Memory Lane • 29 September 2002

Talking to Lawrence Mizzi - a veteran broadcaster

Lawrence Mizzi is well known for his television programmes regarding education and the church. He was also a teacher who was in love with the job but then found a new love in the media and from then on he never changed. "I have never wanted anything in life. I have never dreamt of something that I wanted to be happy about. I always wanted to write books take part in plays, drama etc. Thank god I always did what I have wanted to do and if the Lord is happy to lend me some more years of my life then I will continue on the same track."

At the moment Mr Mizzi is still giving a helping hand to the media centre, but only for a few hours a week. He has got a regular programme that started off in June and will finish next December. It is about the war, another subject he likes writing and speaking about. The name of the programme is called X’Tiftakar mill-Gwerra? – What do you remember from the war?

Lawrence Mizzi always presents a subject such as the famine, marriage during the war, the HMS Illustrious etc. People then phone in and recall what they remember from such an occasion. Mr Mizzi also started a new programme on television on the Public Broadcasting Services channel, TVM. The programme is the work of the National Council of the Elderly. It started last Thursday as part of the new PBS schedule.

So how did he start in the media. "In the late 1940’s, when he was very young at about form three level at school he was asked to help within the Redifussion, practically the only media station that existed in those days.

He started on radio plays a programme which was produced by a certain Mr Vella Haber. There was also the reading of novels. He started to take great interest in such things and instantly fell in love with the media. But he continued to study and became a teacher.

But after a while he left teaching and joined the media as a newscaster but only on work related to school programmes. With him there were others who used to contribute for the transmissions of school programmes, namely Louis Azzopardi and Guze Azzopardi.

When the Media Authority, (Awtorita tax-Xandir) was formed he went to work there, although for a couple of year’s prior he also worked with the Information Department. In 1964 he was made Executive Head of Programmes on the national station, today PBS. He stayed there for 12 years. Despite not staying on board he still continued to contribute were he took part in radio dramas and teleseries plus directing programmes related with the church. One of the most famous being Djalogu – Dialogue which had started in 1966 and continued with success until 1980.

"This programme was Fr Charles Vella’s idea and he had also decided to choose me to present the programme," Mr Mizzi said. Mr Mizzi also went abroad to sit for courses regarding the media. In 1961 he went to sit for a course with the BBC and seven years later he went for another one regarding media education."

In 1984 he decided that it was best for him to go and he was boarded out. " I do not like to say why and what forced me out of the post but I had to leave and was boarded out. I would have liked to stay on but I could not. But in 1986 he was again assigned to a post which had the media written all over it.

"Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Prime Minister at the time put me on the Board of the Broadcasting Authority which had not operated for two years. I stayed there for three years as a member and was made Chairman in 1989. During the three years I stayed on board as a Chairman, a revolution was made in Broadcasting in Malta. A new law was passed and pluralism came in. I was responsible for practically all the radio and television stations in Malta."

Lawrence Mizzi in very active at Church activities. He is involved in the Social Communication aspect of the church, a movement, which Father Joe Borg is head of. With the church radio station, RTK, he also presented programmes which were very interesting such as those with Peppi Azzopardi and Pamela Hansen.

"My whole life is media, media, media… I loved it and still do. At the moment I am also continuing to write books, something which perhaps gives me the most satisfaction because it’s something which stays on forever. I prefer writing books on war and if I’ll be still alive 20 years from now I will still be doing the same things I do today."

Lawrence Mizzi was talking to Ray Abdilla