But Freemind many from different cultures pay tax just like the rest of us so therefore they are entitled to have their own TV channel are they not?

I support absolutely a Public Service TV and Radio Broadcaster.

I support absolutely our right to have at least one commercial-free option.

I support absolutely our right to have at least some programs that are not 'commercial' or in other words 'entertainment' but rather educative, challenging, demanding our intellectual involvement and homegrown dramas, entertainment, soaps and series - programs about us, by us, for us. And that's all of us in all our variety and difference.

If I never see another programme like Masterchef, Something Idol, 'Freak' Show, CSI, Home or Person Makeover or Infomercial it'll be too soon.

As a journalist I learnt, to my cost, how much influence the advertiser, who pays the bills, has on editorial content.

Freedom to criticize?

Not too much.

Yes !, They pay tax,But whats that got to do with the state spending taxpayers money promoting culture ,which is usually promoting one culture to the detriment of others. All cultures are entitled to their own TV channels providing they pay for it themselves.

So...no culture for Freemind then?

Ah...there's a surprise!

Save TV7 or SAVE Public Broadcasting TV & Radio campaign has been racked up a few more notches as an election Issue.I am looking forward to Mai Chens representation of the Lobby Group.She says TVNZ Has a case to answer. The Group say that although litigation was an option the Lobby Group has limited funds. The Group says TVNZ has neglected its legal duty to regard the Public Interest in deciding what programmes to screen. TVNZ are required to provide high quality content Clearly public service Television ie TVNZ7 with all its quality documentaries and educational programmes is in the public good. So then The SaveTVNZ7 Lobby Group are about to lay a formal complaint Great to see Kim Dotcom joining the mock funeral procession yesterday saying his favourite show was on TVNZ7.

Freemind, you're confusing two things - Maori TV is commercial TV. Some of its programs are funded by NZ on Air - the taxpayer. Some of it is funded by advertising. It is not a 'Public Broadcaster' as such.

I'm Maori. I pay tax. I pay quite a bit of tax as it happens. I want at least some of my tax spent on Public Broadcasting including programmes about, by and for my country including Maori.

...besides, it has some of the best programmes on TV, especially now TV7 has been closed

Yes.
That too.

SF and arandar, I agree with you. And belladonna too. I love watching a lot of the content on Maori Television, and enjoyed it while we had TVNZ7 too. Glad to hear that we are likely to get it back with a change of government when that happens, too.

What I'd love to see is a Public Broadcasting SOE, incorporating RNZ and The Concert Programme, and TVNZ7 and the Maori Channel, freely available to all.

As far as I can see, TV1 has fallen too far to be worth worrying about; it's thoroughly commercial, thoroughly populist, thoroughly 'lowest common denominator' programming. The few programmes I really like are mostly on at impossible times; ghettoized late at night or on Sunday mornings.

Thanks be for MySky or I'd never see any of them. And I love that I am watching when I like, and fast forwarding through their bloody commercials. Haven't seen one for months. Good job too. But I am well aware not everyone can afford to have MySky and to have the choice.

And we all should be able to see and hear the sorts of programmes we like.

Everyone else in the 1st and 2nd world seems to be able to. Why not us?

A public broadcasting SOE as you suggest would be fantastic, arandar. All good. And I agree about TV1, too.........most of what's on it is absolutely dreadful.........and NOW, it's all going to be broadcast TWICE!!

Thinking further about it, I suppose an SOE isn't the right vehicle, SOEs are set up to be government owned commercial enterprises using best business practice and returning dividends to the stakeholders - the taxpayers.

And that business/commercial model is what I want to get away from frankly.

I want a true Public Broadcasting model - BBC, ABC, CBC type broadcasting. I don't want commercials. I don't want government interference. I want independent journalism and film- and doco-making. I want new dramas and soaps to get their start here. If they go gangbusters like Outrageous Fortune for eg or Shortland Street or Xena; well and good, the PB could then sell it to a commercial channel like TV1 as well as overseas and reinvest the profits in other new programmes.

And we could have Back Benchers back and Media 7 and Q&A and The Nation and Marae Investigates at civilized hours on a channel everyone could get and the week's programmes could be published so we'd know what was coming on when.

RNZ airs great radio docos from the USA public broadcaster and the Canadian - but they're on latish at night and I don't always know they're on. I usually catch the last 10 mins of them on the car radio driving home from a meeting - very frustrating.