SPRINGBOK TOUR BROADCASTS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 10

SPRINGBOK TOUR BROADCASTS

“Will Be No Change In Arrangements” STATEMENT BY N.Z. RUGBY UNION (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 7. There would be no change in broadcasting arrangements for the Springboks’ tour of New Zealand, said the chairman of the executive committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr C. S. Hogg) tonight, reaffirming the union’s decision made at a council meeting earlier in the year. In the union’s view, the subject was closed, and there was no likelihood of any change in the present arrangements, Mr Hogg said. These arrangements were that only the four tests and the matches against the New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand University would be broadcast by the national stations. The remaining matches against provincial teams would be broadcast by the local stations where the matches were held and by Radio New Zealand.

Mr Hogg had no comment to make on an inquiry by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, which asked whether the union was prepared to suggest an increased fee for greater radio coverage of the Springboks’ tour. Under a direction from the Ministei m charge of Broadcasting (Mr R. M Algie) the Director of Broadcasting (Mr W. Yates) made the inquiry of the union, but did not obtain a figure Questioned on the subject. Mr Yates said that no figure had been named in his discussions with the union. The Broadcasting Service had not made any offer, and the union had declined to name a figure.

“I hope the difficulty will be solved, but there is nothing more we can do.” said Mr Yates.

Mr Yates explained that the Broadcasting Service’s arrangement with the Rugby Union had been that in return for the payment of a flat annual fee the service was given the right to broadcast all matches under the jurisdiction of the union. In 20 years the service had paid £20.000 to the union Increase Last Year Last year, after representations by the union, the annual fee was increased by 50 per cent, to £l5OO. the service’s attitude, as expressed in a letter to the union, being that it was better to work under a flat fee arrangement than to negotiate a special fee every time there was an international tour. This arrangement was then acceptable to the union. It covered, as well as the normal matches, the New Zealand tour by the Australian team, for which the Broadcasting Service arranged local broadcasts for provincial matches and national broadcasts for the tests. Mr Yates said that the union had also accepted the £l5OO flat fee for this year, but had stipulated that the broadcast coverage of the Springbok matches should be the same as for last year’s Australian tour.

In view of the very great public interest in the Springbok visit the Broadcasting Service had planned to give a more extended coverage. It had raised particularly the question of broadcasting on a wider basis than the local station the first match of the tour as was done during the visit of the British Lions in 1950. The service, however, had been unable to get agreement to this wider coverage from the Rugby authorities.