BROADCASTING

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 134, 8 June 1936, Page 10

BROADCASTING

MANY CHANGES BILL COMING DOWN GOVERNMENT POLICY ADVERTISING OVER THE AIR Far-reaching provisions arc contained in the Broadcasting Bill be introduced into the House of Representatives this evening. "Our promise to the B stations was lo make it possible for them to carry on," said Mr. Savage today. "The B stations were to live—that is what I said. In carrying out that undertaking it becomes a matter of how they are going to live. Either they have to be subsidised, allowed to advertise, or be purchased by the Government. Our job is to make the best arrangements possible with them. At present I do not know what stations are to be taken over, but the Bill will give the Government power to make arrangements with the B stations. MINISTER OF BROADCASTING. "The Government will be the master of the situation," continued Mr. Savage. "There will be a Minister in charge of broadcasting just as there is a Minister of Transport, and it is such a big thing that the probability is that the Minister who is placed in charge will find that his hands are very full."

The Prime Minister indicated that broadcasting would be one of the features of the Government's publicity policy, a publicity scheme having been decided upon as one of the activities of the Government.

"Boiling it all down, it just comes to this," said Mr. Savage. "The people must be kept in touch with the best and the worst of what we can do. We will be much more on the air than ever-before. We aim at giving the public music and information at the same time. It seems to me that the people cannot get too much information of what is happening in Parliament.

"They are entitled to know what we are going to do ' about certain things, or why we are not doing certain things. We will talk to the public. The man who broadcasts for the Government will say, for instance: 'There seems to be a feeling that so and so is being neglected. The real position is so and so.'

"One gets an odd letter occasionally which indicates that the writer does ribt know what the Government is doing—although in practically every case the letters I have had have been complimentary—but there is a stray correspondent here and there who obviously does not know why we are not doing certain things. Naturally, everybody wants his own case considered, but as I have said again and again, before anyone can be helped we must lay the foundation." THE B STATIONS. Mr. Savage said that the Government would take over some of the B stations. Asked if it was intended to go to Australia or elsewhere for a director of broadcasting, Mr. Savage said that the Government would get the 11 best man available and he would probably be found in New Zealand. Mr. Savage said that under the Bill the Government would take power to advertise, but that would only be permitted with Government stations. In conclusion, the Prime Minister said the Government was taking the power to do whatever the Government wanted to do in respect to broadcasting generally.