P.M. accused of vendetta

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 10

P.M. accused of vendetta

PA Wellington The former Labour Minister of Broadcasting, Mr R. O. Douglas, has accused the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) of “an obsessive personal vendetta” against the broadcasting system. This was seriously threatening the future of free news media in New Zealand, Mr Douglas said. He challenged the news media and the chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation (Mr lan Cross) to “stand up and speak out on the fundamental issues of political interference with the media before it is too' late.” Events had now reached I the stage where it looked as (though the personal pique of a Prime Minister would destroy the free broadcasting (system, Mr Douglas said.

“All Mr Muldoon wants is a tame, shackled system that will not say anything or do anything that might be in the slightest way critical of ' himself or his Government,” I Mr Douglas said. “He has already destroyed the living standards of thousands of

New Zealanders. He wants to try to control their minds as well.” The list of television alternatives Mr Muldoon had said the Government was considering would wipe out overnight years of dedicated work in the development of broadcasting. “In particular, I am staggered that any so-called leader of a nation could talk about cutting out local production in television and throwing the system over to imported programming entirely,” Mr Douglas said. “If there is one thing this country needs at the moment, it is the sense of identity and confidence that a strong local television content can give it.” Mr Douglas said the positions of Mr Cross and the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Templeton) were now quite untenable. “I am deeply disappointed in the failure of the chairman to stand up and defend the integrity of the system he is supposed to be in charge of,” he said. “It is

only recently that Mr Cross presented his plan for restructuring. Discussions on that are now under way. Yet he is being told through the media that he has no control of the future of television and that his so-called plan is virtually worthless.” Mr Cross should either take a stand on behalf of his own position and the people he was supposed to represent, or resign. Mr Templeton should say what had happened to “his great plan to ensure the socalled financial viability of the broadcasting system.” Mr Muldoon said at a news conference on Monday that the Cabinet was looking at the costs involved in closing the second television network. In his weekly column in “Truth” newspaper this week, Mr Muldoon has said that leasing week-end time on TV2 to private enterprise and not opening the channel on weekdays until 6.30 p.m. or 7 p.m. are two of the alternatives being considered.

“There is no doubt that the public are not satisfied with programmes on the present two-channel television,” he said. “Many people believe that if the best of both channels were brought together there might be just enough for one channel of acceptable programmes,” Mr Muldoon said, while noting that people would not agree on what was best. One subject that would be hotly debated was the place of locally produced programmes which, he said, cost probably ■lO times as much an episode as an overseas programme. Out of SBBM of expenditure, only about SBM paid for all the imported programmes. “The balance covers operations and local programming including, of course, administration. “The public, which are being called upon to pay higher fees, expect a close scrutiny of that other SBOM,” Mr Muldoon said.