Mr. Harris Interviewed

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 6, 21 August 1931, Page 6

Mr. Harris Interviewed

Alternative Schemes Discussed INDEPENDENT SERVICE APPROVED

N the course of an interview Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Company, Litd., made a few additional comments upon the company’s statements published elsewhere. "I might, perhaps," he said, "emphasise the fact that Mr. Goodfellow did not seek the responsibility of inaugurating and operating a national broadcasting service, and that he only accepted the responsibility at the request of the then Government. At the invitation of the Prime Minister, for the company’s views, Mr. Goodfellow had now formulated a comprehensive

scheme which, as the result of experience, it was believed would constitute the best possible means of providing for the development of the broadcasting service in the best interests of the community." In respect to the various alternative methods of control to which public reference had been made, Mr. Harris stated that so far as State ownership or. control was concerned, as an alternative to private enterprise, that was, of course, a matter of Government policy. In respect to the company’s views, -however, he had the following comments to make :- As to dual control, which he under--gtood had at one time been seriously contemplated by the authorities, with the idea of operating the technical side _ through their own department and assigning the programmes to private enterprise, the company’s inquiries had revealed that where this system was -in force it had not worked satisfactorily. It was believed that maximum ef- ‘ ficiency was impracticable under such -a@ system, experience having proved that the technical and programme

sides were interdependent and inseparable: the finest technical administration could be marred by inefficient studio work, and vice versa. As to Government control of both the technical and programme sides, it would be invidious for the company to make comparisons so far as the technical side was concerned; but in respect to programmes it was open to serious doubt as to whether such a service could be handled as well by any State department as by a private company free from all political entanglements. As to entrusting the control of broadcasting in New Zealand to an ostensibly non-political board, such as existed in the case of the British Broadcasting Company, Mr. Harris stated that the conditions in this Dominion were widely different to those in England. The conditions under which the B.B.C. operated were such as to exclude any anxiety as to finance, the revenue available being virtually unlimited and greatly in excess of the highest possible requirements for the maintenance of an efficient service. Under such a system the members of the board had no personal monetary responsibility, which was essential to the exercise of that prudent economy demanded by New Zealand conditions. In the United Kingdom they had something like twenty-two stations for about forty-six millions of a population, while in New Zealand it had been necessary to maintain four for a population of one and a half million, Further, the area to be covered in this Dominion was greater than that of the :Old Country, and the company’s experience had demonstrated that it would be necessary to establish at least eleven relay stations in order to give a radio coverage anywhere near comparable to that of England-a total of fifteen stations for a million and a half people, or one station per every 100,000 population, as against one station for every two million population in England. It had to be remembered, too, that the English listener was not confined to the service provided by the B.B.C., but that he also obtained the benefit of numerous Huropean stations, many of them within less distance than that which, separated the four main stations of New Zealand. Apart from these facts, it was impracticable to disassociate Government ownership from direct or indirect Government control, without seriously jeopardising the publie interests. All these factors had been considered by the company in formulating the scheme that had been submitted to the Government. In effect, the scheme provided for a public company operating. under Government regulations and controlled by a board of directors consisting partly of a management having substantial monetary interests and responsibilities, and partly of shareholders representing licensees elected on the basis of district representation. The licensees’: represen-

tatives on the board of directors would be ex officio members of the advisory committees of the respective stations, and would come to the board meetings with a full knowledge of the requirements of their particular districts. These directors would be jointly responsible with the management directors for the efficient control and development of the service. As a public company details of its operations would be regularly made public, and’ so _ all grounds for suspicion and misrepresentation would be removed. The system proposed safeguarded the interests of the listening public and assured efiicient management, all without cost or tiability to the State. y ~