Radio Gospel Puts Case For Warrant

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32252, 21 March 1970, Page 46

Radio Gospel Puts Case For Warrant

Radio stations which offered only popular entertainment and advertising turned listeners into inactive, unhealthy, unthinking and unresponsive puddings, Mr C. C. H. Knight, counsel for the Radio Gospel Fellowship, submitted to the New Zealand Broadcasting Authority in Christchurch yesterday.

Mr Knight, in support of the fellowship’s application for a warrant for a private broadcasting station in Christchurch, said that the other two applicants had paid scant attention to the moral and social responsibilities placed on radio stations broadcasting to children, teenagers and the aged. The fellowship is the third and last applicant for a radio warrant to be heard by the authority in the present sittings. The second of 18 witnesses for the fellowship was being cross-examined when the hearing was adjourned to April 7 Members of the authority . are Messrs R. T. Peacock I (chairman), R. B. Miller, and |H. E. Duff Daysh. Mr P. T. Mahon, wilh him Mr J. R. Fox, appeared for Radio Christchurch, Ltd. Mi A. D. Holland for the Canter bury Broadcasting Company. Ltd. the other two applicants Mr R. B. Cooke, Q.C., with ] him Mr B. L. Darby, appeared ! for the New Zealand Broad [casting Commission, whict opposed the issuing of war I rants. Founded In 1961 1! Mr Knight said the Gospe . i Radio Fellowship was founder in 1961 and incorporated a: [a non-profitmaking society ir 1962. In that year it appliec t for a warrant for a privatr 0 radio station to the N.Z.B.C. but was refused. s “This is the first applica 1 tion before the authority foi I. a Christian radio station. Th< 3 station is for the furtheranci i, of Christian knowledge anc i information and it will pro ;. vide entertainment and new:

/’items. It will be carried on [ by voluntary contributions." The fellowship represented .seven denominations, includ- • ing Anglicans, Baptists. Methodists and the Salvation , Army. The authority was required I to consider whether a warrant /was necessary or desirable in .[the public interest, Mr . Knight said. Moral and social •i issues were implied in “pub■[lie interest." Warrants issued .must enhance, not lower, moral and social values. To put entertainment and adverII tising over the air to the /exclusion of all else was , I immoral. J The fellowship would present the life of Christ in a . i new and exciting manner. It /would give news items, but /news would not dominate. / Mr Knight said that the other applicants had not /jshown that their programmes c i would differ from those existI ing in Christchurch, nor had ' they shown that there was , any* gap in “popular” pror grammes. r On the other hand, the fellowship would show there was , a gap in religious broadcasts ing in Christchurch, where i only 1.33 per cent of broad--1 casting time was devoted to I- [ the Christian message. [’ Telephone Survey A telephone survey of almost 3000 persons had shown that 71.7 per cent [[ favoured a radio station with “ a strong Christian emphasis s A total of 595 persons had n signed a submission of sup “ porting the fellowship’s appli e cation. A station operating for i [profit tended to think first oi '/advertising, he said. A sta r [tion not operating for profit e would put moral and social ® responsibilities uppermost 1 Stations seeking advertiser: ’’ had to seek to please a largt ? number of listeners. The fellowship would begir by broadcasting for font hours a day and planned tc [be broadcasting nearer 2( 1 hours a day, counsel said. The fellowship had a wealtt . of broadcasting experienct ;in its ranks, and had beer ’ aiming to have a radio sta tion for some years.

Evidence Seen Mr R. N. Clarkson, chair man of the fellowship ant managing director of a super market. said that thi N.Z.B.C.’s religious broad casting was totally inade quate. Radio Gospel would fil this need and also give socia assistance to those who re a quired help in facing life. , a team of clergy, counsellor: '■ and follow-up workers woult s do this. D The fellowship had bough a church of 1656 sq. ft ii t-Glenfield Terrace. Mairehau d from the Presbyterian Church d It was about five years olt > and could be altered to housi a studio and two contro a rooms. A transmitter ant r workshops could be built oi e the site and planning permis sion had been given for that e A newsletter published b; i-jthe fellowship was a prinn yipartner of the radio. It hat 'increased from 30 to 2000 is a sues a month. The fellowshii ;sjhad already produced radii e programmes. d! “The fellowship is the onl; applicant before you who cai

i; honestly say that we are here for the good of Christchurch and not for ourselves." Cross-examined by Mr HoF - land, Mr Clarkson said the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand did not support the [ fellowship. He did not suggest that the Baptists did not [ want to join the National ' Council of Churches. The council represented the Pro- ' testant churches. The fellow.iship had not approached the /council for support. / To Mr Cooke, Mr Clarkson /said that Radio Gospel would /have no paid advertisements 'on the air in any circunv .stances. : Appeals had been made for [the 595 to write in /the support of a Christian [radio station, Mr Clarkson >lagreed. He also agreed that tj3oo persons who attended a s'public meeting represented -[O.l per cent of greater Christ--1 church. s “The care for the policy of '•‘the station would be to provide the Christian message.” l-lsaid Mr F. J. Hilton, pros gramme manager for Radio - Gospel. “This is why Radio e Gospel has cut itself off from |. the normal commercial means o of running a station and placed itself in the hands of God. f “In commercial stations, the ti programme is broken by adt vertisement spots. Our music h will be broken by Christian 5 spots—texts and other short (j (messages,” Mr Hilton said >-] Radio Gospel would not i-1 give news in depth or “editorialise," but would give a!periodical headline news and if | weather. The New Zealand i-IPress Association would supit'ply overseas news and the d meteorological office the weat.lther. ■s' —— Contraband worth $1500. n : Auckland customs officers , r [ searching the British freighter 0 [ Carnatic yesterday 0 transistor radios and musical clocks worth $l5OO in the n ship’s anchor cable locker.— e (P A.)