Televiewers Apply For Second TV Channel

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31028, 6 April 1966, Page 10

Televiewers Apply For Second TV Channel

The Canterbury Televiewers’ Association has applied to the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation for a warrant to establish and run its own television station in Christchurch.

Announcing this in the asociation’s journal, the “Televiewer,” the president (Mr A. E. Lester) and the secretary (Mr J. M. McKenzie) say that their station would be fully commercial and that a first priority would be to give coverage to the West Coast from Karamea to Haast.

The station would be called Christchurch Independent Television One (ITV-One) and would be financed solely out of advertising revenue. If the warrant is granted, says their statement OHTV-3 would be relieved of ’the need to run advertisements and could cut them out altogether. Canterbury would then be the first area to have one fully commercial channel and one non-commercial, which is the “declared policy” of the N.Z.B.C. An application would be made to the N.Z.B.C. to hire or lease at a reasonable rental the N.Z.B.C.’s transmitting facilities on the Sugarloaf for the purpose of transmitting the new station’s programmes. The proposed hours of telecasting are from 4.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. on week-days, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on week-ends and public holidays. N.Z. Actors Only The programmes would be sponsored by advertisers, and a formula would be laid down which would bind advertisers as to the quantity and quality of advertising. All advertise-

merits would have to be produced in New Zealand, using only New Zealand actors. The capital needed to operate ITV-One would all be raised within New Zealand, and Canterbury and West Coast residents would be given preference in shareholding.

“By intensive, but judicious, use of advertisements, the quality of programmes telecast on ITV-One would force CHTV-3 to raise its standards,” says the statement. “CHTV-3, with no need to advertise because of ample revenue from fees, and relieved of the capital outlay of introducing a second channel, could concentrate its resources on cultural and educational programmes. “Thus, with CHTV-3 and ITV-One in competition but complementary in certain fields, Canterbury and West Coast viewers would enjoy the best balance and choice of programmes in New Zealand.” First In N.Z. Messrs Lester and McKenzie say that if the warrant is granted Canterbury viewers will probably have the first second channel in New Zealand. Otherwise the N.Z.B.C. would be likely to establish the first second channel in Auckland and the second in Wellington before considering the needs of the South Island. They say their association has made a survey of advertising companies and discovered that a large number of firms wish to advertise products on television, but are unable to get 'on the N.Z-B.C.’s channels because .they are booked out.

The association has made its application for a warrant to the Director-General of

Broadcasting (Mr G. H. Stringer), pursuant to Part 3, Section 31, of the Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1961. Under section 33 of the same act it asks the corporation to fix a time and place for the hearing of the application. It suggests that the place be Christchurch. No Profits “Although the act does not call on applicants to make any submissions in support of applications prior to a hearing being fixed by the corporation, the Televiewers’ Association wishes to point out that .as it is a non-profit-making body and incorporated as such, the application is therefore not based on profit motives,” says the application. Messrs Lester and McKetP zie say in their statement that the association would not produce any programmes itself, except for news reports. As the independent television authority for the station, it would produce and be responsible for news reports “in order that there could be no suggestion that any news items telecast were slanted by advertisers.”