Broadcasting Policy

DPF and Whale Oil have reproduced National's Broadcasting Policy. You can read about it over at DPF's house. Most of it is do what Labour does, with a tweek here and there. Maintain state funding, state ownership and state control. Predictable stuff. But hey, that's alright because as long as it's not Helen Clark in charge it doesn't matter!

Meanwhile, as unofficial ACT Party Broadcasting spokesman here is our policy, or should be:

• Sell 49% of TVNZ.
• Sell Maori Television to an Iwi or Iwis – they have enough money and are commercial enterpises now.
• Sell Radio New Zealand, National Pacific Radio Trust, and Access Radio.
• Abolish the TVNZ Charter. If Kiwi programmes aren't good enough to attract viewers then they don't get funding.
  
• Switch off analogue by 2012.
• Review funding for the Freeview platform (only to establish exactly what it is), then abolish it.
  
• Abolish the $79 million of direct funding allocated to TVNZ6 & TVNZ7 (oops, that would put Russell Brown out of action. Oh well.)
  
• Ensure transparent processes for radio frequency allocation and renewal that create competition.
• Insist on regular publication of rating/audience/household penetration data for any broadcasting entity receiving state funding (virtually nil anyway).