Australia’s public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and affectionately known as Aunty, is celebrating its 80th birthday today.
The ABC’s first wireless broadcast was on this day in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression.
The chimes of Sydney’s GPO clock were the first sounds transmitted across the country from 12 radio stations.
In the 80 years since, the ABC has expanded from those radio stations into multiple platforms including television and online.
Last night at midnight, TVNZ turned off TVNZ7, our antion’s only public television channel after a mere 4 and a half years. The National Government made the decision not to fund it. Now New Zealand becomes the only country in the OEC, bar Mexico, to be without a public television channel.
The Australian Federal Government allocates $912 million per year to the ABC and is a vital part of the Australian identity . In NZ, TVNZ7 cost around $16 million. Our national identity is being steadily eroded.
Mining helps the Aussies have some good stuff, aye?
One Track, Aussies’s expenditure on public broadcasting is one of the primary reasons why so many New Zealanders move there, didn’t you know?
The government can easily afford to pay for this if they want to, regardless of whether we mine or not.
@ One track and Indiana… Why do you comment if you have nothing constructive to say. Are you just defensive about Nationals cynical, selfserving desire to dumb us down? Well, criticise by all means, but try and advance intelligent discussion a little, at least.
As for Aussie mining and the media. IT is why the superwealthy, powercrazy, wife of Lang Hancock (Who Flew over ‘The Pilbara’ and went back to check why the ranges were red – full of Iron)has bought about 20% of Fairfax – and wants to influence editorial content of the Empire. The very sort of reason that we need independant public service broadcasting. Private media can take an arrogant powerbroker attitude (eg Murdock), and great wealth is no guarantee at all of decent behavior, rather the contrary
Clare Curran`s post reminds how NZers, alone in the OECD (bar Mexico!) is treated with contempt by its government with respect to providing public service TV.
@Paul B Are you saying that being super wealthy and power crazy is a bad thing? It’s just a human trait and judgement serves no purpose.
To harness production, society has a choice between which is the greater of two evils:
Socialism rewards a few but causes a lower grade suffering to many; capitalism rewards a few but causes greater suffering to a few. Personally I don’t think it is a bad thing that money influences media, low paid journalists are too easily taken in by sob stories and the climate change gravy train.
With regards to TVNZ 7 – broadcast channels are on the way out in general. We are in the age of Content On Demand. You can watch, whatever you like, when ever you like. Just as we read whatever we like, whenever we like. I agree that funding should continue for the production of the gems that TVNZ 7 threw up. However just as it would be strange if the government funded a newspaper, it’s quite weird that we think funding should be available for a TV channel.
Radio can’t be compared because it is picture-less and doesn’t have the same production costs. I Think. I may change on that.
if it wasn’t for public broadcasting services in other countries – BBC, HBO etc etc – there would be very little worth watching on NZ TV. What’s the use of programmes on demand on your laptop if no-one’s making stuff worth watching?
@ Monique Watson…Gee Monique Are you a libertarian? Thats OK but I suspect even EVEN Lyndsay Perigo and Ayn Rand would say being power crazy is ‘a bad thing’ – it becomes anarchy and worse. As for being ‘superwealthy’,I have no problem with them as long as they are decent, fair and not powercrazy!
I think that your socialism/capitalism definitions are superficial – anyhow why cant we find a sensible ‘medium’. Is that just mediocre and boring?
Your assertion that low paid journos are “easily taken in by sob stories” may be right… but might they also be persuaded by a backhander, or a bullying shareholder. What is your point? That all reporters should be paid like judges- huge pay to stop them being bribed – well that is one reason I am told! I doubt we would have print media at all!
Governments of developed countries almost universally ensure that their citizens are informed by public service TV. Television is more preferred than newspapers by citizens today. Certainly it is accessed by many more. TVNZ7 was on Sky and Freeview, and, on changeover to digital, to all viewers, I understand. Do Key and Co realise that information and debate may not help their cause – why would that be? The government tried to mislead us that viewing of TVNZ7 was very slight when it was enjoying rapidly increasing viewing as the thinking public discovered it – despite poor advertising – IT was not even listed in “The Listener”!
Dumbing down the public should never be an option
HBO is public broadcasting ??? Someone has mixed up their scrabble counters
@Paul B – New Zealand has a long history of wanting to have the good things that Australia has, but without being willing to do what Australia actually does to achieve their prosperity. Mining is just one of the most obvious( they have a can-do attitude, we lost ours ages ago. Watching Hindsight made me proud and ill at the same time ).
This post seemed like just another in a long stream of posts that I have seen on RedAlert (and others) along similar lines – “JK should save TVNZ 7″, JK suggests opening mines (or do whatever) to pay for it, “no you cant do that” the opposition cry, repeat ad-infinitum (maybe that is the role of an opposition but its getting boring ).
The result is nothing happens, NZ living conditions reduce further and more people simply vote with their feet and head for the airport. Funnily enough, sometimes they are heading to Australia to go to work in the mines. So another job is exported.
And I specifically mentioned mining because, apparently, there is already another hoo-haa regarding a potential gold mine in NZ. But, of course, there might be some snails, or a Taniwha or two in the way.
Constructive enough for you?
OneTrack, spot on!
Yes OneTrack, people are leaving New Zealand because of the opposition not rolling over over mining, you got it, spon on.
One Track your logic is deeply flawed. Public broadcasting is valued in many countries other than Australia, becasue it is deeply important for a fair democracy. As I’m sure you are very aware.
Clare, why the cheap shots at Peter Dunne? Are you trying to blame your failure on him? That’s how it looks.
Peter Dunne talks a good game, but he is never willing to put his vote where his mouth is. Has he ever voted against National on anything of substance? How deep are his convictions?
By talk I mean:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816809
Look at the mess Italy got into because their media was dominate by Belasconi.
“One Track your logic is deeply flawed”
That’s why I’d never be a politician. You’re all so polite, but I’ll have a go.
“Clare, why the cheap shots at Peter Dunne?”
Pete George your logic is deeply flawed.
Nah, just doesn’t feel right. Can I just call him a div?
Thanks for leading this campaign Clare, I hope that the government can be big enough to realize that 7 actually was a positive force in NZ and growing in popularity as people change over and change their ingrained viewing habits, but I’m not holdig my breath. Therfore I look forward to its reinstatement when Labour leads the next Government.
Just looked at the Dunn Link shared by RedFred to see the comment by Paul Little about being condemed to watch a night of PB Television. The point of multi channel TV is that no-one is condemed to watch for the whole night you choose to watch the items you are interested in meaning it shouldn’t be eletist but able to provide programmes that appeal to the diverse interests of watchers not covered by commercial TV
RedFred – are you aware of how Peter Dunne votes? Or are you guessing?
From parliament last week Peter Dunne:
- voted for Phil Twyford’s Depleted Uranium Prohibition Bill
- supported David Clark’s Mondayisation bill
- held National to 51% minimum ownership in the MOM bill (they tried to change it to 51% voting rights).
Peter Dunne could be a very useful ally in progressing some sort of Public Service Broadcasting – if Clare doesn’t throw her toys at him too much.
Working forward cooperatively is a much better bet than backwards blaming.
“RedFred – are you aware of how Peter Dunne votes? Or are you guessing?”
After dunne on asset sales, you’re having a laugh, right?
Peter Dunne could be a very useful ally in progressing some sort of Public Service Broadcasting – if he doesn’t have the day off when he’s supposed to be voting.
Yeah, my analysis probably is superficial. I’m a housewife. If I get into paralysis analysis, the household natives become problematic.
I agree that funding should be in place to preserve winners like Backbenchers et al. I don’t know preserving the actual channel is the way to go.
And you’re gunna get power crazy peeps no matter the nature of the Govt was my point.
An Individuals wealth is no indication of mental health or compassion for fellow man.
“Yeah, my analysis probably is superficial.”
That’s what I thought when I read you on your blog, slagging off the salvation army for their charity work.
al1en: After dunne on asset sales, you’re having a laugh, right?
No, I sorta thought if you’re going to criticise you would try and know the facts, but you don’t seem to think facts are important.
@ Monique OK
@ One Track Yeah re mining A major point is that Australia is about 30 times bigger (area) than us and is mostly wasteland- Ok -there is no such thing as wasteland , but just look at most of their huge mining operations – Out of sight – out of mind – with respect to conservation! I am sure that they are destroying snails and stuff, but Australia has a huge and diverse fauna much of it not yet devastated to the extent of ours – which evolved in much greater isolation, and is more vulnerable… and Aussies often just care less about very remote areas – Nowhere is really remote in NZ of course! We tramp and climb all over our beaut place – they just motor around the edges and bushwalk the fringe a bit
Of course Aussie also has sought after minerals in gross abundance, that we can barely comprehend.
NZ is just different – more like Tasmania – and they are not wantonly destroying their place anymore either
@Brendon Murray “Therfore I look forward to its reinstatement when Labour leads the next Government.”
That wont happen. If there is another Lab Govt, I think there is a better chance they will fix the NZ dollar exchange rate.
“No, I sorta thought if you’re going to criticise you would try and know the facts, but you don’t seem to think facts are important”
UF d’oh!
From Monique Watson on 2 July:
And..
From Monique Watson’s blog:
Not very far down the path of self-realization, huh? Or are you just role-playing Lawful Evil in this thread?
@Tim G
If they weren’t lawful evil, they might actually have an opinion of their own instead of trotting out the board or party line to pursue a path up the ranks of power themselves. Hah. I’m getting off track.
Isn’t that what most politicians are
Personally I think a well supported public broadcast radio channel or 10 is the way to go. It’s less likely to be a slave to capitalism due to it being a less attractive advertising medium with no pictures.
My word.. Who’d have thought a post about the tragic, and utterly avoidable loss of public broadcastin could bring out the lunatic fringe to this extent!!
Let’s see… first we get two geniuses tying mining and public television together… now that’s a leap of intuition I wouldn’t have considered, unless someone had slipped something into my drink first….
Second, we get “angry housewife”. pontificating on how being “Power mad” is a good thing as it’s just “human nature” so should be accepted….
Top your wine glass up moneyk, and calm down a bit… What you describe is an extreme imbalance in “normal” human nature… If you want to make your days a bit more useful, you could look up the myriad psychology studies done on theses kinds of obsessive behaviours….
You could start with Sigmund Freud, and Karl Jung for starters… they are available in most libraries…but the choice is limitless…
Thirdly, we get Little chief “bad hair” (little pete)getting upset about a non existent comment in this post so that he can hijack the thread and make the discussion about himself….See the above advice little bad hair if you really need to get it off your chest….
With the last shred of any meaningful public broadcasting being snuffed out, we have now come full circle. As I write this, new zealand has repositioned itself back to where we were in the 1930′s, …..before a visionary Labour government created the conditions that allowed us to not only take our place in the first world, but be one of, if not THE most successful democracies, and become a truly egaliterian society….
This environment that encouraged us to play to our strengths, i’e; the ingenuity, and work ethics of our people..
One of the vital factors in creating, and maintaining this environment so necessary to continued healthy evolution is an “informed electorate”… Without it, the likelyhood of rash, shortsighted, and irresponsible decisions being made is much greater….
An electorate voting on policy from a position of ignorance is a recipe for disaster….
Public broadcasting is seen (rightly) by every single democratic society with pretensions, or otherwise towards egalitarianism… having proved that this approach leads to much better outcomes for societies as a whole… which is why all these countries encourage, and maintain a public broadcasting structure of their own…
All except the country that showed them the benefits of these practices…. Little old new zealand…
Hang your head in shame John (sparkles) Key… You are the “leader” of the government that drove the last stake into the heart of democratic, egalitarian society here in “godzone”….
Despicable!!
@ BbFloyd.Yeah, I’m really sorry if that’s the case. The snuffing out of public broadcasting that is. I agree there is a place for public broadcasting in developed nations. if nothing else it should improve syntax in attendant individual,s such as yourself, out of sight. However, given the technological advances that have recently occurred, I believe a public broadcasting channel is an outmoded vehicle for creativity or insightful documentation.
Maybe Labour’s public broadcasting policy that could be tweaked and applied to a different vehicle. Perhaps Backbenchers et al could be made available on demand on the RNZ website.
I’d just like to say, I’m not angry. A combination of wine, money and beauty keeps one fairly relaxed. However, I couldn’t possibly argue with your accusations of lunacy.
god luck, keep trying.
and how is forcing those who would benefit from having accurate, informative news and current events…. the opportunity to witness homegrown talent being encouraged, and sponsored….. to name but two of the many facets of a true public broadcast entity that withdrawn, will leave a gaping hole in the fabric of our society, to pay for the downloading costs associated with watching programs that could well go on for hours at a time…
Why don’t we come up with a witty slogan to reassure the pensioner who would now have to purchase a computer in order to watch “free to air” publicly(government) funded tv?
Secondly, if this ersatze government won’t provide funding, where are the programs going to come from? tvnz archives? earth to angry of mayfair… they are already doing that…
And it really, really, isn’t the same thing…
Not to mention the obvious negative of forcing people to sit for even longer periods in front of their computers.. assuming they have one, of course….
It may astound those classes that have never had to decide between eating, or warmth, that there are still people out there who don’t own these things…And who can’t afford the minimum $10,00 weekly cost of having broadband.. much less any installation costs…..
So, we can assume that the only counter to real concerns, and genuine issues raised by the actions of individuals within the corridors of power who fail the “duty of care” test with every decision made that restricts truly egalitarian interaction within the cultural/political/historical framework that is how real democracies are supposed to develop… is that being drunk makes one cute, and correcting spelling mistakes, or grammar is a fitting substitute for a considered response…?
So now we all know that TV7 was just collatoral damage in the drive to dismantle new zealands democratic tradition…
A tradition that only started once ordinary new zealanders threw off the burden of greed driven, incompetents, and actually built a democratic, egalitarian nation that could take it’s place in the first world as an equal to any….
As I’ve said before, and not a single word have I read here that gives me pause….. despicable….