It seems that just as we are building a campaign to protect and support public radio in New Zealand, there are similar issues in the UK. Just as my colleague Brendon Burns has set up a  website and e-petition a campaign has been launched in the UK to protect the BBC from cuts.  There is also a Twitter campaign underway.

The proposals being considered include cutting some of the stations run by the BBC and, in a remarkably odd move, cutting its web presence.   The BBC is a much bigger outfit than Radio NZ, but it is interesting to see that many Brits feel the same attachment as New Zealanders do to RNZ.  Also similar is a belief among conservative sections that public radio is somehow biased against them, not that there is any evidence to back this up of course.

Wellington is definitely a city which values arts and culture and I have had a lot of feedback about the plans to make cuts at Radio NZ.  This has come from across the political spectrum as well.   Many New Zealanders are facing tough times at the moment, with increases in the cost of living, frozen wages and increased costs with ACC.  Of course dealing with those issues must be the priority for government.  But  I believe that in these times we also  need to foster a sense of community and shared experience.   If as a society we let our investment in arts and culture decline we run the risk of creating a society that will be devoid of colour and fun, and cause us to focus on the negatives of life rather than the possibilities.

Public radio is important all over the world because it offers the chance for countries to reflect themselves without the imperatives of commercial issues.  Radio NZ is for all New Zealanders, and as the nature of media changes, I personally believe that we need to look to enhance and develop its role, not undertake cuts that will undermine it.

If you feel the same, make sure you sign up to Brendon’s petition.