April date for FM hearings

Press, 28 February 1981, Page 6

April date for FM hearings

PA Wellington The Broadcasting Tribunal is expected to begin hearings on the FM issue late in April. The tribunal chairman (Mr B. Slane) said yesterday that anyone wanting to make submissions should do so by the end of March “at the latest.” “It is the first time a thorough inquiry on radio broadcasting has been set up to plan policy and development for a number of years,” Mr Slane said. “It will be an opportunity for differing views on technical matters and programmes to be put forward and decided in a public forum. “This is the opportunity for everyone, including

listeners, to have their say,” he said. Hearings were expected to begin towards the end of April and would continue in different parts of New Zealand until June. Mr Slane rejected complaints that the hearings were a delaying tactic. They were “to enable conflicting views to be reconciled and dealt with in public on the basis of evidence presented,” he said. For example, anyone who said they could set up a station for $2OO would have the opportunity to justify their claim, Mr Slane said. Furthermore, a full hearing now would save a lot of time and argument in subsequent warrant hearings.