Last Saturday (26 June) the Association of Broadcasting Journalists made submissions to Templeton on news services. Included was a calculation of estimated savings from a merger. This used BCNZ committee figures but was generous to the Government. Anyway, it gives an accurate indication of the BCNZ findings which the Government claims to have considered:

(i)	Present, total, annual expenditure by TV I and TV2 on news piess current affairs = $3.2m
(ii)	Projected total cost after elimination of one news team, based on BCNZ figure, consists of: (a) Current TV I news plus current affairs programs = $ 1.9m (b) Residual current affairs programs to be continued by TV2 = $.6m (c) TV2's share of Radio NZ's wire services bill = $. 15m (d) TV2's share of overseas wire services bill = $.064m (e) TV2's share of overseas film sources' bills = $.044m (f) Total new casts = $2.758m
(iii)	Total saving by merging the news = $.442m

The calculation assumes that the more well established TV I news team will be the survivor. And, when considering the miniscule $442,000 "saving" remember that:

(a)	All figures were calculated in Governments favour.
(b)	With non competitive news, both services would suffer a reduction in advertising reserve: news has, under the two service arrangement, become the corporations' best ad revenue draw card. Jarden says news' ad rate (ie the cost of the ad) above other programs is marginal, but then the projected "saving" is marginal too. Anyway, the point is, revenue must be considered - not just hare cost.
(c)	With news downgraded, the corporations will automatically put more resources into current affairs. And Government policy is that the NZBC be in no way inhibited from "making adequate provision for both channels to supplement the news with commentary and interpretation in their current affairs programs" [press statement ibid 22/6/76].