Here’s a sign of troubled times. John Drinnan reports today that TVNZ is looking at halving the news hour to cut cost – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10631450&pnum=0
The news hour is the anchor for ratings and revenue. It consistently rates near the top for audiences. Frankly I can’t pretend that it is compelling viewing from end to end. But if cutting it back to half an hour means it will be replaced by a game show or similar, then our capacity to be informed as a nation, albeit through the skewed lens of commercial television is reduced.
You have to ask if the budget could not be more easily trimmed (especially if TVNZ is indeed seeking agreement from TV3
What about:
- reducing to one presenter (and doing away with the cutesy pie chit chat)
- cutting the number of silly ‘live’ crosses to times when there actually is something happening, not just using motorway bridges and court entrances for after-the-fact reports
- filling the rest of the news hour with some more meat – like decent local or foreign- sourced news backgrounders and some live interviews . We deserve to see the Prime Minister on the night of his Statement to parliament outlining major tax changes
- Leave ex-All Black grovelling gropers and their ilk to Close Up, where ratings are all king
doing away w
TVNZ news hour is redundant anyway – it hasn’t recovered from the Richard Long affair and let’s face it, no one can replace our Judy.
I prefer TV3 as it seems to have less of the things you indicate above (live crosses etc). They just do it better!
Maybe TVNZ should just scrap their news hour altogether and put something on for the kids while they are having quiet time before bed…!
Oh & scrap Close-up too – Mark is great…when he is there, but Campbell Live is far superior
“Campbell Live is far superior”
Yeah – I believe HC was a big fan – what did she call him again?
Personally – I think 1/2 hour is just fine. keep it to newsworthy items and ignore cats in trees rubbish.
We only get about 5 minutes of actual news on One News now, if we discount the 3 or 4 weather bulletins and the mindless ‘live’ stuff and the sports so-called news and the self-serving teasers and all the faux-celebrity crap, not to mention the generally ill-informed ‘look at me’ garbage that passes as political commentary. 3 News is much better product, covers more ground, and is way more informative. A switch to half-hour for both would be good for both, in my view, and tend to crystalise the poor quality of One and the high quality of 3.
Good suggestions Brendon. Don’t know if they achieve the aim of saving many millions though.
I live in Melbourne and Channels 7, 9 and 10 all have half hour news bulletins. Frankly I don’t think an hour can be justified. A return to a half hour is long overdue. We might see less padding.
I thought 6-7 on TNZ was weather?
How much is Tim Wilson paid to sit in New York, pick up news from the wire and then front it lie while playing said “news” from an existing clip available thru any of TVNZ’s partners
The number of times I have seen the very clip used by Tim Wilson earlier that day online and then watched him with a microphone somewhere in NY fronting the same piece
Since subscribing to MySky and acquiring the x30 fast forward button we manage to get through the bits of the news that are worth watching in about 15-20 mins. It’s a sad reflection. We should just be fast forwarding over the adverts.
I’ve taken to watching Prime because it’s ten minutes (if you dont count sports news).
Arent their audience ratings between Grandma and her cat and no one home.
I used to care too what was in TV news.
They could run 15 min for all I care now.
After all the morning papers report was on the TV last night as news
And the evening news report was in the morning papers.
Go figure
Prime news is fantastic but we can’t get it here unless we get the digital UHF freeview thing which we have yet to buy (don’t have a sky dish & ordinary aerial is too old). I probably prefer online stuff best anyway – NZ Herald, Stuff.co.nz, TV3 website, Independent Media & BBC. 6pm news + kids is a no go most days!
“TVNZ is looking at halving the news hour to cut cost” – disgraceful that the government has so starved them of money that they would even contemplate such a backward move
We miss out as it is!
Wow, am I the only one who wants the hour?
I’m with Rebecca here – the internet is by far the best way to keep informed these days. TV is just a sideshow.
Spud it’s long since stopped being a genuine hour of news.
Each night we have to look at well over a million bucks in salaries staring back at us… Same with the inannity which is the Breakfast Show. I have less problem paying the Head of Health 1 million than I do with paying it to Paul Henry, Simon Dallow, or whomever.
I feel a bit strange, I actually agree with something posted on this site…more news, more information and less bollix
Actually compared to 7,9 and 10 in Australia I don’t think they do a bad job. Apart from the cuddly animal and kids stories
shorter, smarter and more informed would be great – less fluff, less live and less rapport.
and as for Henry – hes so far right, and so far un pc, that as a tv figure, its borderline offensive. Pippas not much better – both are very conservative.
know what you mean Rebecca. Thats bath time, story, Drink, PJ’s, bed. News doesn’t get to feature often but when I do watch its TV3.
An hour would be good if it was decent news.
Can’t reduce the news to half an hour, how will I get my update as to which holes have been dug by the school kids on which beach? Or which beetle DOC are saving? Or which Kiwi chick has hatched somewhere..?
Sounds like Racism to me.
I no longer watch much TV news these days. In fact I no longer watch much TV full stop, save for the occasional TVNZ-7 special. Three words sum up what passes for TV news these days – bread and circuses.
I find myself turning the news off after the first half hour anyway… If it’s important sport or weather it will be on the first half hour..
The news hour hasn’t been a full hour for a long time. Actually, I believe it’s about 15 minutes news, 20 minutes sport, 5 minutes weather and 20 minutes of adverts. Generally, not worth watching.
I see in on the web that the Gov. is planning to turn TVNZ7 and possibly 6 into a public service channel while leaving TV2 and 1 fully commercial.
Like Radio NZ before the commerical stations were sold back in 1996.
News hour seems something of an overstatement.
Delete the simpering “in” jokes,
delete the ads.
delete weather forecast,
delete irrelevant “crossing live to..”.
There is very little left.
News hour? I do not think so.
Noooo
Not the weather!
How am I supposed to see if I can get my washing dry? If its nice the next day, I put my washing on before I go to bed then put a load of nappies on in the morning.
Not the weather peterlepaysan! Not the weather!
I have zero faith that a reduction in the the length of news programs will coincide with an increase in volume and quality of actual news. At best it’s quite likely they’ll divide the current formula by 2, but that’s me being optimistic. What’s likely to happen is that weather will stay 5 minutes and 2.5 minutes will be removed from actual news.
Guess it’s hard to run a country when the pesky media keeps asking you questions (albeit deleted language. Clare in the case of TVNZ and TV3 6pm news these days, sigh).
A mother – just look up the Metservice online, it’s where they get it from anyway!
I’m with you A Mother – don’t cut the weather
I thought that the government wasn’t into tinkering with stuff.