brunei Shell Marketing staff, Madam Hong Siew Moi, the late Chua Kong Heng and Late Lim Po Yu and 2 other British whose names were unknown. This Radio Drama production was done in the Radio Studio A (since demolished making the space for the construction of the existing TV Studio complex in 1978.

Radio Drama Producer Hj. Ramli Said in actions

Radio Drama Producer, Hj. Ramli, directing a Drama Production from the Control Room in the early 1960's

Radio Continuity Studio in 1959's to 1960's

This photo was taken in the early 1960's with Hj. Abdul Wahab on duty broadcasting live radio programmes. Notice he was wearing the very first headphone supplied by Marconi at the commencement of Radio Brunei Service in 1957.

The suspended black microphone was a STC Mic. The duty announcer would have to sound the xylophone in between changing language services.

Radio Studio A

Studio D1 & D2 in 1980

Studio D1 and D2 were identical twin self-operation radio broadcast/recording studio project completed in 1980

Multi-track Music Recording Technique commeced in 1980

Radio Main Control Room in 1980

Radio Main Control Room in early 1970's

FM Transmission began in 1975/1976

Self-operation RED & BLUE Continuity Studios was introduced when the stereo FM broadcast commenced at the same time as the introduction of the colour TV broadcast in 1975/1976.

Self-operation continuity studios meaning the Duty Programme Announcer would have the complete control of the transmission sources (tapes; microphones; grams; cassette and cartridge including the Outside broadcast, time signal and the news). The News reader would come in and sat opposite to the announcer and broadcast the news. Please note the News script stand.

The Self-operation studios for Malay Service (RED) was installed in the existing Studio F1 while the Blue Channel (English, Chinese & Gurkha) was in the existing Studio E2.

Continuity Studio of the 1970's

This this the "RED" Continuity Studio Announcer's studio in the 1970's. You will notice that there was only ONE FADER which controlled the microphone! What about the tapes and grams level controls?????? Well, the Technical Operator controlled the programme levels of the Grams and Tapes in another separate adjacent studio cubicle as shown in the next photo:

Photo contributed by Hj. Idris Rahman

This photo shows another continuity studio Announcer Desk in the 1959 to early 1960's. Maybe you will be able to put the names of these three handsome guys?

On Air Continuity Studios

This is the Continuity Studio technical operator's set up with the Marconi sound mixer and two AMPEX 1/4" tape player/recorders. The Technical Operator and the Announcer shares the same studio cubicle.

Photo provided by S.K. Chong

The above two photos show the Continuity studio Announcer's desk in early 1959 to early 1970s. The Announcer and the Technical Operator share the same studio cubicle where the announcer looking at the back of the operator who will play the tapes whenever the announcer said so. Whenever the announcer go on live microphone, she/he had to say "silence please" warning the operator to zip up his lips. "ON AIR" warning lights would light up inside the studio as well as outside the studio entrance just above the door.

Radio Music Production Studio A in early 1970's

This was a live music recording with audience participation in the mid 1970's. This Radio Studio A was equipped with a 10 Channel mixer in "MONO" and there were only about 6 microphone input channels that directly pickup the sound from the musical instrument's amplifier loudspeakers! Check out the positioning of the microphones! You have only one time "right" recording with audience participation...no second chance! I just wonder how we made it then! This was the original finishing until TV came in in 1975 when the ceiling was removed to make the height for TV studio lighting; wall finishing were removed and covered with fine wire mesh netting. This studio was turned into the only TV production studio in 1975 to 1979.

This was a group of Radio producers discussing over a radio drama production or over the topic of a Hari Raya radio production. Recognising your own image therein??? Some of them maybe still working in RTB????

This group of uniform personal was either participating in a radio drama production or a choir singing to a music production. Recognise these faces??? They must be over 60's by now as this photo was taken some time in the 1970's.

Radio Drama Production Studio B

This B&W photo shows Radio Veteran Programme Producer, Hjh Zainab, entertaining a group of young children to a story telling radio programme in the early 1970's.

These children must be the parents of their children by now. Can you recognise some of these faces?

Radio Control Room in the 1980's

This was the set up after the refurbishment of the all the radio studio areas after the TV vacated to the new TV Studio complex in 1979.

You notice there was a master clock which drove all the clocks in the studios and they were called the "slave clocks" meaning they will display exactly the time as driven by the master clock.

This photo was taken from the entrance door.

Radio Control Room before 1979

This is a photo of the Radio Main Control Room taken some time in early 1970's.

On the left hand side are 10 x 19" equipment racks numbering from No. 11 to 20. Transmission line amplifiers to the Transmitters were installed in rack No. 11 & studio outputs were at No. 12. there were jacks that could by-pass any faulty line amplifiers or cross-patch a from studio to studio.

Rack on the LH side were mainly jack panels where all lines to and from studios are terminated and all outside OB lines have U link at Bay 10. Radio programme quality and continuity were monitored continuously by metering and loudspeakers via selector switches. Talk-back between cont'y studios for time checks and OB lines checks.

At the end of the view, next to the double door were the Electrical incoming distribution board to the whole studio block. There were only two Continuity studios (namely Red & Blue) plus their technical control studios.

Antique Gramophone of the 1950's

This is an antique collection of Gramophone that plays 78rpm records....and it is still in working condition! I think this could be the early 1950's production but maybe you can provide a more accurate year of production? Do you like to see this displays on the 50th Golden Jubilee exhibition ?

Collection of Antique Radio Receivers

This traditional radio receiver has nothing to do with President Bush!

This antique designed radio is a special edition released in honour of the British HM Queen Elizabeth II on her GOLDEN JUBILEE!

One of very first Radio Brunei announcer, Pehin Dato Hj. Jaya Abd Latif, has about 40 collections of antique radio receivers. These will be the great opportunity to exhibit these collection of antique radios to the present generations during the 50th Golden Jubilee!

This was taken inside the Studio 1 at Kuala Belait Radio Studio complex.

Just look at the beautiful Zaniab and the handsome and youthful men and you know this was photographed in the early to mid 1960's!

Pg.Mohamad was the Station Manager of Kuala Belait Broadcasting & Information Department.

This was taken looking towards the Radio Main Control Room known as the Master Control Room of MCR.

there were about 4 rack consisting several jack panels, two radio Receivers for tuning for BBC News and tuning to WWC to sync our master clock which is at the back of the operator. Two open reel recorders at the end of the racks. The black box seen at the back of the operator chair was actually a loudspeaker......well at that time one speaker is enough as we were broadcasting in MONO in the early days from 1957's till the FM Transmission was introduced at the same time as the TV broadcast in 1975?

This was the control room of Kuala Belait Radio Brunei Studio. The audio console was an EMI??? and the unit sandwiched between a pile of tapes and the console was an intercom system. the 2 units with a few buttons sat on a slop desk were the remote control of two 1/4" open reel audio tape recorder AMPEX 350????

Who was this handsome man sitting there?????? Guest it right you will win a prize. So add your answer at the end of the page OK? First come first as there is only one prize for this quiz!!! so be quick!

This photo was taken in the early 1960's at Kuala belait Radio Studio Building. This is a group of staff from the Broadcasting & Information Department, Belait district.

This photo of the group of Radio Studio staff was taken some time in the early or mid of 1980's. If you do have record of when this was taken please place a comment at the bottom of this page so that I can update for general circulations. thank you.

The above photos contributed by David English who was the project engineer for the initial development of the high power medium wave transmitters at Serasa and Tutong.

Each photo has been titled by David English

This was the view of Studio A control Room taken in the year 1960's. Studio A was a music/Drama recording studio. There were 2 on air studios, Blue conty for English & Chinese broadcast while the other Red conty was mainly for Malay broadcast.

The mixer was a Marconi Valve mixer. The 3 open reel tape recorders were AMPEX350 or AMPEX650 and their remote control were the few buttons at the middle bottom of the photo.

I like to publish photos from your collections, please scan your old photos and send them to www.alphabrunei@gmail.com and I will post them here with your comment and background story. You still keep the original photos. If you do not have a scanner please call me +6738710211.

This group photo was taken in front of the Radio Brunei Studio at Kuala Belait. This was taken in the late 1960 or early 1961.

All of the people in this photo have been retired many years ago as I was retired in 1988.Next to me is Hj. Mirhassan and in the middle is Hjh Zainab. Next is Pg. Mohamad who was the Station Manager and the last is Ng Peng Wai who is now living in Hawaii.

BTW please ignore the date on the photo as it was re-photograph from a old photo with a digital camera in 2005.

This photo was taken at the front entrance of the old Brunei International Airport. It looks like that Darus is leaving as he was standing in the middle of the photo with a boarding ticket sticking out in his pocket?

Anybody remember the date/year of this photo taken? Are you in this photo? Do you remember the names of the people in this photo?

Please email me your comment to www.alphabrunei@gmail.com

thank you and have a nice day

Radio Brunei will be celebrating its Golden Anniversary in May 2007 and thus the name of this web site www.goldenradiobrunei.blogspot.com. If you have any old photo/printed publications of the early days of Radio Brunei and you like to share please send them to me alphabrunei@gmail.com and I will publish them in this website with your comments. Your valuable contributions will be very much appreciated.

Anybody remember what occassion was this and inthe year of 1960's? A group photo with John Douglas, ex-Director of Radio Brunei and the lady in there was Mrs. Normal Fregout?

Are you in this photo?