RADIO TIME LETTING

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31340, 10 April 1967, Page 3

RADIO TIME LETTING

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 9.

The directors of Radio International feel that the Government and the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation are committed to the letting of private radio programme contracts, the general manager of Radio International, Mr Robin Bailey, said yesterday. He was commenting on a Wellington report that opinion in Government circles appeared to be hardening against the letting of programme contracts. Radio International and the pirate station Radio Hauraki tendered for programme time earlier this year and were told that the names of the successful tenderers would be announced in mid-March. Mr Bailey said Radio Inter-

national had no reason to doubt the integrity of the N.Z.B.C. when it said later that the successful tenderers would be named on April 18. “Morally Bound” “In view of this assurance, the corporation is morally bound to proceed with the contract programming,” he said. Radio International was unable to agree with a suggestion that inflation might result if the scheme was implemented. The N.Z.B.C. had just extended commercial TV transmission, and that form of broadcasting was not done on a shoestring budget, he said. Decision Soon Questioned on Friday, the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Adams-Schneider) would say only that the Government was discussing whether it should still proceed to accept bids for commercial time on stations IYD, 2YD and 3YD from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. daily except Sundays, “in the light of present economic circumstances." Mr Adams-Schneider said: “I am fully aware of the concern of people who will have tendered and of the need for a decision, and there will be one very soon.”