Pressure to screen porn raises alarm

By JOHN ARMSTRONG political editor

Free-to-air broadcasters such as TVNZ and TV3 may be feeling competitive pressure from pay television to screen explicitly sexual programmes, says the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

In its post-election briefing to the new Broadcasting Minister, Steve Maharey, the authority notes the increasing number of people subscribing to Sky's digital network with its extra channels and wider range of programme genres.

"Blocking devices allow subscription television broadcasters operating from a digital platform to broadcast explicit adult content.

"In a competitive programming environment, free-to-air broadcasters have to compete for audience share with subscription television.

"In this environment, free-to-air broadcasters may feel pressured to screen programmes with content which could offend sections of the community."

The authority said that same competition had encouraged broadcasters to make or buy programmes designed to capture the biggest audience for the lowest cost, with "reality television" an example.

That genre had implications for both privacy and informed consent, and the authority had undertaken some in-house research and sought the opinions of broadcasters.

Further research would tell the authority whether the privacy advisory opinion needed to be developed into a full code of broadcasting practice and whether the authority needed to investigate developing guidelines for broadcasters in the area of informed consent.

The authority also said some radio stations were pushing the boundaries of taste and decency.

"Over recent years, there has been a consolidation of the ownership of the country's radio stations. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in the numberof individual stations. Competition for audience share and advertising revenue is fierce.

"In this environment, some broadcasters appear to have pushed the boundaries of the radio code of broadcasting practice, particularly in respect of matters of good taste and decency."

In some cases, broadcasters argued that there was no breach because the material would not have breached the standard of good taste and decency expected by the station's particular target audience.

The authority also expressed concern about its lack of jurisdiction over material on the internet.

The Broadcasting Act 1989 gave it only limited jurisdiction over content transmitted over the internet.

"Practical jurisdiction is limited to the simultaneous internet transmissions made by New Zealand broadcasters. This, of course, represents an extremely small proportion of total internet content."

The authority viewed this issue as an important matter of public policy and had written to the Government's principal broadcasting policy adviser, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

In the year to July, the authority issued 259 decisions - nearly 40 per cent more than in the previous year and a record in its 12-year history.

About 27 per cent of the 259 complaints were upheld. However, the figures were skewed by 81 complaints from one individual about one radio station.

* RadioWorks and its station The Rock have been fined more than $3000 for breaching standards.

In separate decisions released yesterday, the authority upheld several complaints, including two for threatening and abusive behaviour and one for suggesting someone had mental problems.

It also found that the company had taken insufficient action after some previous complaints were upheld. Several related to the telling of dirty jokes on air.