How do they decide what we should watch on TV?

Press, 29 May 1985, Page 16

How do they decide what we should watch on TV?

By

NZPA reporter

Ruth Mclntyre

Do you ever wonder why Television New Zealand screens movies you think are particularly violent, pornographic or just plain awful? Each month five or six people lodge formal complaints with the Broadcasting Corporation’s head of programme standards and TVNZ receives hundreds of phone calls and about 300 letters ranging from a request for an actor’s name to a gripe about bad language or violence. Some groups such as the Presbyterian Church, the Society for the Protection of Community Standards and Women Against Pornography, are not satisfied with the criteria used by television’s censors. They believe the number of violent and pornographic scenes on television are increasing. The society’s spokesperson, Miss Patricia Barlett, says that what TVNZ thinks is good taste “I think is pornographic.” "All the time they are breaking down the standards they had, particularly in the last three years with films containing violence and sex.” Rev. Michael Jackson Campbell, director of the Presbyterian Church’s department of communication, believes radio stations each have a selective, clearcut audience, but television “has to cope with all those audiences in one.”

“Obviously they make mistakes. ‘The Awakening of Candra’ was an error, but whoever hasn’t made an error of judgment should throw the first stone,” he says. “The Awakening of Candra,” shown on a Saturday evening late last month, sparked off a heated public debate. In the film a woman was dragged behind her attacker by a rope tied around her neck and then raped. The scene was allegedly re-enacted in an Auckland street just hours after the film was shown.

Women Against Pornography condemned the screening of this film, but still does not want to see all rape scenes banned. It says the subject was dealt with in a realistic and non-exploitive way in a “Country G.P.” episode the following Monday.

“In Candra the camera shots made the audience identify with the rapist,” says the spokesperson, Ms Caroline Massov. “We are worried the subject of rape might be used by broadcasting to boost ratings.” After the Candra outcry, TVNZ withdrew two films due to be screened, saying they were too graphic. Just how does TVNZ judge what is suitable for screening and when, bearing in mind a television set can be turned on at any time? The Broadcasting Corporation employs five appraisers — three men and two women — in its programme standards department, who see every overseas programme bought by TVNZ and categorise it into one of four classifications for screening: • Universal — may be screened at any time. • Limited — recommended between 9 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. on week-days (except during school holidays) and after 7.30 p.m. • Adult — recommended

between 9 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. on week-days (except during school holidays) and after 8.30 p.m. • Special — provides a particular recommendation in each case, for example screening after 10.30 p.m. The appraisers follow rules and standards laid down by the Broadcasting Act, requiring them to observe standards of good taste and decency and be mindful of the effect a programe may have on children during their viewing periods. They and the programme planners are expectead to follow standards which state the use of violence in a programme should aim to sharpen, not to blunt, human sensitivities. The inclusion of violence “can only be justified by the dramatic context in which it is seen and the skill, insight and sensitivity of its depiction,” the rules say.

“Ingenious and unfamiliar methods of inflicting pain or injury — particularly if capable of easy imitation — should not be shown without the most careful consideration.”

BCNZ’s head of programme standards, Mr Peter Fabian, believes the appraisers interpret the rules “as best we can in the context of programmes offered for the New Zealand public.” “The appraisal of a programme is not necessarily one man’s or one woman’s viewpoint. If there’s a ticklish subject, they will look at it together and may anguish over the matter before recommending rejection, a late playing or an excision.

Cuts in films for the cinema made by the Government Film Censor, Mr Arthur Everard, must, likewise, be adhered to when the films are shown on television, but they still go before the BCNZ’s appraisers who may make further cuts or reject the films.

The appraisers saw 5431 overseas programmes in the 1983-84 year, of which 2863 were features (films) and 2568 shorts (serials and oneoffs). (This year’s figures are not yet available.) They made 121 cuts which, added to the film censor’s 112 excisions, totalled 233. Seventy cuts were for language, 20 for sex scenes, 88 for violence, 37 for weapons and 18 for other reasons. The film censor’s cuts are included in these figures. Ten programmes were referred to Mr Fabian, of which six were passed subject to cuts or late screening, and four were rejected. The appraisers classified 68.31 per cent of the programmes seen as suitable for universal screening, 18.39 per cent for limited, 11.2 per cent for adult and 2.1 per cent for special. The deputy head of programme planning and purchasing, Mr Sam Fairhall, believes New Zealand television shows the best programmes on offer in the world, a sentiment with which Mr Fabian agrees. The Act specifies that a range of programmes must be provided to cater in a balanced way for the varied interests of different sections of the community.

It states that the time of screening is an important consideration in scheduling programmes containing violence and that unless care is

taken an acceptable level of violence in each individual programme could add up to an intolerable level over a whole evening’s viewing. New Zealand identity also must be developed and maintained.

“We try to satisfy minority requirements and needs,” says Mr Fairhall. “We look at all programming in terms of entertainment and information and our objective is to present two equally attractive and complementary channels.” Rev. Campbell believes TVNZ tries to do a good job in programming. “I don’t know that I’m reasonably satisfied, but in looking for perfection you have to look for human frailty — in producers, assessors and viewers.

“An arbiter of public taste has a very difficult task.”

Women Against Pornography wants a group of women to have the final say on whether films portraying violence against women should be shown or not.

Miss Bartlett says television should be a family medium “and TVNZ is not portraying it as such.” “I would like to see a

definite upgrading of programmes at peak family viewing time. Miss Bartlett does not think TVNZ will be able to keep up even its present standard when the third channel starts. However, Mr Fairhall disagrees. He said there is a com-

mitment on TVNZ's part to ~ "stay commercially viable,” « but there is no intention to * resort to programmes for jj the “lowest common denom- A inator.” » “There are conditions in ~ the Act we have to followand we are aware of our’ A obligations," he says. Z