Restructuring needed in TV, radio, says M.P.

Press, 26 April 1984, Page 1

Restructuring needed in TV, radio, says M.P.

One man holding the appointments of both chairman and chief executive of the Broadcasting Corporation is a “totally unacceptable and indeed incestuous” situation, according to the chairman of the Government’s caucus communications committee, Mr John Banks.

However, Mr Banks, the member of Parliament for Whangarei, said yesterday he thought that Mr lan Cross, who holds both positions, was a “very, very capable man.” “We don’t want to lose Mr Cross. He has the depth of knowledge that we need if we are to remain competitive,” Mr Banks said in a telephone interview. Mr Banks said he was interested in the restructuring programmes, functions and accountability of Government departments and Government agencies, such as broadcasting, Air New Zealand, and the Railways. “We are going to have to do some pretty hefty restructuring in the area of

middle and top management of Television New Zealand to compete as they should, and as they are capable of, with the introduction of private television.” “There is no way I want to give the impression that he has not been performing,” Mr Banks said of Mr Cross. “I don’t think there is any doubt at all that his contract would be renewed. “The facts of the matter are there will need to be staff restructuring that would include gearing down of the numbers of middle and upper management. The Broadcasting Corporation is going to have to take these bold decisions.

"I would prefer that Mr Cross was chairman of the board and we brought in a management executive of the calibre of Mr Geary (of Air New Zealand),” Mr Banks said. “We have to make major structural changes within

television and within Radio New Zealand as well.” Mr Banks said the head office staffing within Radio New Zealand was not good enough. “There is too much feather-bedding at the head office level. Yet in the field, on the face of the competition, they are very well oiled machines and geared,” he said. Mr Banks said he would be “very, very interested” in the outcome of the inquiry into the “That’s Country” television series. He said he had not seen the inquiry report and did not know

when it would be released. “It could give insight into the way management has or has not been operating," he said.

"I just bring up these flags and wave them in the hope that the board will have the strength of resolve to take the initiative that they know is necessary,” he said.

"There is going to be some industrial and political ramifications but in times where we must be competitive we must be bold.”

Last evening Mr Cross said that he had no comment to make on Mr Banks’s remarks. He said that during the next few weeks, after the inquiry findings were released this evening, many people would have a lot to say, but he was not interested in commenting “once the politicians get in.”