Government gives TVNZ draft charter

By LOUISA CLEAVE

Now might be a good time to hit the pause button on your remote control and consider what it is you like to watch on television - and why.

Does Taste New Zealand encourage you to whip up a gourmet dinner for the family, or is it an escape into the imaginary kitchen of your mind where lobster bisque is something only Peta Mathias does?

Have you seen the excellent Tali's Angels on Tagata Pasifika or is 9.30 am on a Sunday when you are at church or meeting friends for breakfast?

Last week, more than 100,000 people preferred the Aussie-made Blue Heelers to the local drama Street Legal. Were you one of them?

TV3's Inside New Zealand documentary slot made a rare appearance among the top 10 shows.

And the subject which drew the attention of 311,000 18-49 year olds? Breasts.

The Government has drawn up its hopes for a better Television New Zealand - not for its benefit but for ours, the viewers.

A draft charter for the state broadcaster has been released for public consultation.

It has set down the "what" but has yet to answer the crucial questions of "how" - how much more local content will be screened, how much it will cost and how it will be paid for.

Reaction to the document has ranged from scorn by Opposition parties to a warm reception from television industry representatives.

By way of introduction, it states that TVNZ will contribute to a sense of national purpose and identity and a pride in the country's diversity.

The broadcaster will strive for the highest standards of programme quality and editorial integrity, and feature programmes that inform, entertain and educate audiences.

It will also ensure a significant Maori presence in the programme line-up on both TV One and TV2.

Maori and minority interests will be given a voice in the time-slots which attract mass audience - prime-time viewing.

The broadcaster will generally invest in and develop the film and television industries.

The draft charter also sets out that programmes should encourage and support the arts, reflect the role sport and leisure play in our lives and culture, educate viewers, and serve the regions by reflecting them to themselves and the rest of the country.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters labelled it "cultural drivel," while National's Katherine Rich said it was a "woolly collection of well-intentioned truisms."

Australian, British and Canadian publicly owned broadcasters operate under charters similar to the draft charter for TVNZ.

The taxpayer-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is run under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1983.

Its charter within the act says, in wording similar to the TVNZ draft charter, that it must broadcast programmes that contribute to a sense of national identity, inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of the country.

It also spells out the need for balance between programmes of wide appeal and specialised programmes.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which operates the commercial-free BBC1 and BBC2, receives most of its income by way of a licence fee.

Meanwhile, Britain's Channel 4 is a public service broadcaster which is funded entirely from commercial revenue. Its objective is to satisfy the full range of viewers' interests while delivering originality and diversity.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is financed mainly by public money, supplemented by commercial advertising on its television networks.

Boiled down, the CBC's brief mandate says its programming should be predominantly and distinctively Canadian, be in English and French, and reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada.

Implementing TVNZ's charter, likely to be legislated next June, will require a revamp of its structure.

As a state-owned enterprise, its focus has to be on making a profit first and operating as a public service broadcaster second. The company has not yet filed a statement of corporate intent, as required under the State-Owned Enterprises Act.

Broadcasting Minister Marian Hobbs has been presented with several scenarios which would allow TVNZ to operate under a charter.

The country cannot afford to support a commercial-free TVNZ and the Government is deciding whether it will give up some of its dividend - $30.2 million last year - to pay for more programming.

Bruce Wallace, executive director of the Television Broadcasters Council, a lobby group for free-to-air networks, said that unless TVNZ was required to programme in a way that would harm its audience share - which Ms Hobbs says she wants to maintain - he could not see any less money in the company coffers.

"There is no indication here that advertising levels should be reduced."

But the question of cost cannot be addressed until it is known how much more local content will be required.

The Screen Producers and Directors Association (Spada) says the charter cannot work in isolation.

"This document is a clear attempt to widen the range of material commissioned and made," said Spada chief executive Jane Wrightson.

"[The industry] can easily do that provided the funding issues are sorted out and quota is sorted out."

The draft was positive in its indication that TVNZ would be required to invest in the film and television production industries, she said.

"Producers and directors essentially make what is commissioned, and the concern over the last few years is that the range of material that's been commissioned has been unfortunately narrowing."

Paul Smith, a consistent critic of TVNZ as a newspaper columnist until he was appointed to the TVNZ board this year, told National Radio yesterday that the range of programming had narrowed more and more during the 12 years the company was pursuing profits.

He said the charter would bring a public service ethic to the mass market approach. "People actually don't know what is not being shown to them until it is shown to them.

"This blueprint opens up that tight little approach to broadcasting and shows there is something else outside the frame of ratings and revenue."

Ms Hobbs said viewers might expect to see a higher proportion of documentaries, "and sometimes more serious documentary."

More children's programming is also on the cards and TV2 has instigated a review of its commitment to the genre.

How the quality of programming will be monitored is yet another issue her officials are working on, although she has suggested reporting at select committee level and written reports to Parliament.

Green Party spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the party would push for a set of performance measures for each objective set out in the draft charter.

"Unless there is very strong monitoring and compliance, the charter will be somewhat meaningless."

Work on revamping TVNZ has hardly been in fast-forward since Labour started the process. The draft charter has been 10 months in the making.

"It isn't that tomorrow there is going to be a radical change," said Ms Hobbs.

"It is a balance moving forward to meeting our targets over the whole range, not the end of the world."