BROADCASTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23896, 25 August 1939, Page 6

BROADCASTING

PAST YEAR'S OPERATIONS THE COMMERCIAL SERVICES REVENUE EXCEEDS EXPENSES (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Aug 24. An excess of revenue over expenditure of £10,597 16s 3d is shown in the balance sheet of the National Commercial Broadcasting Service for the year ended March 31 last, which is published in the annual report on the national broadcasting services. The report, which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day, states that the expenditure exceeded the revenue by £27,387 in the previous year. The Commercial Services The indebtedness, of the commercial services to the national service, is stated-in the section of the report dealing with the latter service to have amounted to £101,926 at the end of the financial year. This sum included advances, interest, and copyright fees. The advertising revenue of the commercial service for the year amounted to £161,305, as compared with £98,407 in the previous year. The report states that the most rigid censorship has been imposed by the service on all advertising copy to eliminate extravagant claims and misleading statements regarding products or services. Advertising was not accepted for a number of products and services which were not deemed to be in the public interest. The past year was the first complete year of operation of the four main stations of the service. No special concessions were made to the service and full commercial rates were paid for telephones, relay lines, post and telegraph facilities, transport, and all other services rendered. The National Stations “During the year four private stations were purchased at a total cost of £4827 7s 6d,” states the part of the report dealing with the national broadcasting service. ■ “ There are now two stations being subsidised by the Government and two stations owned by the Government being operated under contract. The need for improvement in studio accommodation in Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin has become more acute each year and progress has been made during the year at each of these centres. Close touch is kept with modem developments abroad both in the matter of studio design and technical progress, and' all appropriate improvements are * adopted as opportunity offers.” Capital expenditure on the national service totalled £75,703, of which £29,273 was expended on the Hawke’s Bay transmitting station and studios in Napier. The Southland station absorbed £23,405, while £11,514 was expended in the purchase of a building in Dunedin which is to be reconstructed and then used for office and studio purposes. A further £60,000 was invested temporarily for future capital commitments. 1 ' I-;- , f Revenue from Licences

- Licence fees realised £630.961. Expenditure on programmes amounted to £12,900 in excess of the amount expended in the previous year, due chiefly to additional stations being in operation. For the same reason the cost of maintenance increased by £3850. An additional sum of £ll,Blß was allowed for the depreciation of assets.