AUSTRALIAN RADIO

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 58, 10 March 1938, Page 26

AUSTRALIAN RADIO

CHANGE IN CONTROL LIKELY

It is reported from Canberra that the Federal Ministry will in the near future introduce legislation, for a general revision of the Wireless Broadcasting Act. ■' i ,

This new Act will deal partly wtih the control of commercial stations, .and partly with the conduct of the National Broadcasting Service. It is expected that the new legislation will take effect about the middle of 1938, when the term of office of present members of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, will expire. i ■

'It is understood that provision will be made for a full-time chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, who will deal with many matters now within the province of the General Manager, whose duties will be confined to administration rather than policy and finance.

The Federal Ministry intends to provide security of tenure of licences for operators of commercial stations. Details of this change have yet to be worked out, but it is believed that the normal currency of commercial station licences in future will be either three or five years. At the same time, some general authority to supervise more closely the operation of commercial stations is likely to be provided. This authority, it is suggested, should have certain powers, analogous to those of the Publicans' Licensing Board in Victoria and other States. It will be expected tb report from time to time on districts in which services are needed, and in which there appear to be economic possibilties for the conduct "of commercial services, so that, when new broadcasting channels are available for allocation, preference can be given to districts recommended. It is also proposed that the authorities should have power to supervise programmes, and to make periodic surveys to ascertain whether stations using some of the limited number of available channels are economic or whether, by transfers to other areas,'better services would bef provided.

It is thought in many quarters that Mr. W. J. Cleary, the existing chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, will be .appointed full-time chairman. What will happen to the other members of the Commission, or to the Commission itself, as constructed, remains to be seen.

The commercial stations have for some years been agitating very strongly for a proper licensing board, which

would. give them the opportunity to have any changes, new station licences, etc., discussed before a board in public assembly, so that everybody would be given an opportunity to support or disagree with any proposed changes.