Rallies and website support Radio NZ

The Government must look more widely at its broadcasting budget and revenues before demanding cuts in services at Radio New Zealand, says Labour Broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns.

Brendon Burns said that Labour MPs today supported a rally attracting 200 people at Parliament, while he spoke to another gathering outside Radio New Zealand House in his Christchurch Central electorate.

“Surveys show that more than three-quarters of New Zealanders support the job done by Radio New Zealand.

“This is our sole remaining public, non-commercial broadcaster and it provides unrivalled quality service. Radio NZ deserves to be encouraged to continue providing its excellent news, current affairs and other programming, not told to look at reducing its on-air hours or other cuts.”

Brendon Burns says the Government should look across its broadcasting spend at what efficiencies might be applied to support Radio New Zealand.

“All up, the state has a net flow of more than half a billion dollars into and out of broadcasting. Finding $1 million from that array of funding and revenue would be easier than finding savings from Radio NZ’s under-pressure $38m budget --- and that sort of money would make a lot of difference to it."

Brendon Burns has today launched an electronic petition and website – Hands off Our Dial – www.handsoffradionz.co.nz to provide an ongoing site for people to register their support for Radio NZ.

“In less than a week, a Facebook page has attracted more than 14,700 fans. New Zealanders know that demands for efficiencies and partial commercialisation of Radio NZ is the start of a slippery slope.

“The Hands off Our Dial website will provide a way to maintain the pressure on a Broadcasting Minister who only last June introduced a new Radio NZ Charter, affirming a commitment to quality non-commercial services which he now wants to slice, dice and charge for.”

ENDS

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