ow, Might Be a Good Time for a Review of P-NG Radio Set-Up
pp. 101-103 · Read in the full issue
P-NG Radio Set-Up
The Australian Broadcasting Commission’s Papua-New Guinea listeners were hoping out loud in November for a re shuffle of programmes on the Territory station.
► EASON was the arrival in Port * Moresby of radio and TV personality Douglas Channell, io took over as the ABC’s rritory manager. Mr. H. S. ►ary, who has completed a four ir term in the Territory, will urn to the ABC’s head office in dney, Opinion is that because of Mr. annell’s fairly recent connection ;h the microphone side of radio, has been selected as the man to t more zip into Territory ►grammes. klaybe Mr. Channell will be the n, but he was not selected for ; New Guinea post with that end mind. The ABC is not dis isfied with its New Guinea vice, and it has no plans at the ment to do anything about its md programmes.
Nevertheless, this should be as >d a time as any to take a look them, and at the broadcasting
dtion generally,
ERRITORY listeners have always been critical of the ABC’s Territory operations. ?his has not been so much a lection on the ABC as an ication of the difficult job the amission has in the Territory, has the broadcasting monopoly, i with it the impossible task of empting to please all of the eners all of the time, t has the added burden of lowing a policy aimed at assisting development of the Territory lerally. And of course what any mtry needs is not always what wants. ‘rogrammes like the native iple’s sessions and the children’s sions are intelligent, praise rthy and necessary, yet in the w of many irate listeners they ;e too large a slice of time which ers are entitled to share in. lews sessions are vital, but ause of the technical problems reception in some of the outlying as, the same bulletins are re nted —to the annoyance of the ny listeners who have already ird them.
'here have been moves by private srests to start an opposition imercial station in the Territory, t private applications have been :ouraged, and consequently have got anywhere, because of official rs that there would be little itrol over the type of material adcast to the native people, ’here has been constant agita i particularly in Rabaul, for a
new station that would service New Britain and the surrounding islands —any station, even another ABC station so long as it broadcast local news and announcements.
WHETHER or not the demand for a greater radio coverage is justified, the demand is certainly not going to grow any
less. If the ABC is going to continue with its monopoly broad cast it will have to take this public attitude into account.
What can it do to please more of the listeners?
A separate transmitter on the New Guinea side, either at Lae or Rabaul, would give a choice of programmes, even if it broadcast little else but music.
Failing that (and with the ABC’s budget these days being eaten up by the high cost of TV, a new station is probably unlikely) it could do something about altering the programmes.
A survey is needed to establish what most Territory people want and when they want it. Territory
tening tastes clearly differ from ose in many mainland areas.
Nobody expects the ABC to cater r the lowest common denomina r, but a programme could be >rked out that is more of a Election of what Territory listeners int.