Former broadcaster warns of commercial threat

Press, 5 December 1988, Page 21

Former broadcaster warns of commercial threat

PA Blenheim New Zealand is in danger of losing part of its national identity if broadcasting becomes too commercial, says the former Radio New Zealand direc-tor-general, Mr Geoffrey Whitehead. Mr Whitehead, a leading figure in the broadcasting industries of Britain, New Zealand and Australia, is a firm advocate of maintaining local input into programming. Examples abound of national broadcasters becoming obsessed with ratings (and advertising revenue) and allowing their stations to become cloggedd with cheap, lowquality, imported programmes, he said. Mr Whitehead, who now

lives in Havelock, believes this has already happened to a certain extent in New Zealand. He is concerned the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand may become swamped by Australian and United States programmes.

The safeguards against this lies in the clear definition of the role of the national broadcaster which, Mr Whitehead says, must include a noncommercial element, a “social” element, and offer a range of choices. Seeking to maintain a New Zealand, personality in broadcasting also meant preserving the jobs.

Mr Whitehead was Radio New Zealand’s director-general from 1976 to 1984, and then the

managing diretor of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation until 1986.

As an “informed outsider” he is optimistic about the changes now being signalled for New Zealand broadcasting.

The direction the Government is taking meets with his approval though he says it will be some time before all the planned changes come into effect and their success can be fairly judged.

But Mr Whitehead thinks the system developing in New Zealand could become a model for other countries.

It is a period of change he is looking forward to as he considers New Zealand is suffering the worst of both worlds in terms of

funding and broadcasting’s descent into commercialism.

Mr Whitehead recently published a book, “Inside the A.8.C.,” which is a personal account of his time as managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In the book he says it is important for it to be more widely understood and more openly accepted that “non-commercial broadcasting does not mean unpopular, minority broadcasting.”

A State-run national broadcaster in New Zealand should at least reflect the people and culture of New Zealand through the funding and broadcasting of locally made programmes.