TVNZ denies TV3 archive clips

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 11

TVNZ denies TV3 archive clips

PA Auckland Television New Zealand has denied TV3 footage of week-end Davis Cup tennis and the rugby league test action in Auckland for the newcomer’s archives.

TV3, which goes to air in November, is building up a video library, but TVNZ bought the rights to television coverage of the two sporting events.

A request to send a camera crew to the tennis was turned down by TVNZ executives and a crew was turned away from Mt Smart stadium on Sunday by a New Zealand Rugby League representative.

"I expect we will get the same treatment from them when they buy rights," the head of sport for TVNZ, Mr John

Knowles, said. He did say, however, that when TV3 went to air he would be happy to discuss free access for short news clips of events that had been signed up — with a caption, “Pictures courtesy 0f...” The director of TV3 news, Ms Marcia Russell, was philosophical about the rejection, saying her company would offer the

same courtesy for news coverage of sporting events it had signed up. The irony of Sunday’s league game was, however, that while TVNZ had the pictures, TV3 had gained Greg Clark, who helped to call the second test the previous weekend on One. Clark swapped allegiance from TVNZ to TV3 during the week.