Minister's announcements at odds with his own bill

The Government’s bill removing the TVNZ charter is contradicted by recent Ministerial announcements, says Labour’s broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns.

The Television New Zealand Amendment Bill, introduced into Parliament this evening, formalises the end to the TVNZ Charter, effected from mid last year and replaced with the Platinum Fund, open to all broadcasters for less commercial programmes.

Brendon Burns said Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman is now telling the TVNZ board to look to that Platinum Fund as a source of money for its non-commercial Channel 7 and possibly Channel 6.

“If the Minister’s direction is followed, that Platinum Fund money won’t be going to programmes; it will keep a shoestring public broadcasting service going on Channel 7 when the channel's allocated funding runs out next year.

“Private television production companies who are already feeling the squeeze have every reason to ask what on earth is going on?

“The bill also proposes to pay them just $300 for half-hour pre-1989 programmes. That’s rubbing salt in their wounds and that of free-to-air viewers, when TVNZ will soon put a channel to air on its rival, Sky, available only to those who pay.”

Brendon Burns said the bill also ends any specific commitment by TVNZ to delivering New Zealand content.

“It requires TVNZ to simply focus on maintaining its commercial performance, very much in line with the Minister's description of it providing as he recently put it, 'nakedly commercial" content.

"Meanwhile, the bill enshrines the Minister's capacity to demand what dividend the Government will get from TVNZ, in the face of falling revenues and a second looming round of job cuts."

Brendon Burns says the Television New Zealand Amendment Bill confirms the Government's lack of direction for broadcasting policy and is being opposed by the Labour Party.

ENDS

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