Govt ‘has to fund’ Maori channel

Press, 21 January 1986, Page 9

Govt ‘has to fund’ Maori channel

PA Auckland Aotearoa Broadcasting Systems could lose the right to call itself a private station if the Government helped fund its application for a third television channel, another applicant has said. The chief executive designate of Impact Television, Mr Richard Wall, was commenting on remarks made by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Mr Tapsell, at the education hui on Turangawaewae marae over the week-end. Mr Tapsell said A.B.S. would have to have Govern-

ment help in putting its case to the Broadcasting Tribunal. The Maori company had no hope of advancing its case fairly without some Government help, he said. He would raise the matter with the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Wetere. Mr Wall said Mr Tapsell’s statement was disappointing. The Broadcasting Tribunal’s directive clearly called for applicants for a private television channel. “If the Government sees fit to assist the funding of Aotearoa’s application, per-

haps it’s not a private station any more. “There are already two State channels now. Is New Zealand in the position to have a third State channel?” Mr Wall said 1.T.V., in its application before the tribunal, proposed to set up a Maori unit which would run four hours of Maori programmes each week. He said I.T.V. had also offered to pay Television New Zealand half the ?4 million cost of setting up its own Maori unit This would produce an hour of Maori programming each day.