N.Z.B.C. STRAINED; NO EXTRA TV

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31052, 6 May 1966, Page 1

N.Z.B.C. STRAINED; NO EXTRA TV

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, May 5. Viewers who hope for extra television programmes in the near future will be disappointed—because the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation is already “straining its resources” to screen 50 hours of television a week.

The Director-Gen-eral of Broadcasting, (Mr G. H. Stringer), said this in Dunedin today. Locally - produced programmes such as “Compass,” “Here and Now” and frequent outside broadcasts taxed staffing and technical facilities to the utmost, he said.

It was mainly for this reason that the news-magazine programme “Compass” was being rested for a month before resuming as a fortnightly instead of a weekly series.

“The staff of ’Compass’ had been working excessively long hours, and we felt that there was a health risk involved,” said Mr Stringer. Mr Stringer said that he preferred not to comment on reported complaints from country districts, that the Government and the N.Z.B.C. did not install enough translator and repeater units to bring television to viewers in remote areas.

“But viewing societies that have installed their own translators have greatly accelerated the spread of television throughout New Zealand," he said. “The corporation is most appreciative of their effort and enterprise." On the subject of teachers’ pleas for special educational

programmes, Mr Stringer said that this was under “constant review” by the N.Z.B.C. and the Education Department It possible to pre-

diet the outcome of these discussions. Reminded that the corporation's central advisory committee had recently warned against understanding the intellectual level of television audiences, Mr Stringer said

he hoped that the N.Z.B.C. never did that. . “I suppose there Hight be an occasional lapse,”'he said, “but programme quality is subject to constant vigilance and we try to maintain a high standard.”