R.N.Z. may change style of management

Press, 14 July 1987, Page 12

R.N.Z. may change style of management

PA Wellington Radio New Zealand is considering “markedly changing” the way in which it manages its radio stations, said the Broadcasting Corporation’s Director-General, Miss Beverley Wakem. ■ But selling them off, either in whole or part, was only one of a number of possibilities none of which have been formally proposed to the B.C.N.Z. board or the Minister of Broadcasting, Mr Hunt, Miss Wakem said. Her comment came after an article ip yesterday’s “Sunday Star” newspaper which said that broadcasting was soon to become another Stateowned enterprise. The “Sunday Star” quoted a confidential Radio New Zealand management document as saying “(the Finance Minister) Roger Douglas has indicated that B.C.N.Z.

status as one of the Stateowned enterprises is imminent.” Miss Wakem said that the document comprised notes from a series of three planning seminars, mostly recording brainstorming of ideas. “Between the National Party’s recently announced broadcasting policy and suggestions embodied in the recent report of the royal commission, all sorts of possibilities need to be examined as to their practicability and desirability in the public interest,” Miss Wakem said. “But the informal record to which the ‘Sunday Star’ has referred has no status as a policy document and contains material which is grossly out of context because it is necessarily incomplete and was not designed to be read by anyone other than those present who had been exposed to the full content of the seminars. There is also some material which is erroneous.” After the management planning seminars, managers were discussing aspects of the proposals with their staff — most starting with senior radio station executives who would then talk with other

levels of staff. “There are a series of discussions relative to the corporate plan taking place at present but they are far from being in a form for corporate or any other endorsement.” Miss Wakem said that while the broad future for public radio had been canvassed at a luncheon with the Ministers of Finance and Broadcasting recently, there was absolutely no endorsement of any of the principles discussed and the attributions .to Mr Douglas quoted in the leaked document are a gross overstatement. There was no indication that Mr Douglas planned to turn the B.C.N.Z. into a State-owned enterprise, Miss Wakem said.