Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 2. March 5 1979

The License

The License

Every time Active wants to go on air, they have to apply at least two months in advance to the Broadcasting Tribunal for a license. There has to be a good reason for the application: "we haven't been on air for a while" is not enough. Traditionally, Radio New Zealand and Radio Windy complain. "This is the one time they haven't opposed us too much. They just draw the Tribunal's attention to the fact that we're not really supplying an alternative service." Campbell estimates that Active takes 5% of the listenership in the Wellington region, something not to be ignored by the major stations in the current battle between Windy and 2ZM.

This year Active has been prohibited from broadcasting any news apart from that directly related to students on campus. Previously, Active has had the use of NZPA news facilities, including information from the teleprinter. NZPA is still offering the service, but the Tribunal has expressly forbidden it. Back in 1977 Active scooped the news of Elvis Presley's death, much to the chagrin of the other stations who were holding it for their regular news broadcasts when the student radio broke into its programme. That, claims Campbell, is perhaps the best example of the potential threat the heavies feel could come from Radio Active.

Even when they were allowed to run news items, there was a ban on being political. That is still in force. "We are not allowed to comment on anything more than bursaries as far as the political nature is concerned". Campbell thinks this is because there is no telling what a student radio might do when there is no means of stopping it. He compares it to Salient, which can be censured by the printer, and held up by the President. Once something is out over the air there is no means of taking it back. "Of course, he adds, "this may be contentious, but the people in Radio Active have been non-political to date anyway." Although he bemoans the prohibitiveness of the license, he does accept the view that a danger of bias exists and should be repressed.