B RADIO STATIONS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 173, 19 April 1937, Page 8

B RADIO STATIONS

Offers to Buy Received by Hawke’s Bay Owners PRE-ELECTION PROMISE Dominion Special Service. Napier, April 17. The position with regard to B class stations operating in Hawke's Bay is being anxiously watched by the licensees of the various stations. A notice has been received by the station proprietors stating in effect that the Government desires all broadcasting to be carried out from Governmentowned stations, and accordingly making offers for the purchase of these stations. No alternative suggestion is provided should stations fail to avail themselves of the offer. During the progress of the last election campaign one of the planks of the Labour Party platform was its stated policy of allowing B class stations to carry on, with the additional promise that' those stations not purchased would eventually be subsidised. In this last offer no mention is made of any subsidy, and from this the owners are led to assume that in the event of the offer, which closes on April 30. being refused, they will either be forced off the air or else be told to carry on at their own expense. “If the Government intends to force a sale it will mean that eight years of hard work will have been thrown away," said the proprietor of a wellknown Hawke’s Bay station in an interview with “The Dominion” to-day. “The attitude of members of the Government toward the B station seems to have suffered a complete reverse, and where they previously blew hot they are now blowing very cold. However, they made promises to us at election time, and if those promises are not kept they will be against the entire weight of public opinion.” The proprietor stated that next week would probably see a meeting of owners and representatives of B stations in Wellington, when the question of what steps were necessary to clarify the position would be discussed. “We will keep the public fully informed as to what both we and the Government are doing in the matter,” ho added, “because we know that our efforts have met with appreciation, and that the public will be on our side.” No decision has yet been reached in connection with the offers by any of the B class station licence-holders iu Hawke’s Bay. DISSATISFIED WITH OFFER B Class Station Proprietors Dominion Special Service Dunedin, April 17. It is understood that the proprietors of several of the B stations in the South Island, including some of those who already receive a Government subsidy, are anything blit satisfied with the conditions and prices embodied in the 'Government’s offer to purchase their stations. The officials of two of the local B class stations were unable to-day to m.ake any comment on the matter as nothing definite can be decided until the organisations controlling the stations meet to discuss the position. The owners of the remaining two, however, stated that the price offered them by the Government was unsatisfactory, and that they did not feel disposed to sell at what practically amounted to a sacrifice. Mr. F. W. A. Barnett, station director of 4ZB, said that in view of prosmies made to B station proprietors before and since the general election, he considered the offer made by the Government in respect to his station was anything but satisfactory. It did not cover even the wholesale cost of the equipment and programme stocks, let alone any gratuity for the service the station had given to the public for the past eight years and a half. By mail and verbally he had received continual proof that the programmes sent out by the B stations were appreciated highly by listeners, and he felt that thousands of people would view with alarm the possible closing down of the stations through purchase. “I and other B station proprietors do not wish to embarrass the Government,” Mr. Barnett said, “and until a conference of all privately-owned stations is held and some concerted action decided upon, I do not feel disposed to make any further comment in the meantime. It is probable th,at the conference mentioned by Mr. Barnett will be held in Wellington within the next fortnight. MINISTER’S EXPLANATION No Compulsion on Stations To Sell Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, April 18. The opinion that the prices offered ny the Government for the purchase of B stations were very fair was expressed by the Acting-Minister in Charge of Broadcasting, Hon. F. Jones, in an interview. If the B stations were not satisfied with what they were offered, however, no compulsion would be brought on them to sell. The Minister recalled that a valuation of all B stations had been made by officers of the Government some months ago. The offers made to the various B stations were based to a large extent on those valuations. He thought that a fair proportion of the stations would be willing to sell out at the prices offered, but it was possible some might not desire to do so. When the position had been cleared up to that extent, the Government would decide what was to be done with regard to the remaining stations. Consideration would be given to the question of subsidising, but no action would be taken either to close down any of them or to take them over arbitrarily.