Turn off switch, says bishop

Press, 8 May 1978, Page 6

Turn off switch, says bishop

Once a young person’s sense of values were strong and worth while, news media influence on them would not be harmful, said the Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (the Most Rev. B. P. Ashby) in a radio broadcast yesterday to mark his church’s World Communications Sunday. Personalities were relatively difficult to change, and once “character,” “strength of will” and “noble” human qualities were formed, they would not be changed or harmed by television, radio, the press, or films, said Bishop Ashby.

Audiences and readers could exercise a lot of control simply by turning off a switch, by cancelling subscriptions, or by withholding advertising. “It hurts radio and television when their audience ratings for a feature show a slump.” he said. “Is is an accident that the violent John Steed and Emma Peel body-a-minute ‘Avengers’ is now a late show, well away from prime time? Or has the programmer noted the ratings, listened to the mounting protest about television violence, and slotted it into what should be mature viewI ing time?”