Stuart Sansom OBE died at his home in Midhurst on Monday 18 February 2013, aged 83. He was one of the great technical leaders and innovators in television production and broadcasting throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s and a strong and vocal advocate of HDTV as we know it today. In 1978 he joined Sony as one of the founding directors of Sony Broadcast in Europe, alongside the late Howard Steele and Ken Barratt. He contributed significantly to Sony’s early Broadcast product strategy and to the commercial success that Sony Broadcast achieved. Sansom’s career in broadcast television began in 1953 when he joined High Definition Films, a groundbreaking film technology company based in Highbury Studios, north London and one whose staff were to form the engineering nucleus of the future Independent Television companies. Following the closure of HDF in 1957, Sansom stayed in ITV engineering with Television Wales and West, and later with ABC Television at Teddington Studios in London. He became chief engineer in 1964 and during this time played a key role in the launch of the 625-line and colour services in the UK. He continued this role as director of engineering for Thames Television up to 1975, when he joined the South African Broadcasting Corporation as television advisor to assist with the launch of the SABC’s second channel and its transition to colour. In 1977 Sansom joined the Sony Corporation and, alongside his great friend the late Howard Steele, launched Sony Broadcast in Europe in early 1978. As marketing director and later as deputy managing director, Sansom used his extensive technical and operational understanding of broadcast television to steer product development, build trust amongst Sony Customers and to achieve exceptional commercial success. He remained with Sony Broadcast until his retirement in 1985.
