Wider choice on TV, radio foreseen

Press, 29 June 1989, Page 11

Wider choice on TV, radio foreseen

PA Wellington Deregulation should bring a rapid increase in the choice and variety of radio and television programme options for New Zealanders, according to the Broadcast Communications, Ltd, managing director, Mr Arthur Stacey.

Broadcast Communications, part of the Broadcasting Corporatio, has 600 transmission sites for radio and television, of which 15 reach 80 per cent of the population. Mr Stacey said it had been predicted the number of radio stations could increase from 55 to between 90 and 115.

There could be up to 20 new television programme options, including nine nationwide licences.

Mr Stacey said Broadcast Communications had applied for some of the ultra high frequency (UHF) spectrum with the intention of making it available for community organisations, sporting bodies and even local bodies.

Cable (subscription) television would require an encoded signal so only those who had paid for it would receive it.

It would not be long before encoded signals were also used for “datacasting” to transmit material such as medical records, new policy rates to insurance agents, or lecture information to university students. These messages Could be received on television sets or through FM radio. Encoding was able to protect commercially sensitive information.

Looking forward to other developments, Mr Stacey mentioned direct broadcast satellites requiring receivers to have half-metre dishes or antennae, and high-defini-tion television giving betquality.