Charter confusion reigns

new-zealand-national-party

Thu May 24 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Charter confusion reigns

Thursday, 24 May 2007, 4:40 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Jonathan Coleman MP
National Party Broadcasting Spokesman

24 May 2007

“TVNZ’s CEO and his political masters are now officially at odds over what constitutes a ‘charter’ programme,” says National Broadcasting spokesman Jonathan Coleman.

“It’s the surest sign yet that Labour’s broadcasting policy is in tatters.”

Dr Coleman is referring to statements made by shareholding Minister Michael Cullen in Parliament today.

“Cullen doesn’t think ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is charter programming; TVNZ thinks it is.

“What confidence can the public now have in any of the charter statistics bandied about from time to time by Labour?

"The reality is under the charter, TVNZ can pretty much claim anything is a charter programme.”

TVNZ’s CEO Rick Ellis said on the radio today that ‘this debate flows from a general lack of specificity around charter measurements’.

“He is dead right – the charter has no solid criteria against which its implementation can be measured, and the Minister of Broadcasting has to take responsibility for that.

“The TVNZ charter has been at the heart of Labour’s broadcasting policy for all eight years in Government. Steve Maharey was warned long ago that the wheels were falling off, yet he has sat on his hands.

“With revenues falling, staff being sacked and regional offices being disbanded, Mr Maharey appears to be presiding over another disaster, as he did in tertiary education and as he is doing in 20 hours free early childhood education.”

ENDS

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