新西蘭英語 288 50 YEARS OF TELEVISION

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50 years ago this week, television was introduced to New Zealand. Then there was only one channel available, in black and white, and New Zealanders with tv sets had to pay the government an annual licence fee of ￡4.

There have been many changes since 1960. Firstly colour television arrived in 1973 and then a second government channel was set up in 1975. It was not until 1989 that the first private channel, TV3, began operating, and in 2004 Maori TV was set up to provide programmes to promote Maori language and culture.

One of the biggest changes to television over the years has been the development of digital tv, brought here in 1990 by a pay-tv company called Sky. Digital signals give a clearer picture and better sound quality but customers need to buy a special box and aerial to watch these programmes. Now TVNZ, the government provider, has brought in a digital service for free-to-air tv viewers and within a few years all television in New Zealand will be digital.

Although the television set became the focus of home entertainment for most families in the 20th century, the internet is changing New Zealanders’ viewing habits. Many people now prefer to watch news and other programmes on their computers. Because technology is developing so fast it is very hard to predict what the future of television will be. Certainly there will be many changes before we can celebrate 100 years of television in New Zealand.

Contributed by Chris Mahoney

Questions

1. Should young children be allowed to watch television? What are the advantages and disadvantages of television for children?

2. What changes do you think there might be in television viewing in the next 50 years?

Listen for these dates:

Start of television in NZ, first colour television in NZ, second government channel, first private channel, Maori tv, Sky digital