RADIO BROADCASTING

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 223, 17 June 1936, Page 10

RADIO BROADCASTING

No B Station Licence For Wellington

The news that no new B station radio licence for Wellington would be issued by the Government, so that Wellington would be without a B station, was conveyed last night to a meeting of tlie Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Mr. M. G. C. McCaul commented that it would be interesting to know if the Government plans would allow of a B station again in Wellington, and Mr R. H. Nimmo explained that inquiries had been made and advice had been received that no new B station licences were to be given. Mr. Nimmo recalled that B stations had been forced off the air by the restrictions imposed upon them. Two stations. IZR, Auckland, and 2ZW, Wellington, had been taken over by the Government, but in view of the fact that the proprietors of those station s did not desire to sell, but bad been practically compelled to, and also in consideration of their work -in the (n terests of listeners, it had been made a stipulation that in the event of a change of policy or Government thesa stations should receive first consideration in any new approach of broadcasting

In view of the new legislation dealing with broadcasting and because of the desirability of an independent al ternative service for listeners, inquiries had been made and advice received that no new licence would be granted for a B station in Wellington. It seemed that the only solution of the problem of providing an alternative independent service in Wellington would be the purchase of an existing licence and its transfer to Wellington. Mr. C. J. B. Norwood: That would be a matter of private business and not something for the chamber to em bark upon. Mr. McCaul expressed the hope that whatever was done the Governmenr would deal fairly witli each of the main centres in New Zealand.