BROADCASTING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1931, Page 11

BROADCASTING

LISTENERS AND 8.8.C

STATE CONTROL NOT SOUGHT

In yesterday's "Evening Post" was published a telegram from Duuedin stating that the Otago Radio Association had forwarded a resolution to the Postmaster-General, urging that no alteration should be made to the present management of the broadcasting service. It was remarked by Mr. H. D. Bennett, vice-president of the 'Wellington branch, to a "Post1' reporter to-day, that there is plainly a very wide g;ip between the opinions of. iistcners in Otago and elsewhere, certainly in Wellington. The Wellington branch had already expressed itself very definite- | ly indeed, as entirely opposed to a ■continuance of the present system of management after the expiry of the present agreement between the Eadio Broadcasting Company and the Government, and as wholeheartedly in favour of placing the control of broadcasting in the hands of an independent board, which would operate mainly on the lines of the board in control of the highly successful 8.8.C. in England. In that attitude the Wellington branch had had tho full support also of the Wellington radio traders. "NOT STATE CONTROL AT ALL." ■ "There is still a certain amount of misconception over the 8.8.C. plan," yh: Ik'unett continued. "I'ooplc still confuse it with State control, notwithstanding the. many explanations that liavo been made. A contract modcricd upon tho 8.8.C. plan would not be Slate control at all. There would be ho question of proJits, for all the money collected in fees would bo' devoted directly to bettering the-service. Tho only part which the State would play would be to collect the fees and hand them over to the board.

The management would be placed in the hands of an independent board, and the whole of the fee revenue, over operating expenses, would bo put back into the service to. raise steadily the standard of broadcasting. ATTITUDE NEVER CHANGED. Mr. Bennett recalled that from tho iirsfc the Wellington branch had advocated this form' of control, for at the inaugural meeting of the branch iv April.last, called at the instance of'tho organiser of the New Zealand Radio Listeners' League, Mr. 11. Booth (of Dunedin), one of tho main- decisions was: "That it be a. recommendation to tho incoming executive of the Wellington branch of the • New Zealand Radio Listeners' League to request tho Government to make provision for a board of control to be appointed by tho Government.''

The branch, said Mr. Bennett, had never wavered from that attitude, and still pressed for the control being vested in an independent board to bo appointed by tho Government, quite a, different thing from State control. It was also very interesting, ho added, to note that Mr; Booth, writing from Dunedin on 14th August, had written to the secretary of the Wellington branch,, stating that he personally, agreed with AVellington that tho future of broadcasting, based on 8.8.C. lines, could be quite satisfactory. Mr. Booth added that they were only waiting for the new Bill, and wlien that was announced meetings of listeners would be held all over the country.:. ; : ■ ; ': ■ .

"T see".by the newspapers.that'your deputation had met the PostmasterGeneral," the letter concludes, "and I must congratulate your executive on tho way in which tho deputation met tho Minister and ■ carried out its duties."