TV without advertising

Press, 3 August 1985, Page 18

TV without advertising

The results of a survey that showed most New Zealanders would prefer to watch television without the interruption of advertisements will come as no surprise. On occasions, the better advertisements are more entertaining and more skilfully presented than the programmes that they punctuate; but on the whole the intrusion of a commercial break is something of an irritation. Most people accept the distraction only grudgingly, though at times the chance to slip away to attend to other matters without missing any of the programme is welcome enough.

When people are asked if they want the same amount of advertising on television and radio as there is at present — or more or less of it — what else could be expected than that most of them would plump for less? This is what the survey showed. It also showed that most people prefer the use of licence fees rather than Government grants or advertising revenue to support commercial-free radio stations, although no question was asked about alternative funding for television channels. What is not clear is what level of licence fee the people who answered the survey thought appropriate. They were not asked. All sorts of permutations are possible, depending on how much the fee is increased, on

how much advertising is forgone, and on what sort of financial return is expected of the Broadcasting Corporation. It is a fair bet, though, that few of those surveyed knew that the corporation’s income from television and radio advertising last year amounted to $133 million, or that licence fees would have to be about $2OO a year to return, the same amount. Without knowing what balance of advertising and licence fee payment people prefer, the survey result — though accurate — is of little more use in broadcasting planning than knowing that society generally supports motherhood and a fair standard of living for all.

Revenue from advertising does hold down licence fees; it has been used in the past as the reason for refusing licence fee increases. Preferences between commercial and noncommercial radio stations might have as much or more to do with the type of programme broadcast than the playing or not of advertisements; this survey does not suggest the reasons for people’s preferences, nor was it intended to. From time to time viewers’ irritation with television advertisements might border on fury, but television without comfort stops could be just as annoying — and much more expensive for viewers to licence.