Purchasing problems

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 4

Purchasing problems

Complaints about the quality of New Zealand’s television programmes are heard much more frequently than expressions of satisfaction, but it is inevitable, for it is the nature of the television beast to roar disapproval but to accept good quality without comment.

Not that there are not very good grounds for complaint about many of the programmes. Some awful rubbish is presented sometimes. But the sorry fact is that New Zealand is buying just about the best that is available, all the time, and with a viewing week of 65 hours, it is little wonder that the quality sometimes sinks sharply. New Zealand purchases more film from the 8.8. C. than any of the other 83 corporation customers. But the United States turns out about 80 per cent of the material available for purchase. New Zealand’s leaning towards British productions is such that about 40 British shows are bought to every 60 American, although the United States produces four times as much material as Britain.

One of the reasons that American ■ films are seen so regularly is because the comedies hardly ever present censorship problems. The N.Z.B.C.’s policy is th play G certificate material between 2.30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the hours during which children can be expected to be among the viewers. That was the reason that “The Survivors” was off the screens during the August school holidays.

American acceptance It is necessary for the N.Z.B.C. to find more than 30 hours of G certificate material a week, and some British comedies do not come into that category. Nearly all the major American programmes scheduled in New Zealand are regarded as the best available, and appear in prime viewing time in the United States.

The A.B.C.’s evening viewing in September includes “The F. 8.1.,” the Tom Jones show, “Bewitched,” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” as well as four other series which will be shown in New Zealand soon.

Evening viewers of C.B.S. : programmes are seeing “Las- ’ sie,” the Ed Sullivan show, j Lucille Ball, Doris Day, Carol ; Burnett, the “Beverly Hillbillies,” “Green Acres,” “To Rome With Love,” “The Governor-General and J.J.,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Family Affair,’' “Mission Impossible,” “My Three Sons,” “Hogan’s Heroes” and “Mannix.” The third principal net- , work has on September evenings “Wild Kingdom,” “Bonanza,” “The Bold Ones,” “Julie,” “Ironside,” Dean Martin, “High Chapparal,” “The Name of the Game,” “Bracken’s World” and Andy Williams. If New Zealand viewers feel dissatisfied, they seem to be very much better off than those in Sydney, for all the number of channnels to which they may tune. On Saturday, August 15, the non-commercial station had four evening items. One was a 1953 movie, another an hour of football. On Sunday evening, “Oh Brother” was followed by three documentaries and a Somerset Maugham play—a good evening’s viewing. On Monday night, there was “Scobie in

September” and “Sinister Street” as well as 45 minutes of golf.

Tuesday’s evening offering from this station included “Steptoe and Son” “A Man of Our Times” and “Trouble Shooters” but in Wednesday’s four main items, Dean Martin, “Hawaii Five-O” and “The Invaders” were to be found. “Softly Softly” improved Thursday’s show, but Friday finished feebly—“ The Doctors,” an English 70minute programme, “Inside George Webley" and a 1951 film.

The most popular programmes in Sydney come from channel 7. On the same Saturday night, it had “Mannix,” “It Takes a Thief,” then 90 minutes of local club variety interspersed with trotting races, and a 1943 film.

The Sunday night programme included a 135-minute film and finished with “Run

For Your Life.” For Wednesday, there was “The Liberace Show,” two 35 - minute comedies, 80 minutes of professional boxing, and a western. Tuesday: “Homicide” (an hour), a recent .movie, “Naked City” and “Wyatt Earp.” Wednesday: k variety show, “The Bold Ones,” the Bob Rogers show, and a onehour Australian production "Consider Your Verdict.” The whole of Thursday evening was taken up with two movies and a western. Friday night had “Homicide,” a variety special and “After The Thin Man,” a 1936 film. On other channels, there were sometimes three old movies, one after the other. An inspection of Sydney programmes suggests that New Zealanders do not fare too badly. Not that there is no room and reason for criticism, when it is warranted. But it could be very much worse than it is.—PANDORA.