Govt ‘excuses’ delay FM

Press, 24 June 1978, Page 24

Govt ‘excuses’ delay FM

Parliamentary reporter I The Labour Party has ac- j cused the Government of I “using excuses” to delay the IF introduction of FM radio! [broadcasts to New Zealand.'a [FM (frequency modu-1 1 lated) broadcasting uses a ttransmission system similar c to television. It requires a special receiver, but gives a s vastly superior sound to con- r . ventional (AM) radio, and 1 allows for broadcasts in ' stereo.] c No Government decision r ion FM broadcasts in New , Zealand is expected this ' year, according to the ' ' Minister of Broadcasting (Mr t 1 Templeton), in reply to aG 'question by Mr J. L. HuntG | (Lab., New’ Lynn). ] “The various considera- 1 tions surrounding the intro- f ■ duction of FM broadcasting - I to this country are still being ■ examined by an FM planning committee which is \ representative of the various t interests concerned,” said Mr < ‘Templeton. ‘ “I have inquired, and am | | informed that the commiti tee’s report is not expected , [to be completed until later, ■ this year. The Government!j ‘will have to consider the-re-h--■port, and all other factors, before any decision r is made on the introduction c |of FM. lam not in a position. c ito indicate w’hen this will e I be.” v Mr Hunt is not happy r about the reply.

“The Minister’s reply is just the sort of waffle that I would have hoped he could have avoided,” he said. “All he shows is that yet another committee is being used as an excuse for the Government to delay introducing FM radio. “I believe that there should be experimental FM radio stations operating now in the main centres, and I would hope that something could be done about this matter as soon as possible. With the recent profits that Radio New Zealand was able to announce, there seems no reason now why the present Government could not invite it to start such experiments,” he said.