SECOND UNIT FOR N.Z.B.C.?

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 16

SECOND UNIT FOR N.Z.B.C.?

The Treasury, Post Office and New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation would work out among them the economics of providing an additional national microwave link for broadcasting, the Postmaster-General (Mr Scott) said in Christchurch last night.

Mr Scott, who is also Minister of Broadcasting, admitted that the N.Z.B.C. was taking a “wait-and-see” attitude to the new microwave link which is owned and operated by the Post Office. He said the N.Z.B.C. wanted assurances that the microwave link would meet its requirements before it sought its use for national programmes. Mr Scott said the N.Z.B.C. looked to the day when colour television would be screened in New Zealand but could not say if microwave facilities could be used for that

purpose. He would not say that the

N.Z.B.C, was being extravagant in wanting 'its own microwave link. He said, however, that the N.Z.B.C. would be charged no more for the use of microwave facilities than for the use of toll circuits obtained from the Post Office for national link-ups. In his annual report tabled recently in Parliament, the Auditor-General said the cost of the national microwave system so far had been £4.69 million and a further £3.021 million was required to complete installations throughout the country. “Whatever may be the technical problems peculiar to New Zealand,” the AuditorGeneral said, “it could be very expensive in capital generally and overseas funds in particular to have two systems if one can suffice.”