RADIO PRIVILEGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22859, 14 October 1937, Page 12

RADIO PRIVILEGE

The reply of the Director of Broadcasting to the protest of the Auckland Presbytery against the cancellation of its talks from station IZM avoids the principle that is involved. Professor Shelley's reasons are that it is not possible for the Government, which now owns the station, to accept payment, as was previously done, for the talks delivered, that if the Presbyterian Church were granted the privilege, it would have to be extended to other churches, and that as the main national stations regularly broadcast church services, it was not considered advisable to duplicate them from other stations. If every religious organisation were treated on terms of equality the only issue would be whether or not adequate time was given to religion, but this is not so. On seven days a week a generous space of time is allocated in the IZB programme to the Friendly Road, a religious organisation brought into being by Mr. C. G. Scrimgeour, who is now a highly paid broadcasting official. On seven days a week station 2ZB at Wellington devotes a shorter space of time to "Uncle Scrim," the radio title of the same official. This is proof of discrimination and justifies the protests of the Presbyterian Church, of every other religious body affected, and of listeners in general. The radio ration of time accorded to various church services through the YA stations is not comparable with that granted to the Friendly Road and to Mr. Scrimgeour through the two B stations mentioned. The question that thus confronts all fair-minded people is whether Mr. Scrimgeour's association with State broadcasting implies special privileges for the listening congregation he assembled and for himself.