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Signals and Static

Reflections on Life and Broadcasting in New Zealand
By Rex Simpson
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Brief Description
Signals and Static is a vivid memoir from one of New Zealand broadcasting’s quiet pioneers. From Play School and What Now? to Nice One Stu and How’z That?, Rex Simpson takes readers behind the scenes of local television as it came of age, navigating creative risk,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3499
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Releases 18th November 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Signals and Static" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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A candid, often wryly funny memoir of life in New Zealand broadcasting. From Play School and What Now? to independent radio and local politics, Rex Simpson shares the creative risks, personal challenges and community connections behind a life spent helping a changing country find its voice.

From the creator of What Now? and producer of Play School, Signals and Static offers a behind-the-scenes look at programmes generations of New Zealanders grew up with.

The memoir will appeal to readers of New Zealand life stories, television and radio enthusiasts, and those interested in the country’s changing social and cultural landscape. Personal reflections on adoption, identity, sexuality, grief and reinvention sit alongside stories of creative ambition and community life.

Strong regional connections span Northland, the East Coast, Waikato, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and the Coromandel. The book also offers discussion material for broadcasting, media studies and screen production audiences.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Signals and Static is a vivid memoir from one of New Zealand broadcasting’s quiet pioneers.

From Play School and What Now? to Nice One Stu and How’z That?, Rex Simpson takes readers behind the scenes of local television as it came of age, navigating creative risk, big personalities and the relentless pressure of live production.

Adopted as a child and raised by Scottish immigrant parents in rural Māori communities, Rex traces the early experiences that shaped his life in storytelling. His journey takes him through theatre, television and independent radio, into the theatre of hospitality and on to community broadcasting and local politics on the Coromandel.

Set against decades of social and cultural change, this is more than a story about familiar programmes. It is a personal account of creative ambition, setbacks, reinvention and connection, offering an insider’s perspective on a changing New Zealand.

Thoughtful, candid and often wryly funny, Signals and Static brings together a life behind the microphone, behind the camera and within the communities whose stories Rex helped to tell.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781991436115

Publisher: Mary Egan Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 November 2026

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Mary Egan Publishing

Illustration: 6 x 4-page picture inserts

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 230.0mm

Weight: 23g

Pages: 310

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Biographies New Zealand Non-Fiction New Zealand Published Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Pre-order Biographies Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Rex Simpson

About the Author

Rex Simpson created What Now?, produced Play School and conceived Praise Be. Across a broadcasting career spanning nearly five decades, he worked behind the scenes on some of New Zealand’s most familiar television programmes and behind the microphone at radio stations from Dunedin to the Coromandel.

Born in Auckland and raised in rural Māori communities in the Far North and Ōpōtiki district, Rex got his first taste of broadcasting after winning a teenage radio DJ competition in Gisborne. He joined TV One in 1975 and went on to head TV3’s Children’s and Young Persons Department, establish independent production company Kids TV and develop programmes for audiences in New Zealand and overseas.

His working life also took him into hospitality and local politics. On the Coromandel, he combined community radio with service on the Thames Community Board and later as a district councillor. He retired to Ghana in 2023.

His memoir, Signals and Static, brings together a lifetime of storytelling, creative ambition and community involvement, offering an insider’s perspective on New Zealand broadcasting and the changing country around it.


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