POLITICAL BROADCASTS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20735, 20 February 1939, Page 7

POLITICAL BROADCASTS

INNOVATION IN BRITAIN ALL PARTIES REPRESENTED DISCUSSION ONCE A MONTH i United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Feb. 18 The British Broadcasting Corporation announces an innovation by which a microphone will be placed at the disposal of the three main political parties once a month for free discussion on the same matter of current political interest. The parties will select their own speakers and subjects shortly before each broadcast. Each debate will last 45 minutes, and there will be in the studio on each occasion three speakers representing the different parties. The subject of the first debate will be old-age pensions. The announcement lends interest to the facts disclosed in an answer in the House of Commons yesterday regarding broadcasts by politicians. It has always been recognised as a principle of British broadcasting that for speeches of a controversial character access to a microphone should be fairly divided between the Government and the Opposition parties. The question was directed toward ascertaining if in practice that principle is being maintained.

The answer showed that in the past year there were 42 broadcasts by Ministers of tin l Crown, 48 by M.’s P. supporting the Government, and 33 by Opposition members. However, the great, majority of ttiese broadcasts were of a non-political character. In the case of the Ministers they were chiefly explanatory statements of legislative or administrative changes.

Political addresses on party lines were confined to a balanced scries of four broadcasts on the occasion of the