TV Control In Britain “Most Suited” To N.Z.

Press, Volume C, Issue 29505, 5 May 1961, Page 15

TV Control In Britain “Most Suited” To N.Z.

Control over television was necessary, and the type of control operating in Britain appeared to be that most suited to New Zealand. In Britain the combination of commission control and private enterprise seemed to bring a higher standard of programme than the purely private enterprise in Australia and the United States, said Mr C. Spring, addressing a meeting of the Christchurch Club of Printing House Craftsmen last even in g.

Mr Spring, who has just returned to Christchurch from a world tour, spoke of the impact of television overseas and its probable effect in New ZealandHe said it was noticeable that the introduction of television had not caused the response in New Zealand that it had caused in other countries. Mr Spring attributed this to natural conservatism of New Zealanders, a desire to be certain they would see good programmes, and the cost of television sets.

With the prices of most television sets exceeding £l5O and hire-purchase restrictions in New Zealand more stringent than in most countries, the market for

television sets was not as buoyant as the manufacturers had expected. Mr Spring said that contrary to general opinion, commercial advertising on television was not obnoxious. That particularly applied to Britain, where the advertising was of a high standard. In the United States the position was different, mainly because of the lack of control and the comoetitive nature of business there. In Britain it was estimated that the average family spent 36 hours a week watching television. Children were the keenest watchers, and it was essential that parents impose some control on the number of hours young children spent in front of a television screen. There was no doubt that studies suffered if children were allowed to watch all the time. When television began in earnest in New Zealand parents would have to be particularly careful about this, he said.

Sport was suited to television screening. In Britain there were two schools of thought on the advisability of having sport televised. One said that it ruined atttendances and there was no compensation from the fees paid for televising the sport. The other said that through watching a sport on television young people gained an interest in that sport and began playing.

Whatever the merit of those arguments it was certain that those who watched a sport on television usually got a far better view of the game than those who had paid to go and watch, said Mr Spring.