RADIO POLICY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 92, 18 March 1936, Page 9

RADIO POLICY.

THE BRITISH REPORT. EMPIRE SERVICE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 16. The committee set up last year by the Postmaster-General (Major G. CTrvon) to consider the situation, control, and finance of the broadcasting service in Britain, recommends that the Postmaster-General continue to deal with the licensing system and technical matters arising from the wireless telegraphy Acts, but that Ministerial responsibility in respect of broad questions of general policy and eultuie should in future be allocated _ separately to a Cabinet Minister in the House of Commons free from heavy departmental duties. It considers that, subject to the right of the Government to ultimate control of broad issues of policy, the corporation should, as in the past, be allowed as much freedom as possible in its domestic affairs and in details of management. , The committee recommends that the service of broadcasting to the Empire should be developed and extended, and that appropriate use of languages other than English in this service should be encouraged. , , It recommends, further, that the corporation be formally authorised to undertake television broadcasting and that the financial requirements for this purpose be' re-examined in the autumn of this year in the light of experience of the television service shortly to be introduced in London. In regard to broadcast programmes, the committee thinks it important that controversial topics should continue to be discussed, and,- in regard to political broadcasting, it suggests that the time allowed for political broadcast speeches at election time be apportioned by agreement between the Government, the official Opposition and other parties. , , , , With reference to school broadcasting, the committee looks forward to the time when every school will have wireless receiving apparatus and suggests that a set might be specially designed for school use. The committee recommends the continued exclusion of direct advertisement from British Broadcasting Corporation programmes. The corporation should have power, as in the past, to accept sponsored programmes at its discretion and in the early stages of television broadcasting it might be necessary to resort to sponsored programmes, but the committee hopes that any increase in its use will be limited to the initial stages. The main structure of the recommendations is unanimous, though there are reservations appended to the reports expressing certain differences of judgment on past events and of opinion as to future methods. The committee recommends that .attention should be directed to Parliament as the natural centre of political interest and that Parliamentary news should be retained in the news bulletins. The corporation should regularly consult Parliamentary parties on major issues.

Major J. J. Astor subscribed to a reservation not agreeing that sponsored items are necessary or desirable. The costs of public service, for instance, television, should be met from public funds. There was a real danger that advertising might intrude into tlie whole range of the corporation’s programmes.