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Crossing the line

Posted by Clare Curran on October 5th, 2011

Popularity and power go together. I think we all know it. Whether it’s in the school playground, the boardroom, the big screen or the bear pit of parliament.

If you have the gift of the gab and a brain, then you’ve got an “x factor;” something that others want to be near and have a part of.

But with power comes responsibility and judgement. The more popularity, the more power, and the risk that good responsible judgement goes out the window.

That happened last week I believe, when the Prime Minister was a DJ on an hour long show with no editorial control on Radio Live interviewing celebrity guests and generally chatting about (supposedly) nothing to do with the election.

It was less than 8 weeks before the election. he is the Prime Minister. A politician. His Party wants to be returned to power. It was an opportunity not offered to the Leaders of other parties.

The National Party’s election strategy is based around John Key’s popularity. Brand Key. All its election hoardings bear his picture. Activists and candidates wear t-shirts with “I’m a Key person” on them.

An hour long show on Radio Live in a prominent Friday afternoon slot was about cementing Brand Key in the minds of listeners. It was a clever marketing idea. It was not a clever political strategy. And it was not “fair”.

Radio Live is owned by Radioworks, which is part of Mediaworks. In 2009 the National Government provided Mediaworks with a $43 million loan to defer payments for their radio spectrum licenses.

This issue has been covered extensively in the media since March this year when it came to light. There is, at the very least, a perception that Mediaworks was provided favourable treatment by the government. In that case it is even more important for Mediaworks to ensure they are extremely balanced in their election coverage.

On Monday, Labour submitted a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority over the PM’s show. Another complaint was lodged with the Electoral Commission.

Labour contends that the New Zealand electoral system is based on fairness, responsibility and impartiality to order for Kiwis to make their voting choices without pressure or misleading information.

We believe the show breached the Broadcasting Act and the Electoral Act.

I was completely gobsmacked when I heard that Mediaworks had given the Prime Minister a free hour. I believe, as I think all new Zealanders do that we are all entitled to a fair trial if we are accused of something and charged. I also believe that New Zealanders are entitled to a fair electoral system.

It doesn’t matter how popular you are. None of us are above the law. There’s always a point when the popular guy crosses the line and takes too much for granted.

The right to a fair go is a deeply held belief in our country. It doesn’t matter what side of politics you’re on. I think that’s the test here.

It has resonance for all our media and I reckon they aren’t happy at being put in this position.

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Filed under: Elections, broadcasting, media
19 Comments

Did Jonathan Coleman sign off the TVNZ SOI?

Posted by Clare Curran on September 27th, 2011

Jonathan Coleman has been insisting for months that National’s commitment to public broadcasting lies in in NZ On Air’s contestable funding model. National MP Nikki Kaye parroted this in a recent column in the NZ Herald:

We believe that quality and diversity in local content is best provided through contestable funding which promotes competition for quality, content diversity and the availability of programming across multiple channels and platforms.

In the past year, more than $81 million of contestable funding was made available through NZ On Air for locally made television. The Platinum Fund, which was launched in 2009, provides $15 million in contestable funding for New Zealand television content. This funding gives priority to high-end drama, current affairs, documentaries and special event programming – material that is generally considered to be public broadcasting programming.

TVNZ’s recent Statement of Intent (SOI) for the next 3 years tells a different story. It might be a commercial channel now, but it’s still the state owned broadcaster. An SOI is technically a contract between the broadcaster and shareholder. Presumably Coleman signs it off. If he did, then he has endorsed what runs counter to his public position on public broadcasting; quality content. The SOI says:

Notwithstanding the inherent uncertainty of any contestable funding scheme, there remains the risk of potential misalignment between the programming objectives of NZOA with the commercial objectives of TVNZ. This could result in the inability of TVNZ to attract NZOA funding for commercially attractive local programming.

To mitigate this risk, we will engage NZOA to align objectives, agree aims for commercially attractive local programming and address potential revisions to funding criteria.

What does this mean? TVNZ is going put the heavies on NZoA? Did Jonathan Coleman agree to this?

If TVNZ pressures NZoA to direct a higher proportion of funds toward commercially viable/populist genres then there is going to be less money available for programmes that have a strong public service value but might not pull in a mass audience- such as those on TVNZ7 which Coleman claims can still be funded by NZoA.

And then there’s the bit where TVNZ says its moving further into the pay channel business:

The challenge is to harness this digital presence to drive revenue growth and other commercial benefits. To mitigate this risk, we will continue to pursue growth in our pay channel business and further grow and diversify our video on demand business.

and this:

We will continue to strengthen our position along the content value chain by retaining our mass audience, by forming strategic relationships with both local and international content rights holders, and by increasing funding from NZOA;

Enhance our rights management capabilities to optimise the commercial value from the content rights we do secure, particularly in relation to our multi-platform distribution strategies…

Well, TVNZ’s a commercial operator now. Let’s not pretend it’s otherwise. But NZ on Air should watch out.  And I wonder what further deals are planned with Sky TV?

There’s been a bit of reporting about this. Not much. I guess the RWC is on and all. Grant Smithies wrote a good piece in the SST called Fade to Black which is worth a read.

It’s interesting that Maori TV (which has become the quasi-public TV broadcaster in NZ) has stolen a march on TVNZ with it’s “quality” broadcasting during this time. What can we all look forward to under this brave new world?

Whatever it is, Jonathan Coleman should cease to pretend he believes in quality public broadcasting.

TVNZ’s reinvigorated commercialism is indicative of a shift in the media environment that intensifies competition for ratings and increases the cost of providing content with high public value but sub-optimum audience appeal. TVNZ’s SOI shows why Coleman’s assurances that the content on TVNZ 7 will still be available is mistaken. Diversity of digital platforms do NOT mean a diversity of content.

Auckland journalist Colin Hogg  (who runs the production company which produced Talk Talk on TVNZ7 and had its final show last week) summed it up when he wrote:

“TV these days is basically programmed by the ad agencies, which is pretty sad,” Hogg writes. “The cultural impact of the loss of TVNZ 7 is that there will be no outlet for shows like ours, or Media 7, or Backbenches. In years to come when we look back for archive of this time, all we’ll find is Motorway Patrol, Border Patrol, Dog Patrol, food shows and freak shows about fat people.”

We can do better than this.

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Filed under: broadcasting
12 Comments

It’s all about the content

Posted by Clare Curran on September 26th, 2011

Any discussion about the future of NZ’s media has to be about the stuff it produces. Not just about the networks or channels that transmit it.

NZ content needs a boost. Our local industry is generally talented, whether it be screen production, journalism, current affairs, writers, producers. But it’s generally not thriving and energetic. It feels tired and struggling against a tide of advertising-driven content. Much of it purchased cheaply from offshore to fill our screens. Journalists struggle to meet the increasing demands of multi-media and multiple deadlines with diminishing staff in many newsrooms.

Public funding for broadcasting is shrinking. It’s simply not considered  important by this government. The commercial broadcasters are fighting for more dominance. And the consumer is losing.

Had a really interesting discussion today with a respected prominent figure in NZ (based) media. He said Jonathan Coleman should resign for accepting TVNZ’s recent Statement of Intent (SOI).

The SOI said that it would pressure NZ on Air to approve more commercially attractive local programming and address potential revisions to funding criteria. That’s essentially the Minister signing up to a strategy which sees it’s own SOE do a funding grab for commercial gain (separate blogpost following on this).

A ray of sunshine in the gloom is the steady rise of  some various independent NZ (digital) media (this list is not exhaustive) who are making a go of it in this new environment – such as Interest.co.nz, Scoop, BusinessDesk, AllAboutthe Story, Idealog – and the rising viability of specialist subscriber news.

I think they are an important part of the future media landscape but this will only become apparent in a more competitive environment. What customers ultimately want is good content. Whether it’s in the publicly funded sphere, or a competitive commerical sphere. Currently, we could do a lot better in both.

A competitive and thriving media and content creation sector is needed to deliver diversity.  The New Zealand broadcasting sector currently lacks a diversity of ideas because, unique in the world, the government has abolished the public television broadcasting function. Radio New Zealand’s frozen budget puts it under such pressure that it must consider fundraising via a trust or commercial sponsorship to pay for some of its programmes.

To incentivise competition—and get the best from it—we need to be aware of the extent to which the ownership and control of our digital media lies outside New Zealand, and whether our access to content is limited by those who run the media system in their own interests.

I think that’s an important issue right now. Don’t you?

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Filed under: #ownourfuture, broadcasting
11 Comments

ABC Open

Posted by Clare Curran on September 16th, 2011

It’s been a year since ABC Open kicked off. It’s an initiative of the publicly funded broadcaster to invite regional communities to produce and publish photos, stories, videos, and sound through the ABC. They have a team of producers based in regional towns to help people with ideas and learning skills in storytelling and making media.

This is worth a look. I know I post a bit of stuff from Australia’s ABC Television public broadcaster. That’s because they’re doing some good stuff. I can’t put up a clip, but you can click the link here and see for yourself. What a great idea. Fostering new talent. Telling regional stories.

ABC Open invites people in regional Australia to connect and share stories through the ABC. In September 2010, we got off to a cracking start, tapping into the creative and diverse life of regional Australia using audio slideshows to tell personal stories of change.

Since then, well over 4700 contributions to 22 projects have uncovered different themes, landscapes, personalities and stories which demonstrate, through words, pictures, sounds and video, the flavours of regional life. The contributions and stories themselves are powerful, but so too are the connections, collaborations and sense of accomplishment that learning new skills and sharing has brought to both the contributors from the community as well as the ABC Open producers involved.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, #ownourfuture, broadcasting
6 Comments

At home with Julia

Posted by Clare Curran on September 15th, 2011

This is seriously cool. It’s become a bit of a hit I understand. Wish we could do this stuff here. To the same quality.

Perhaps if we had a real public broadcaster. We certainly have the talent and the creativity. Just not the political will to back public broadcasting which believes in more than the next reality TV show.

Having the piss taken out of you is part of this business (as I’m realising). I reckon we’d be better off for a bit more satire and humour (and quality).

I hope the ABC makes the episodes available for a NZ audience too.

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Filed under: broadcasting, humour
9 Comments

It’s now TV Auckland, not TVNZ

Posted by Clare Curran on September 12th, 2011

There are some big questions to consider about the state of our public broadcasting service. In both television and radio. Television is perhaps more urgent, with the impending demise of TVNZ7, the axing of the TVNZ Charter, the shift to a commercial only model, the impending sale of TVNZ’s Wellington-based Avalon studio and the abdication by our TV broadcaster of any public service responsibilities.

Now we’re seeing the abdication of responsibility to the whole of NZ.

I think it’s becoming rapidly clear that Television NZ has morphed into TV Auckland. The latest piece of evidence (and there’s been a steady stream) is yesterday’s news in the Herald on Sunday that:

TVNZ has told Good Morning hosts Sarah Bradley and Brendan Pongia to reapply for their jobs – and is also holding auditions for the roles.

At least 14 people will lose their jobs when the magazine-style show moves from Wellington to Auckland and TVNZ says it wants to “tap into” talent already in Auckland…

…Pongia and Bradley have hosted the show since 2006 and are thought to be on annual contracts…

…A TVNZ spokeswoman said the move north gave the network an opportunity to take a fresh look at the show. “These auditions will tell us what is out there and allow us to tap into the Auckland talent pool.

The sale of the important Avalon Studios is perhaps the starkest display of a blatant strategy to focus the company in one city, the city where the population is, the advertising dollar is best directed and where the commercial gain will be got.

But TVNZ is still a Crown entity. It is governed under the  Crown Entities Act and the Television NZ Act (part of which has recently been amended to remove its charter and replace it with a statement of functions).

But the shareholding Minister has the ability to provide clear expectation through the Crown Entities Act of how TVNZ should perform.

Commercial return is one of those expectations now we’ve lost the TVNZ Charter. But so is providing a service to all NZers. And providing high quality content.

TVNZ has lost sight of that. So has the government. It’s all about going where the money is. And bugger the rest of New Zealand.

We have to consider whether Avalon Studios is an important strategic resource for the whole television industry. We don’t believe the government is thinking about  the impact of losing Avalon on the wider TV and film sector. We think they should. And we would.

The Avalon Studios complex and 10-storey office tower became a Hutt Valley landmark after opening in 1975 as New Zealand’s first custom-built television centre. It is TVNZ’s biggest facility outside Auckland.

My colleague Chris Hipkins has blogged about this and spoken strongly against the proposed sale.  As he says, closing Avalon is a stupid decision that lacks vision and shows TVNZ’s lack of commitment to quality local programming. Avalon is widely recognised as the best TV production facility in the southern hemisphere, but our state broadcaster would rather screen yet more low-budget reality TV shows than put it to good use.

Another Wellington colleague Trevor Mallard, who was a former broadcasting Minister has criticised TVNZ’s bloated management for not managing its assets better. I think they’re right.

Both TVNZ and this government have a very narrow view of broadcasting being about commercial return. They forget that this nation, as do most others, puts a high value on public broadcasting which is about reflecting our stories, our nation back to ourselves and to the world.

TV Auckland will provide us with a commercial service that ignores the rest of our country, the stories, the cultural identity of our nation. It all fits into the way this nationis now being run. As a corporation, not as a country.

We’ve got to change tack.

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Filed under: #ownourfuture, Television, broadcasting
24 Comments

TVNZ stupid to close Avalon

Posted by Chris Hipkins on July 31st, 2011

Yesterday the Dom Post picked up some of the concerns that I’ve been raising about TVNZ’s planned closure of the Avalon TV studios. I use the term ‘closure’ deliberately, because at the moment that seems like the most likely outcome of their decision to relocate the last of their shows to Auckland and place the complex on the open market.

TVNZ claims that there are about 60 permanent staff working at Avalon, but closure will have a flow-on effect on a far greater number of people than that. Most of the people who make a living from Avalon these days are contractors. The camera men, lighting technicians, and so forth. Then there are the many local suppliers, from the florist who decorates the Good Morning set through to taxi companies, local caterers and so on.

Closing Avalon is a stupid decision that lacks vision and shows TVNZ’s lack of commitment to quality local programming. Avalon is widely recognised as the best TV production facility in the southern hemisphere, but our state broadcaster would rather screen yet more low-budget reality TV shows than put it to good use. In a few years time if Avalon is closed and they decide to produce another Dancing with the Stars type series, they’ll have nowhere to film it. Instead they’d end up converting an unused warehouse somewhere in south Auckland, with all of the cost and expense that goes with that.

The decision to relocate Good Morning to Auckland also needs to be questioned. I’m told by those that work on the show that many of the segments currently screened, including Astar’s cooking segment and the live local music performances, won’t be able to be filmed in the Auckland studios because they’re too small. Don’t forget that TVNZ relocated Good Morning to Auckland once before and it didn’t work so they moved it back to Avalon. This time, if they’ve closed Avalon down, they won’t have that option.

As I’ve said before, we don’t have a public service TV broadcaster in New Zealand. TVNZ is no different to the privately-owned commercial stations like TV3 and Four. And it’s a dinosaur. TVNZ’s heavy reliance on cheap, imported shows will be its downfall. With the proliferation of TV channels and with new technology opening up all sorts of new ways for us to access content, TVNZ’s competitive advantage should be it’s local content. The closure of Avalon demonstrates once again how they’ve failed to grasp that.

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Filed under: broadcasting
10 Comments

Diversion: that hacking thing is a beat up (says Fox)

Posted by Clare Curran on July 18th, 2011

Fox News’ take on the the News of the World hacking scandal.

Hacking is a big problem they say, but it’s foreign govt hacking that we should worry about not Murdoch empire hacking (ie a US media empire hacking into citizen’s phones to get stories)

They say it’s the hacking that’s a problem, protection of privacy. Well yes that is a problem, but the fact that a media empire is seriously implicated in a phone hacking scandal is and remains very serious.

Fox found a PR guy to create a diversion.

He says that for some reason the public keeps going over it again and again…. And we should now move on and talk about the important topics of the day. Yeah right

We’ll see.

Breaking News: Rebekah Brooks is arrested in London

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Filed under: broadcasting, media
8 Comments

The slippery slope

Posted by Clare Curran on July 13th, 2011

Public television broadcasting ended in NZ last night. The TVNZ Amendment Bill passed which kills the TVNZ Charter. TVNZ is now required to be a commercial broadcaster. it remains State owned for now but is likely being prepared for sale by a government that has no commitment to public broadcasting.

While the National Govt axes the Charter and drives a stake into public TV broadcasting,  there’s a mounting crisis in the media world; in the relationship between media and politicians which could severely impact on the Murdoch media empire and the UK Govt.

The News of the World phone hacking scandal has reverberated around the globe. The Murdoch empire has tentacles in many countries.

There’s some important lessons here.

Independent public media, not captured by vested interests is critical to the health of a nation. The public needs to know that politicians and media aren’t in bed with each other, that there’s standards that media adhere to and lines that wont be crossed. If they are crossed, that the judicial system will investigate and prosecute. And wont be captured and muzzled by fear of powerful media.

But the passing of this Bill takes NZ on a slippery slope to a place where vested interests rule our media. Hopefully not our politicians.

But.

We’ve already seen the government fork out $43 million to bail out Mediaworks. It’s pretty clear that TVNZ is being prepared for sale and meanwhile Sky gains a bigger slice of the unregulated broadcasting sphere. Unfettered. Not good.

Labour is committed to a strong independent public media. If you have had any doubts about the need, just look across the hemisphere.

All governments are susceptible to media influence. Especially big media empires. Which makes for a compelling case for independent publicly funded media which is arms length from government.

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Filed under: TVNZ 7, Television, broadcasting, democracy, media
20 Comments

Damage control

Posted by Clare Curran on July 9th, 2011

Just watched an Australian (part Murdoch-owned) Sky News report where The (Murdoch-owned) Australian newspaper is forced to “deny” phone hacking activities aka those undertaken by the (Murdoch-owned) News of the World (NotW) newspaper.

Interesting.

And think I agree with the Telegraph editor David Hughes (did I say that?) who thinks that the decision to close News of the World is not only about protecting News International’s chief executive Rebekah Brooks:

“Most of all, this move is designed to ensure that News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB goes ahead. That is at the heart of Murdoch’s strategy, not the fate of Britain’s best-selling red top.

The BBC has gathered a series of opinions on it which is worth a look.

Murdoch’s decision to close NotW is all about damage control. It’s certainly a disaster for him re NotW. But there’s a much bigger play happening. UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s response today yesterday to call an inquiry into the phone hacking shows just how big that play is.

David Cameron is now very exposed.  Andy Coulson, his former press spokesman, has been arrested  in connection with allegations of corruption and phone hacking.

Cameron has been busy covering himself. Shows what can happen when those with the levers of power over-reach themselves.

It appears the NotW demise is the fall guy. I believe they will attempt to ensure that the BSkyB network remains in Murdoch hands , but events may overtake.

Chickens coming home to roost.

Makes you wonder about our patch.

Update: And this just takes the cake. Cameron, calling for an inquiry into the phone hacking, calls for the end of close relationship between politicians and the media. Only when it doesn’t suit!

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Filed under: broadcasting, democracy, media
12 Comments

The assumption

Posted by Clare Curran on July 1st, 2011

Come home John Clarke

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Filed under: broadcasting, humour
6 Comments

What we’re missing out on…

Posted by Clare Curran on June 26th, 2011

Statistics before culture….

The Chaser’s War on Everything has been cutting edge TV in Australia since the mid 2000s. It’s stopped for now though they tried to bring it back during the Royal Wedding (got squashed by the BBC).

It’s irreverant, it pisses off politicians, celebrities, people in high places. But it’s comedy, it’s clever, it’s out there and it’s taking the piss.

We used to be funnier here. We used to do this sort of stuff. But we seem to have lost our ability to do it. Or pretty much.

Why? We’ve got to sort this…

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Filed under: broadcasting, humour, media
7 Comments

Politics and the media sideshow

Posted by Clare Curran on June 12th, 2011

Mediawatch this week is worth listening to.

An interview with Lindsay Tanner, former senior Australian politician who recently released a book called Sideshow; dumbing down the media and politics. I wrote a blog post about this a few weeks ago titled The trashing of politics and media which excited some interest.

The classic thing is that last week I participated in such a sideshow by stealing the headlines by wearing a Highlanders top into the Chamber and getting thrown out for not wearing appropriate business attire in the House. I was making a silent statement of support on behalf of an issue my constituents cared about. Its called representation. I didn’t expect to get thrown out. Once I did it became the major story of the day.

I’m not sorry for wearing the rugby shirt or for the resultant publicity. Hard to justify when there are so many other important issues. But that’s the media/politics sideshow. Not blaming the media. That’s the way things are. Have  a listen. It’s good stuff.

A strong, independent public media (including TV) might help provide more balance in the media coverage. If we had one.

Glad we’ve got RadioNZ and Mediawatch though.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadcasting, media, politics
10 Comments

A rich media

Posted by Clare Curran on May 25th, 2011

Somebody alerted me to this interview on RadioNZ’s Ninetonoon yesterday. Pleased it’s being discussed. Realise it might be a bit weird for a dastardly politician to be continuously pushing for a stronger media. Shan’t ever stop.

Listen.

Here’s the link to my post that Denis Welch talks about.

Not sexy but real.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadcasting, media
18 Comments

The trashing of politics and media

Posted by Clare Curran on May 15th, 2011

I’ve been writing for a while about the degradation of quality media in this country and building a case for strengthening it.

I have also written at various times about how cynicism towards politics and politicians has become like a cancer in our society. That it creates distance and distrust between people and politicians and has made the practice of democracy somewhat of a farce.

A couple of weeks ago a former senior Australian politician, Lindsay Tanner released a book called Sideshow, dumbing down democracy, which delved into both these subjects. Lindsay was Minister of Finance in the Labor Government and unexpectedly resigned at the last election. I have enormous respect for him as a man and a politician.

He writes of the mass disillusionment with politics in Australia and describes how politicians have become increasingly robotic, with scripted stunts and gimicks.

He talks of the pressures on media to be competitive and the impact of technology-change which has squeezed out much of the commercial media’s ability to be serious and considered about national politics. Instead, commercial media has become a zone of ultra sensationalsim, personalities, celebrities, trivia and gimicks. And politicians have responded by becoming more defensive and robotic to protect themselves.

He says nobody is particularly to blame, it’s the market pressures. But that two crafts; politics and serious journalism, have been trashed in the process.

Sound familiar? I think it’s worse here in NZ  because we don’t have the diversity of media that Australia has. But the hunger for trivia is increasing.

And as Kris Faafoi said in the debate in parliament last week on the Bill that axes the TVNZ Charter, the news on TV is becoming less important than the ad breaks in between news items. One could sometimes say indistinguishable from ad breaks.

We need serious debate about these issues in our country. If you’re interested; listen to Lindsay Tanner being interviewed on Australian Sky News by political editor David Speers.

And then watch the ABC’s MediaWatch clip which lays out in frightening detail the subsequent media coverage of Tanner’s book launch, in precisely the way he predicted it would play out in the media. As an attack on the government of which he was previously a part. Despite him trying to generate discussion about how the media interacts with politics.

How do we get critical analysis and discussion back into our public discourse in this country? That’s a pretty important and urgent question I think. It’s unlikely to come through commercial broadcast media. That leaves the depleted public broadcast media. And print, which faces similar issues. The demise of NZPA has raised some critical issues for our news media generally as we  will soon no longer have a national news agency.

Do New Zealanders care? Jonathan Coleman, the undistinguished Minister of Broadcasting, thinks they don’t. He reckons we all want to exist on a diet of reality TV. Do we really? And what do we do when our news and reality TV become indistinguishable?

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadcasting, comms & IT, democracy, digital, media
47 Comments

Tell the Government: Don’t Cut Our Future!

Posted by Trevor Mallard on April 27th, 2011

Flyer

t Cut Our Future

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Filed under: ACC, Arts and Culture, Budget, Child Support, Civil Defence, Consumer Affairs, Cost of Living, Green Jobs, Health and Safety, Skills, TVNZ 7, Victims' rights, Working for Families, act party, asset sales, broadcasting, business, children, conservation, debt, disabilities, economy, education, environment, family, finance, food, health, housing, inequality, jobs, justice, law and order, low pay, minimum wage, politics, public services, science, senior citizens, social development, superannuation, youth
21 Comments

Goodbye Kiwi #2

Posted by Clare Curran on April 26th, 2011

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”.

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Filed under: broadcasting, democracy
23 Comments

If it smells like a dog…

Posted by Clare Curran on April 23rd, 2011

Pretty disappointed with Vernon Small’s analysis in today’s DomPost of the Mediaworks debacle, where he lets Steven Joyce off the hook and by implication the rest of his government for any dodgy goings on in giving Mediaworks a $43m loan to defer radio licences.

Small neglects to mention that it wasn’t just Joyce involved. What about Key, Brownlee and Coleman’s involvement? That’s quite a lot of Ministers.

It’s my understanding that Joyce may not have been the first point of call from Mediaworks. There certainly were others involved in pushing for that decision against departmental advice. That doesn’t make him any less culpable for his government’s decisions. But the issue isn’t just about Joyce.

It’s about how a government can be so lacking in transparency about how such a deal was entered into.

And whether it should have been entered into at all.

And what it represented.

Instead Small says this:

You might even wonder if the pressure applied to local subsidiaries by the financial requirements of their overseas owners – in this case MediaWorks’ owners Ironbridge – should be ignored for fear it will be used to “game” extra concessions from the Government.

But describing the arrangement in the strong terms the Opposition has adopted goes too far in an effort to make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse.

Suggestions that Mr Joyce, the communications and information technology minister, had some sort of conflict of interest in helping out the Brent Impey-led company (that Mr Joyce established) survives only till you know that Mr Joyce and Mr Impey are . . . errr . . . not close.

I dunno what other terms one could use to describe it. Dodgy and cronyism seem pretty tame to me. And making Steven Joyce into some kind of maligned being is a bit rich. Look at what’s going on in two of his other portfolios.

There’s currently an Auditor General inquiry  into the link between former National Party Minister Pansy Wong’s husband Sammy and the deals being done by Kiwirail and the Chinese rail company that Wong was associated with. It appears that the Govt has backed off sending the major Auckland electric trains contract to China North Rail (decision in the last few days), but there are other major flatdeck wagon deals likely to go their way.

This week we discover that Joyce’s current chief Ministerial adviser on broadband was named as the chief adviser to Telecom during a major anti-competitive deal in the early 2000s. This has resulted in Telecom receiving a record $12 million fine and the adviser, Bruce Parkes, being named in the court judgement. Did Joyce know about this case when Bruce Parkes was employed? Did he care? It appears not.

But it’s interesting that Joyce’s broadband scheme is being accused of the same anti-competitiveness right now.

Re Mediaworks, the essence of Small’s analysis seems to hinge on the fact that Brett Impey from Mediaworks and Joyce are no longer close. That may well be. I reckon I know why. It’s not really the point. Because Joyce’s relationship with Mediaworks goes back a long way.

And TV3 and the mediaworks radio stations wield considerable influence on our news screens and airwaves. And it is election year.

Another interesting thing. Did Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman attend a Mediaworks board meeting a few months ago? Was the future of TVNZ7 discussed? What else was discussed? Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.

Oh, and then a week ago former Jim Bolger press sec Richard Griffin was made chair of the Radio NZ board. Keep them quiet and compliant will no doubt be his brief.

TVNZ has already been instructed it is no longer a public broadcaster.

So much for independent, vibrant, critical analysis and public broadcasting.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband, broadcasting, comms & IT, media
21 Comments

Frost of the Caucus

Posted by Charles Chauvel on April 12th, 2011

Over the past few days I’ve been feeling rather sad about the announcements of NZPA and TVNZ 7. It has been tough to see that more voices in our media are being lost.

But I cheer up whenever I listen (online) to a community radio show that you probably didn’t even know about.

For a community radio show it has pulled in some pretty big guests like Te Radar, Roger Kerr (of the Business Roundtable), Economists Bernard Hickey and Rod Oram, Political columnists Chris Trotter, Matthew Hooton, Bomber Bradbury and Colin James, Auckland mayors John Banks and Len Brown, New Zealander of the Year Ray Avery, Rocket Man Peter Beck, League Legend Stacey Jones, Former Governor General Dame Cath Tizard and Aotearoa Republican Lewis Holden.

Now you are wondering, with guests that good, why haven’t you heard about it? Well wonder now more. Ladies and gentleman I introduce to you the David Frost of the Labour caucus, David Shearer.

The show is live Thursdays at 9.05am on Thursday or listen online [link has been fixed]

Filed under: TVNZ 7, broadcasting, journalism, media, personal
6 Comments

The end of Avalon?

Posted by Chris Hipkins on April 5th, 2011

I was sad to see TVNZ announce today that the Good Morning TV show will be relocated to Auckland at the end of the year. It’s the only show of any substance to be produced at Avalon at the moment and probably marks the end of an era for New Zealand TV.

Avalon is an iconic landmark in my electorate, towering over the neighboring suburbs since the late 1970s. It used to be the home of TVNZ, and heaps of legendary kiwi TV was made there (at one stage almost all Kiwi drama was made in the Hutt). Then TVNZ abandoned any pretense of public service TV, moved to Auckland chasing the almighty dollar, and Avalon has been on a downward slide ever since.

In more recent years it’s been home to game shows like Sale of the Century and Wheel of Fortune, and large live shows like Dancing with the Stars. Interesting to note in TVNZ’s announcement that they think large studio-based shows are too expensive to make theses days. I guess we’ll just have to look forward to more imported shows about vampires.

Or perhaps it’s time to start afresh? Let TVNZ go off and be a commercial broadcaster and setup a new public service channel? Avalon wouldn’t be a bad place to start…

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Filed under: broadcasting, media
6 Comments

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