RADIO PUBLICITY

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 70, 16 December 1929, Page 6

RADIO PUBLICITY

ANNOUNCEMENT OF TRADE NAMES LIMITING REGULATION PROPOSED Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, December 14. A measure of consternation has been caused among the operators of private broadcasting stations in Dunedin by the receipt of advice from the Secretary of the Post Office (Mr. G. McNamara) that an alteration of the regulations affecting the station announcements will shortly be made. In the course of a letter announcing that a change is contemplated, Mr. McNamara says: “Under the new regulation a private broadcasting station will be required to limit station announcements to the call signal of the station, and will be permitted to broadcast the name of the licensee or his business only at the beginning and end of a programme. At present many stations repeatedly draw attention throughout a programme to the business of the licensee or of those responsible for the programme, and thus secure valuable trade advertisements. This places non-broadcasting firms in similar lines of business at a great disadvantage, and some . are seeking equal privileges by applying for broadcasting licenses. Owing to the limited number of radio channels available it has become apparent that the licensing of many additional stations will create an impossible position. It is deemed opportune, therefore, in the interests of the business community generally to take action in the direction outlined. Due notice will be given of the coming into force of the new order.” Broadcasting’s “Raw Material." The private broadcasting stations depend largely on gramophone records furnished by those firms selling them, these latter finding in this medium an excellent form of advertising. If, however, the reproduction of each disc were not accompanied by an announcement of its origin, etc., the value of the advertisement would be destroyed and the presumption is that they would cease to be available for broadcasting. The problem that would then face the private broadcasting stations would be how to carry on without their staple raw material, in view of the position in which they would be placed by the new regulation. Broadcasters’ Protest. Private broadcasting services have formulated a strong protest, in the course of which they state: “Mr. McNamara says in his letter, ‘Many stations repeatedly draw attention throughout a programme to the business of the licensee or of those responsible for the programme.’ In this we think that he is making an error, as all the Dunedin stations limit this class of announcement to not more than fifteen seconds once each twenty minutes. This is the standard time for such announcements, as used in the United States, which is the home of ‘sponsored radio programmes.’ “Mr. McNamara excuses himself for the making of the new regulation by stating that more business firms are applying for licenses to broadcast, and that owing to the limited number of radio channels available, the licensing of more stations will create an impossible position. In making this statement Mr. McNamara shows plainly that his technical information is not up to scratch. There are 95 distinct channels available in New Zealand. We only have approximately 16 stations using 13 channels; this leaves 82 channels available for use by further stations, and in addition the number of channels available during daylight hours may be extended to at least three times as many without causing any interference. Disposal of License Fees. “The Post and Telegraph Department should allow the listeners-in to nominate to which group of stations their license fees are to be paid. The listeners-in should be the people who decide/what sort of broadcasting service they receive, whether it is to be provided by a broadcasting company which is subsidised or by other stations by means of sponsored programmes, etc. Yet Mr. McNamara thinks that be should be able to alter the regulations so that listeners shall have no choice. Are the heads of Government Departments going to be allowed to govern the country by Orders-in-Council?”

Dunedin, December 14.