Here's an interesting bit (in English) on some criteria for broadcasts to
children in Germany, Ruth. Legal Texts: Media and the Protection of Children
(D-53175 Bonn: Inter Nationes, e. V, 1999) describes statutory provisions on
media-related protection for the young. Inter Nationes is a privately funded
organization. If the post code and the city are insufficient as a working
address, perhaps the cultural attache in your German embassy could help you.


Should you be able to come up for air, or for a cup of coffee, on or about
Thursday or Friday, March 23 or 24, I would be pleased to discuss your work
with you in person. My wife, Shirley, and I plan to travel to Christchurch
then as part of our two-week holiday in NZ. Best wishes for success of your
project.

Ken

Kenneth Harwood
Professor Emeritus and Founding Director
School of Communication
University of Houston
P. O. Box 117
Santa Ynez, CA 93460-0117
U. S. A.

-Original Message-----
From: Ruth Zanker <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 6:45 PM
Subject: from ruth zanker in new zealand


Hello,
Its Ruth Zanker here from New Zealand. I have
been given the job of reviewing the funding of
children's television by the funding body NZ On
Air here in New Zealand. I have to do it on a
very tight time line and I would like to do a
good job with some assistance from you. (It
takes me away from writing up my research....and
I would probably prefer to be reading Ellen
Seiter's new book but it is a great opportunity
that could not be turned down!) This has become
a somewhat urgent task as we in NZ are at an
interesting cross-roads between extreme
deregulation and possible reregulation in the
media.

After a decade of a very deregulated
broadcasting system for children(see my article
in the recent issue of Media International
Australia) we appear to be changing tack in
quite radical ways in the wake of a Labour
victory at the last elections in November.
Labour won the election with a slate of policies
including quotas, charters for the state owned
broadcaster (which up to now has had to deliver
a profit to the government rather than cultural
outcomes...no pbs here!) and poss. banning of
advertising (good 'ole Sweden has really got
some people going!)


My report requires me to attend to both current
funding frameworks as well as issues further out
(like quotas... but NOZ signed away local audio
visual trade in GATT). AND of course it needs to
at least paint the picture of tensions of
globalization/localization, consumer/citizen and
convergence!!!

We live in interesting times. The problem is
that most of the current debate in NZ is in
terms of adults and rings with familiar Reithian
pulpit sounds. Media rights for children in an
increasingly interactive multi-media age require
a more complex response in this report....but
still discussed in ways that are institutionally
useful to an organization like NZ on Air funding
TELEVISION programmes in a small English
speaking country.

It is an interesting time in which to be writing
a down to earth report on how better to spend 9
million dollars on children's programming.


My report is designed to deliver up to date
material on what is delivered in other countries
and then consider certain questions of interest
to the funding board. Some of these relate to
the big picture of global changes, others to
quite specific child centred issues.

I am looking for several bits of ready made data
if possible. There is no time to comb through
web-sites and collate it.This report is due in 3
weeks!!!
1. Summaries of local content for children/ by
age group and genre/scheduling for children (I
have Hargraves for Broadcasting Standards)
2. How the funding mix is decided: early
childhood, primary, youth. BBC has a
commissioning editor I see. Does ITV?
3. Current issues for Producers with the
commissioning process
4. The mix of 'bread and butter' production and
innovative, 'prestige'.
5. Current issues for researchers.
6. Squabbles over quality( I have Ishikawa's
book on Broadcasting Quality)
7. Who currently is consulted about the mix?
8. How are satisfaction levels measured (other
than ratings)? Parents/
children/producers/researchers.
9. Advertising dollars on children's programmes
10. Dollars spent on children's programmes
(contribution of licencing issues too)
(We spend $9million of licence fee on Childrens
programmes in New Zealand)
Any thing else that may help me with this
process ????Many thanks Ruth






%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%