B.B.C. ASKS FOR MORE MONEY

Southland Times, Issue 23443, 25 February 1938, Page 7

B.B.C. ASKS FOR MORE MONEY

Poorer Programmes Only Alternative HEAVY EXPENSES IN 1937 PROPAGANDA BROADCASTS AN ADDED COST (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received February 24, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, February 23. “More money or poorer programmes” is the ultimatum of the British Broadcasting Corporation, whose report for 1937 discloses that despite an income of £3,356,000 its expenses, including those of television, are so heavy that the corporation does not possess reserves or funds for replacements. It adds that the expenditure in 1938 will be higher because it is building two new short-wave transmitters to enable foreign broadcasting. The corporation receives 7.5 per cent of th'e licence receipts but' experience has shown that this is required for sound broadcasting in order to maintain the standard of the programmes, on which the expenditure last . year was £1,729,000; the engineering expenses were £598,000. Simultaneously with the publication of the report the Treasury announced a supplementary estimate of £360,000 for television and propaganda broadcasts.