Delays in Maori TV debut possible

By LOUISA CLEAVE

The Maori television channel is unlikely to be on air before July.

The Government wanted broadcasting to start in midyear, and the launch was widely expected to be on July 1.

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, revealing details of the channel last July, said it "will be on air from June 2002".

But the chairman of the Maori Television Service board, Derek Fox, says it may not be on air until the second half of the year. He claims there was never a set starting date.

The board, set up in October, has yet to appoint a chief executive or decide on a transmission platform.

It has called for expressions of interest from programme makers and has paid for a consultancy report on how it could run the channel, including programming and marketing.

Mr Fox defended the board's decision to call for programming ideas before a chief executive or programming manager was appointed. He said the board had skilled television people who knew what would be good programming.

The Maori broadcasting finance agency, Te Mangai Paho, has already commissioned programmes, including a $1.8 million series by former MP Tukoroirangi Morgan.

In releasing details of the service, Mr Horomia said the channel would be received by 70 per cent of the country on existing UHF frequencies. It could also be simulcast on a digital satellite service, he said.

Mr Fox said the board was considering up to four transmission options and all involved substantial sums of money.

"There's some resourcing problems in terms of what it costs to get a platform up and running."

The Government set aside $3.8 million for transmission and operational costs in 2001-2002, rising to $6 million a year in 2004-2005.

If the service chose to broadcast from existing frequencies, it would have to start from scratch and invest in a studio and equipment, said Mr Fox.

Sky television has offered a digital channel for transmission and wants to work with the service making programmes with Sky equipment.

But Mr Fox said the Sky option was not a simple answer. People would have to pay for a set-top box and the service was required to reach as big an audience as possible.

Mr Fox said the board had not been dragging its heels. It had developed a business plan, was close to appointing senior staff, and was working with the Government on legislation for the service.