Presentation
Is mass-branded local identity oxymoronic? An historical perspective on radio regulation and ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand
Australia New Zealand Communication Association Conference
(2011)
Abstract
In this paper, I conduct an historical examination of the nature of local radio ownership and
regulation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently much of local radio is mass-branded and
privately owned by a foreign-owned corporate oligopoly of two major networks: Mediaworks
and The Radio Network. Yet, local provincial radio has a diverse history of change through
successive government policy and regulation. Radio began under private ownership. The
state then took control and ownership of private radio. Private radio broadcasting licences
were not allowed to be issued until the 1970s. Following the 1980s, deregulation and
privatisation occurred. By examining a history of provincial radio broadcasting in Aotearoa
New Zealand I uncover the various regulatory frameworks between the 1920s and the 1990s
that have contributed to the development of local radio where the majority of its ownership
is represented today through homogeneous, networked brands
Disciplines
Publication Date
2011
Location
Hamilton, NZ
Citation Information
Busch, R. (2011). Is mass-branded local identity oxymoronic? An historical perspective on radio regulation and ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand. Paper presented at the Australia New Zealand Communication Association Conference, Hamilton, NZ, 21 October 2011.