| Summary: | The primary purpose of this study is to describe and
analyse the events associated with the development of the policy
enacted into legislation in 1973 for the establishment of three
independent corporations to run broadcasting in New Zealand under
the overall control of a Broadcasting Council. The study is
designed as a case study of policy development. Attention is
focused upon the genisis of the policy and upon the procedures
which were used to develop the policy. In explaining the
development of the policy, reference is made to the political
systems model of analysis, in particularly as developed by David
Easton. In Easton’s terminology the study focuses upon the inputs
to the policy and upon the conversion process adopted in
developing the policy. The study also takes cognisance of a
number of media effects theories, especially those developed by
Colin Seymour-Ure and Janet Morgan.
The research involved the collection of documentary data
and supplementary interview data. The Hon. R.O. Douglas,
Minister of Broadcasting at the time, gave the writer access to
certain of his papers that are on deposit with the Alexander
Turnbull Library. Other than that the documentary data was
delimited to documents available in the lie domain. The data
is first used to summarise events in New Zealand broadcasting
antecedent to the period of study and then to analyse the
policy-making procedures with reference to the political systems
model.
The study concludes that the policy was developed very
quickly by a small group of people. Although not totally
incongruent with the government’s election policy, it was a
dramatic departure from what was expected and was, to all intents
and purpose, a radical new policy. However, overall, the policy
was consistent with the new government’s aim to move quickly and
decisively. The broad parameters of the policy were developed
within the political system and a measure of public involvement
was subsequently utilised to build support for the nascent
policy. The study concludes that there was no mass overt public
support for the new policy. It was the result of changes demanded
from within the political system and at all stages of the policy-making
process, the initiative remained firmly within the political system.
The development of the broadcasting policy was notable for
the degree of polarisation it created both within the political
system and within the broadcasting organisation. In attempting
to explain these cleavages the study concludes that there are
permanent tensions between broadcasters and politicians. Such
tensions exist because political and broadcasting structures
within New Zealand have developed from conflicting philosophical
bases; personal perceptions of media effects have determined how
politicians carry out their roles as ‘actors’ on the broadcasting
‘stage’, these often conflicting with others perceptions and with
‘reality’ ; and broadcasters and politicians often perceive themselves
as seeking the same ends using vastly different means.
Finally, the study concludes that the political systems
model, whilst adequately explaining the policy development
process was unsatisfactory for commenting on the ‘values’ of
policies, most particularly why they fail or succeed. As an
alternative the study offered a number of reasons for the failure
of this policy: The policy-makers failed to gain the support of
key broadcasters within the broadcasting structure; the Committee
on the Future of Broadcasting had such a restricted brief that it
was unable to make changes to the policy that may have generated
more support; politicians had media effects, perceptions that were
incompatible with the principles of the policy; the policy was
too radical to be put into place by a three year, one term,
government; and the principle pressure groups active in the
policy formation process fell into ‘cumulative’ cleavages which
highlighted division and prevented if not consensus, then
compromise.
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