The video clip Goodbye Kiwi posted by Trevor below kind of says it. Circulate it
Public broadcasting in New Zealand is in tatters following a statement by the new RadioNZ chair Richard Griffin that he’s going to move our state radio broadcaster towards commercialisation. He says RadioNZ wont become a commercial product but in the next breath revealed he is open to sponsorship of some radio programmes at the state broadcaster even if a law change is needed.
He said: “This board has got the will and determination to make it happen not just to enhance the product, but to enhance the revenue for the product”
A more pragmatic approach to broadcasting is what he promises.
The revelations were made on Mediawatch at the weekend. You can listen here.
Griffin, a former press secretary to Jim Bolger denied his appointment was political, but his agenda fits the Government’s view to strip our state broadcasters of public broadcasting functions and turn them towards cost recovery and even profit. He’s been appointed the chair after less than a year on the board.
Of his critics he says “conspiracy theories make good copy”.
Commercial sponsorship of RNZ programmes would be the first step towards full commercialisation. Radio New Zealand is the last bastion of public service broadcasting, free from corporate interests and should remain that way.
The National Government has already shown that it is more interested in supporting commercial organisations than public broadcasters with its bailout of Mediaworks with a $43 million low interest deferred payment for its radio spectrum licence. It has canned funding to TVNZ7, the new digital public TV channe
There’s a crisis in public broadcasting in NZ.
Last week Labour called on the nation’s top thinkers, business leaders, politicians, academics and senior media industry figures to converge to discuss the future of public broadcasting and media in New Zealand.
In the meantime, there’s a lot of people out there who care about public broadcasting in New Zealand. Our ability to tell our stories. Our ability to provide the public with independent critical analysis, reporting and investigation. Not owned by corporate interests.
Every democracy in the world has it. Every nation should have it. We’re losing ours
Here’s what the Sunday Stat Times editorial said on 17th April.Can’t find a link online
SundayStar Times Editorial, 17 April 2011
THREE CHEERS for another political appointment from National. This time it is a spot at the head of Radio New Zealand for one of its greatest mates. Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman announced last week that Richard Griffin will chair the board.
Coleman was quick to point out the undoubted fine qualities of Griffin, and his distinguished journalistic career, but neglected to mention the area of his background which the cynics might suggest played an even more significant part in his appointment – his political service to National.
From 1993 to 1998 Griffin was chief press secretary and senior media adviser to Prime Minister Jim Bolger and his cabinet. These days the former political editor of Radio NZ – who is a life member of the parliamentary press gallery – is a director of a public affairs company.
Griffin’s rise has been rapid, given that he was appointed to the Radio NZ board in only May last year, but Coleman announced he would replace Christine Grice, and that he had “added real value” to the board. He went further still in his gushing praise, pointing out Griffin’s “ideal background” to chair the organisation.
Since it assumed office, National has appointed six new members to the seven-person board, and in perhaps the most telling of his statements, Coleman announced the board “now clearly understands the government’s requirements to provide a quality service for the funding available”.
I’m gutted to hear this, though not surprised. If elected, what would Labour do to promote public service broadcasting and to counter the destruction of it by National?
So depressing
…and now the silver fox is truly in the hen-house. Cronyism at its worst.
Gone…TVNZ’s public charter = TVNZ ready for sale; gone RNZ – now being fattened for sale….wait there’s more…Richard Griffin appoints Paul Henry to Morning Report sponsored by KFC…
Most people paying attention figured out Dick was an arch-Tory years ago. No surprise that he is now back in the saddle as spin meister for their secret plans.
so we can’t sell a minority portion of any of our SOE electricity companies (even though they will make perfect investments for the burgeoning kiwisaver funds, the goods of which, my sources in finance tell me, are bursting at the seams with money and nowhere domestically to put it) because they make a profit, but we can’t ask another soe to return a profit. is it somehow distasteful to be in trade?
this idea that somehow neutrality and critical reasoning only comes by being paid for by the government, do you honestly believe that? if that is the case, We must question your own neutrality on this issue Clare, seeing as you seek to regain the treasury benches and therefore control of the purse strings that pay for such ratings luminaries as TVNZ7.
following your critical reasoning on such issues would lead me to assume that you wanted to control the editorial output on public broadcasting stations. taking it further, the National party are actually being the responsible ones by removing the temptation to act in such a manner from themselves.
Why don’t we just encourage bolder business people to own TV stations? It was businessmen who founded all our daily newspapers, which of course are still privately owned. Their neutrality is called into question by many on both sides of the political spectrum, which is probably the most obvious indicator that newspapers are capable of independent and critical thinking, unbiased by the views of it’s advertisers. Aren’t TV newsrooms capable of this same standard, as if somehow public TV and radio as mediums are not mentally capable of the same standards privately held newspapers are once they are required to pay their own way? or is the continuing coverage of labours poor performance by privately owned TV3 and Prime the problem here?
Clare, you continue to talk about National giving low interest loans to Mediaworks.
I have asked before how much they had to pay for their spectrum licences when Labour were the Government and how often they paid.
I have tried internet searchs and have been unable to find that ANY fees at all were paid. As far as I can find the Labour government gave them away for free.
If this isn’t true can you please enlighten me.
Incidentally in today’s world I wouldn’t call 11.3% or so a “low interest” loan.
As I understand it on the failure of the licence holder to pay an installment ownership of the spectrum immediately reverts to the Crown who can then sell it to someone else.
Alwyn, as I understand it the RF licences are for a period of twenty years. They cost many millions of dollars. National has allowed the companies concerned to pay the substantial fee of $43m off over I think a five year period. Much the same as banks loan money,and indeed many companies offer finance terms. As Farrar noted, it is likely that Labour would have made a similar accommodation if the licences came up for renewal about three years ago. Labour are just stirring this up because they have nothing else.
National Public Radio (NPR) in the US has been supported by financial sponsorship of shows in the way described for decades without any evidence of the issues that you appear to be worried about.
Had missed this piece of news but it has cheered me up as I settle in for a nights work.
Here’s hoping for a quick sale and a move to better quality TV. The current halfway house that is TVNZ is awful and a more commercial network will focus on delivering to viewers rather than minority interests. Might even keep TV3 honest.
All the best Mr Griffin et al.
Had missed this piece of news but it has cheered me up as I settle in for a nights work.
Here’s hoping for a quick sale and a move to better quality TV. The current halfway house that is TVNZ is awful and a more commercial network will focus on delivering to viewers rather than minority interests. Might even keep TV3 honest.
All the best Mr Griffin et al.
Hi Clare, you also need to stress that public broadcasting is what makes up our audio/visual recorded history. What is the free marketer’s answer to that? Commercial media are zealous hoarders of content. Future NZ is entitled to have its future history recorded and available to all for apolitical reference and entertainment. Its the least any decent country would do.
What is the free marketer’s answer to that?
CNN
Alwyn others will be able to answer this better than me (and even contradict me) but here goes:
Under Labour 1999-2002 the Ministry of Economic Development (then Commerce) decided to auction off the management rights for spectrum – for up to 20 years.
I’m not sure but I doubt they were allocated for free before that though – Treasury and MED/MOC would never have accepted that.
Labour’s decision followed MOC discussions of how to make best economic use of spectrum management rights in 1999, and one policy proposal National considered was to auction off spectrum rights permanently (this was rejected by select committee). Labour went with the auction principle. I believe that under Labour, measures to maximise the value to the taxpayer were introduced.
I think you make a fair point in saying the 11.2% interest rate is not cheap – from Treasury’s point of view it’s fiscally neutral. The point the MED papers released under OIA reveal is that Treasury and MED had misgivings about making such allowances.
In particular, the cash-flow difficulties faced by Mediaworks stemmed not from the downturn in the advertising market (although that didn’t help) but from its capital structure and the demands being made on it by Ironbridge- which as the MED suggests, is a matter for Ironbridge, not the taxpayer.
Happy to find out more about the history of these issues for you and if you want to access the OIA papers you will need to apply to MED or Jonathon Coleman’s office
Indiana, and what about when CNN decide to put their archive behind a paywall? And ignoring the fact it makes editorial decisions with its advertisers and backers in mind.
Griffen said sponsorship not advertising. Huh! Same?
I tune exclusively to RNZ for the quality and variety of programs. To have to listen to advertising would leave me with only my computer and CDs.
@ ianmac, did Dick really did say that “sponsorship is not advertising”? Surely not? Maybe he was just pulling your leg?
“Alwyn, as I understand it the RF licences are for a period of twenty years. They cost many millions of dollars. National has allowed the companies concerned to pay the substantial fee of $43m off over I think a five year period. Much the same as banks loan money,and indeed many companies offer finance terms. As Farrar noted, it is likely that Labour would have made a similar accommodation if the licences came up for renewal about three years ago. Labour are just stirring this up because they have nothing else.”
Hey Monty I thought people had to have all the facts before your engaged with them???????
jennifer. The interview was yesterday -I think. Memories! When he was asked about advertising on RNZ he said that was a long way off. (Didn’t deny it.) A little later he said that programs could be sponsored. It is my connecting the two. ie Sponsorship is advertising isn’t it?
Does that mean there would be the Fonterra Rural Report, or the Bell Tea Morning Report – kind of naming rights
Kathryn: ” Before you answer that question Minister we will take a break for our esteemed Sponsor who is not advertising at all at all.”
Why did National say they gave Mediaworks the loan? Because the radio marketplace wasn’t conducive to business. But it’s healthy enough to drop a whale like RNZ into it? At least the Nats could try to keep their lies straight…
“Treasury and MED/MOC would never have accepted that.”
I thought governments of all kinds ignored Treasury whenever it liked when politically convenient.