Radio New Zealand Responds

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

16 September 1985

Dear Dr Dutton

Thank you for your letter of 21 August and your expression of concern about our "Tonight Show" broadcasts by Mary Fry.

In the two years that Mrs Fry appeared on Station 2ZB in Wellington we did not have one complaint or indication from any listener that Mrs Fry's advice was injurious. Before we took the decision to expand her broadcasts to the full network on the basis of their clear popularity with 22B listeners, we did, in fact, consult both a theologian and a Clinical Psychologist, neither of whom raised any objections, having listened to Mrs Fry's broadcasts, to what she was doing.

Since Mrs Fry has been on the network there has been criticism emanating pretty much exclusively from Christchurch, from yourself, from four members of our own staff, eleven members of the Spiritualist Church of New Zealand and from some members of the Associated Churches of Christ in Dunedin. That is not to say we do not take the concern you raise seriously. We do, of alternative viewpoints and life but we are not in the business of censoring the free expression styles simply because they offend the susceptibilities of one segment of our audience. You will be aware that Radio New Zealand broadcasts daily, claims by Ministers of Religion of the existence of God, and exhortations to place ourselves in His care for a variety of purposes. It will not surprise you to know that a substantial body of our listeners regard that as pernicious in the extreme and about as harmful as you regard Mrs Fry's activities. They also would claim that the assertions made are not susceptible to logic or rational proof. It does not, however, deter us from continuing to reflect in our programmes material which has relevance and meaning for our listeners.

There is another question and it is this - the extent to which a Public Broadcasting body such as ourselves should be dealing with matters which are, as it were, on the fringe and should, by giving a platform, appear to support or condone practices which may be debatable. The Statute is not very helpful here. It says we must broadcast a range of programmes which cater to all sections of the community. There are programme rules which speak about good taste and decency and community norms and standards (however one can get at those). In the end, one can only use one's good judgment and occasionally experiment to see where the frontiers of acceptance and tolerance are for particular programme forms.

When the present contractural arrangements with Mrs Fry are completed at the end of November the current series will come to an end and the series will not be renewed.

Yours sincerely

Beverley A Wakem

Director General