Protest by private radio

Press, 18 June 1982, Page 11

Protest by private radio

Parliamentary reporter Private radio broadcasters have opposed the abolition of the separate complaints procedure for private radio. In a submission to the Commerce and Energy Select Committee on tbe Broadcasting Amendment Bill, the association said the new complaints committee of one, appointed by the Minister, and shared with Radio New Zealand, was no more independent than the Committee of Private Broadcasters. The bill was replacing a tried procedure with an untried and impractical one. The Committee of Private Broadcasters was appointed on the nomination of the industry. But the bill did not make provision for it to recommend appointment to the Minister. The proposed complaints committee was not required to give its reasons for decisions. A one-man committee, with no experience in the electronics media, would not have enough sympathy to give a balanced judgement, said the association. The Minister should be restricted to appointing per-

sons nominated by the corporation and any private television warrant-holder for television matters, and by the corporation and the association for radio. The committee’s brief could give it licence to investigate format changes and target audiences. This would discriminate against private radio because private radio warrants carried format and

audience restrictions, and Radio New Zealand warrants did not. The association asked that the corporation should be instructed to break down its consolidated accounts to show costs on a station-by-station basis. This would reveal inefficiencies, hidden subsidies, and would establish an economic footing for the introduction of F.M.