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



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