About Us - Solecspiro

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Our Story

Solecspiro began with a simple observation: television archives were disappearing faster than anyone could document them. Magnetic tapes degraded in storage facilities. Production records sat in boxes, unsorted and unread. Personal memories of industry pioneers faded with each passing year.

Founded by a group of media historians and broadcast industry veterans, our organisation set out to change this trajectory. We built relationships with television networks, persuaded retired producers to share their experiences, and developed systematic approaches to catalogue programming history.

Today we serve researchers, filmmakers, educators, and anyone curious about how television evolved from an experimental technology into a defining medium of modern culture.

Our Approach

Television history research demands more than academic rigour. It requires understanding the practical realities of broadcast production, the economic pressures that shaped programming decisions, and the technological limitations that defined what was possible in each era.

Our methodology combines traditional archival research with oral history collection. We interview surviving participants from classic productions, cross-reference their accounts with documented records, and build comprehensive pictures of how programmes came to exist.

We also recognise that television history extends beyond the programmes themselves. Advertising practices, regulatory frameworks, audience measurement techniques, and distribution technologies all played roles in shaping what appeared on screens. Our research encompasses these broader contexts.

2008

Foundation

Established as an informal research collective focused on Australian broadcasting history.

2012

Archive Partnerships

Formalised relationships with major Australian television networks to access historical production materials.

2016

Educational Programs

Launched workshop series for universities and film schools on television history research methods.

2020

Digital Expansion

Developed digital preservation protocols and expanded consultation services internationally.

2024

Present Day

Continue serving researchers worldwide with comprehensive television history resources and expertise.

Our Team

Experienced researchers and industry professionals

Dr Eleanor Hayes

Research Director

Former broadcast historian at the National Film and Sound Archive with specialisation in 1960s programming.

Robert Thornton

Archive Consultant

Thirty years experience in television production, including roles at ABC and Network Ten.

Mei Lin Zhao

Digital Preservation Lead

Expert in format migration and digital archiving standards for audiovisual materials.

Thomas Crawford

Education Coordinator

Develops workshop curricula and leads educational programmes for academic institutions.

16

Years of Experience

450+

Research Projects Completed

12

Archive Partnerships

85

Documentary Credits

Partner Institutions

Our research benefits from collaborative relationships with leading cultural institutions and educational bodies. These partnerships provide access to archival collections and ensure our work meets rigorous academic standards.

We work with university media departments, national archives, television networks, and international broadcasting organisations. These connections enable us to trace programmes across borders and understand television as a global phenomenon.

Private collectors also contribute significantly to our research. Many retired industry professionals retain personal archives of production materials, scripts, and photographs that complement official records.

About Solecspiro

Our Story

Our Approach

Foundation

Archive Partnerships

Educational Programs

Digital Expansion

Present Day

Our Team

Dr Eleanor Hayes

Robert Thornton

Mei Lin Zhao

Thomas Crawford

Partner Institutions

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