EXPERIMENTAL TV

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28958, 28 July 1959, Page 12

EXPERIMENTAL TV

Plans Dropped By Firm

The Bell Radio and Television Corporation, of Kilmore street, has dropped its plan to go ahead with experimental broadcasting of television programmes in Christchurch.

The organisation is already broadcasting three nights a week in Auckland.

Further depression of the radiogram market in which the company has a big interest is one reason given for reluctance to push ahead with a previouslyannounced television scheme in Christchurch.

Another factor is a difference of opinion with the Post and Telegraph Department which is the television licensing body. The department last year approved the corporation’s application for a private television transmission station, allotted sound and video frequencies for the station and held a call sign in readiness for the time the licence was taken up.

It is understood that the department later frowned on the station’s proposed operation al'tei the corporation’s attempt m Auckland to introduce entertainment into its broadcasts which were licensed purely for the experimental transmission of test patterns. “Bad Boys”

“We would have been on the air ages ago if we had not been bad boys in Auckland. We have no plans to go ahead down here now," a corporation spokesman said yesterday.

It is understood that some delay was caused by the corporation’s attempts to have the department alter its transmission frequency which was the same as that allocated to another private television transmitter in St. Albans.

The department warned the corporation it had overstepped the mark in Auckland and is believed to have withheld the Christchurch licence largely be cause of this as a disciplinary measure.

The Post Office in Christchurch reported yesterday that it had only two television licences on its books —one for Mr R G. Kennard, of Severn street, and the other for Canterbury University When it issued licences the department made it clear that they could be cancelled at any time and that there was no security of tenure over them.