Call for 5 colour TV channels

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 2

Call for 5 colour TV channels

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 16. New Zealand should have five colour television channels by 1980, the. New Zealand Electronic Institute recommended to the New Zealand Broadcasting Authority today.

Presenting the institute’s submissions to the Authority’s television inquiry, Mr J. D. McCormick said that both a -second channel and the present channel should be in colour. “The New Zealand Electronics Institute considers it reasonable to suggest that New Zealand should have first and second channels operating in colour before the end of 1972, to be followed by a third channel by 1975, a fourth by 1977-78 and a fifth by 1980,” he said. He recommended that a second channel should be operated free from commercials, and thus by the N.Z.B.C. Subsequent alternative channels could be operated on a commercial basis, channels one, three and five being commercial and two, four and six, non-commercial. Because of the many implications and ramifications of television diffusion services,

the institute recommended that the Authority ask the Post Office and the N.Z.B.C. to make a technical study of all aspects of the subject. “The possibilities of expansion of these services are almost unlimited,” Mr McCormick said. “For example, commercial aerial television could emerge as the facility that could give every home high-quality, three-dimen-sional television. He said the institute would also support any plan that would ensure a high moral standard of presentation of television programmes. The efficiency of the national telecommunications system might be adversely affected if competitive television were introduced too quickly, the Post Office said in submissions to the hearing. Because the manpower resources skilled in the radio and television fields were limited, time would be needed to adjust in terms of skilled staff, said Mr E. G. Harris, presenting the submissions. LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES The Actors Equity of New Zealand considers that a developing force of professional actors is at present limited by a lack of opportunities. Presenting submissions on behalf of the Equity to the television inquiry today, Mr A. J. Wilks said New Zealand had sufficient local talent to provide much more in the way of local programmes. The establishment and development of professional companies, such as Downstage, was linked very closely With radio and television. Actors needed to find further outlets within the mass media to continue as full-time professional artists. “The alternative' is for them to move overseas with the result that the talent is lost to New Zealand,” he said.