P.S.A. allegations to be considered

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 15

P.S.A. allegations to be considered

PA Auckland Allegations of a breach of advertising rules on the Northern Television’s "Good Morning!” show will be considered in a fortnight by the Broadcasting Corporation. The complaint has been laid by the Public Service Association. The chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation (Mr lan Cross) said the complaint by the P.S.A. would be investigated by a committee which would in turn report to the corporation board. The board would consider recommendations in the report at a

meeting in Auckland in two weeks. In the meantime, the director-general of Television New Zealand (Mr Allan Martin) has written to Northern Television' pointing out that programme material must be clearly separate from advertising. Northern Television has asked for clarification of the rules governing advertising. The manager of Northern Television (Mr Graeme Douglas) said the complaint related to the commercial content of two specific items on the show. Of the 25 segments re-

•corded each week for the “Good Morning!" show, only a few were commercially sponsored, he said, and that sponsorship in no way paid for all the time bn air. The system was exactly the same as that used by Television New Zealand. “The PS. A. has decided to make a formal complaint against Northern Television yet it has never made a complaint about similar productions in - which its members are involved,” Mr Douglas said. “We at Northern Television do not - feel we have broken the rules in any way."