7 July 2008

National's broadcasting policy - more of the same

Green Party MP Sue Kedgley says that National's Broadcasting Policy, announced today is likely to add further commercial pressure to an already fragile public broadcasting environment.

"While public broadcasting under Labour has failed to provide New Zealand with quality local content, as its charter obliges it to, National's detail-starved policy also completely fails to address these issues.

"National's Broadcasting Policy ignores the need for increased local content, has no plan to reduce the saturation of advertising on television, and does not recognise the need for regulatory oversight of broadcasting," Ms Kedgley says.

"National's Broadcasting Policy is thin on details but what they have provided looks like more of the same as we've had under Labour.

"There are no policies to strengthen the independence and quality of public service television or increase the amount of New Zealand programmes that are screened.

"What this policy does not deliver is a recipe for high quality local programmes without being incessantly interrupted by advertisements.

"Never-the less, at least the National Party's policy does not propose flogging off TVNZ - not in their first term of office anyway," she says.

ENDS

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