Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Biting back at Bill

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  • merc,

    Stoked! A quote. Personally, I think TVNZ is going to go down a long, long way before there's a re-build from the ashes. And that new promo suggests I may be right.

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Stoked! A quote. Personally, I think TVNZ is going to go down a long, long way before there's a re-build from the ashes. And that new promo suggests I may be right.

    I've always thought that one of the worst of the hither-and-thither decisions in the past decade and a half was the dumping of the community news trial under Reg Russ. Those people were actually making all-digital low-cost news long before it was fashionable, and would have had a hell of a lot of experience under their belts by now.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • merc,

    I used to be a Copywriter, who had to deal with TVNZ way back. I'm not a journalist, but from what I know (very little), the culture is just plain wrong for any kind of innovation or suggestions for it. It's going to have to take a Govt. intervention like Telecom, but (again), that is NOT going to happen, and the reasons why are just plain stupid (think Fiji Coup, Sri Lanka and other Govt. sensitive information control projects, not to mention election spending).
    Someone else here said, look at the doco's we used to make that are shown on Maori TV now (go MTV!), we were much better served then...why the slide?
    They'd have to pay me alot of money to answer that for them and I'd quickly be shown the door.

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    The rot set in long before Ralston. The faux-international style (over substance) took hold at TVNZ sometime in the late '80s, and the marketing hot-shots obviously still hold sway. TVNZ seems further than ever from realising that it's quality content that attracts viewers, not empty sloganeering. Something is seriously wrong with that place.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • merc,

    The rot set in when they stared listening to Kent Brockman and Troy McLure. Although I suppressed the Mayor Quimby meme, I was watching The Simpsons last night (getting child rearing advice, the kids use Homer against me) and hell, John Key is Mayor Quimby!

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I used to be a Copywriter, who had to deal with TVNZ way back. I'm not a journalist, but from what I know (very little), the culture is just plain wrong for any kind of innovation or suggestions for it.

    This is actually why I'm inclined to give the current management the benefit of the doubt. With TVNZ ondemand, they had the idea, planned and shipped it inside eight months. And it didn't suck.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    The faux-international style (over substance) took hold at TVNZ sometime in the late '80s,

    when TV3 arrived and they felt some odd need to, you know, compete. TV One didn't ever need to compete, it just needed to be TV One and hold it's head high, a la ABC and BBC 1.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    when TV3 arrived and they felt some odd need to, you know, compete. TV One didn't ever need to compete, it just needed to be TV One and hold it's head high, a la ABC and BBC 1.

    One key thing they did, which has come back to bite them on the arse, was deliberately create a celebrity culture. People who had once been announcers and journalists were pitched to the women's mags as celebrities.

    It was counter-productive in the long-term: it did nothing for the quality of news and current affairs and it helped create the runaway salary inflation of the early 90s - in 1993, 1994 and 1995 - when, as Gordon Campbell revealed in a great Listener story, TVNZ failed to re-register under the Companies Act. That meant it didn't report on salaries - and that records of how and why pay packets fattened apparently simply do not exist. During that period, salaries - and not just amongst presenters - went through the roof:

    The point being: the salaries paid to top presenters at TVNZ have come under fire from all quarters in recent years, most notably from then-TVNZ board chairman Ross Armstrong. Certainly, presenter salaries did rise sharply during the 1990s, despite the fact that New Zealand's television "market" for their wares has only two major players. Far less attention has been paid to the interplay between presenter salaries and top executive salaries.

    At the very least, according to TVNZ sources, the presenter salaries served to validate the pay rises that were taking place concurrently among the executives. Around the world, this was a period when massive pay packets were almost de rigueur, serving as self-validating symbols of potency for the senior executive class. Although neither simple nor direct, a linkage does seem to have existed. After all, TVNZ itself told Parliament in 2001 (see supplementary question 10, TVNZ Financial Review 1999/2000) that "internal relativity" was one of the main factors guiding how the company's Remuneration Committee did its job.

    Basically, they all thought National was going to sell TVNZ, decided they weren't public broadcasters and awarded each other huge salary increases. Jesus, some bad decisions have been made in the place.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    you'd think both channels would hire reporters who didn't have to have the story explained to them every time

    I gave up on TV reporters a loooong time ago. And presenters...Arghhh. I just want to punch that Alastair Wilkinson (that's the smarmy guy on TV3 eh?) in the nose.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    ps. give Keith Ng that camera right now! What a great idea!

    pps. It is still nice to listen to someone who knows how to "deliver the news"

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Tane Wilton,

    Why don't you link to the union's campaign website at www.ourmedia.org.nz where you can email the CEOs of TVNZ and APN, as well as Steve Maharey.

    Wellington • Since Apr 2007 • 5 posts Report Reply

  • merc,

    Yes RB, you're right about the salaries, and that sort of culture is really hard to get rid of, that will take a revolution, not evolution. Same thing with AirNZ, Telecom, maybe even Health, Education, it's just very hard to wean people off big pay, low results required.
    And all the freelancers, what of them? I say this because that sort of warped pseudo corporate culture without the need for public good and self-interested shareholders (Telecom shares going for a monopoly real cheap!) is an oxygen-free zone for quick, good, lateral minds who maybe work not only for the money but to have a neat day at work doing something good, creative and productive. Not everyone wants their own business, or to go sole trading, I like being an employee now. You wouldn't get me working at these other places for big bucks, I did, mea culpa and it was just too damn soul destroying. Share holding managers can be particularly vicious, then I start to think about how few people there are here and the talented NZers overseas...

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    "...If they needed to fly to Los Angeles to do a piece to camera in front of a building, it seemed, they just did it."

    Any particular story in mind?

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    "...If they needed to fly to Los Angeles to do a piece to camera in front of a building, it seemed, they just did it."

    Any particular story in mind?

    Yes, but I damned if I can remember what it was. I just recall sitting in front of the TV wondering how much that piece to camera cost.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    Perhaps an enterprising print journalist might want to track down someone who has worked at TV3's 60 Minutes, the Aussie 60 Minutes, and TVNZ's Sunday. Then they could ask them which programme demanded the longest hours and had the fewest resources, and had to turn around the most stories per person per year. The answer might fly in the face of the preferred truth.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • Jonty,

    Well at least the salary levels are directly proportional to the level of incompetence.

    Katikati • Since Mar 2007 • 102 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    "...If they needed to fly to Los Angeles to do a piece to camera in front of a building, it seemed, they just did it."

    Any particular story in mind?

    Sixty Minutes did a story in 1996 on OMC when we were sitting in London for seven weeks (actually flying back and forth some four times over the period). They allocated a film crew to us for the best part of three weeks, wined and dined us, spent god knows how much on calls from NZ to my cellphone, and followed us everywhere. It was a very pleasant time, but in the end they used three sequences, one on Abbey Road crossing, one Top of The Pops exterior, and one interview on the roof of NZ house. About 20% of the programme, which then cut into NZ filmed sequences and videos etc. An enormous waste of money with glaring factual errors.

    The 2007 20/20 story on Pauly was quite a different beast in terms of budgets and approach (although I've yet to see the final cut..I have a VHS but no player)...it took two years to negotiate but only a few days to film.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    One key thing they did, which has come back to bite them on the arse, was deliberately create a celebrity culture.

    <rant>
    For me that's the whole of the news now (and TV3 deserves brickbats as well). The idea that promotion for reality TV should be on any "news" programme is just obscene (eg Dancing with the stars now gets a mention most days on one of the TV1 "news" broadcasts). It's all about celebrety.

    I don't give a rats arse who the damn reporter is, but they all insist on telling me thier name (Mr Evan-Charlton in the sports news is the most egregious). Reporters should discover and report news in context, not advertise their own CV. Stick their name in a little box on the corner of the screen and save the air time for the news!

    And then you get the dumbing down. Lets tell people what the weather is because we know we won't get complaints about that. But heaven forfend that our reporters might research an actual story and is then <sharp intake of breath> a presenter simply present.

    pah! The whole lot should be fired.

    The encouraging thing is, as the internet develops, they will get fired because no-one will watch TV1 for news, instead they will get Kieth Ng's digicam feed direct on public address.
    </rant>

    cheers
    Bart

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    ...instead they will get Kieth Ng's digicam feed direct on public address.

    Bring it on!

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • merc,

    Release the Ng cam!

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • 81stcolumn,

    When SWMBO and me came back from the UK 3 years ago we didn't bring the telly. We still have yet to buy a TV card for any of the PC's. Reading this I can't see any compelling reason to bother. The strange thing is that after the first few months you really don't miss it.

    As for on-line, it is catching up !

    Roll on Keith.

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    When the suits at TVNZ read all this, they may be Ng-camdescent with rage!!!

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    It has been this way for ages though, glaring inaccuracies covered by shmaltz and a down beat backing track. that isn't news. Neither is the supposedly newsworthy mention of a story that just happens to be on sixty minutes, right after campbell live folks. I've taken to watching prime news because they don't seem to have time in their 30 minute program for the BS puffery that passes for a newscast on 1 or 3. Unfortunately this weekend just passed they screwed up as well with the paul holmes 90 second smarmfest towards the bum end (now thats appropriate) of their bulletin. There are next to NO celebrities in NZ! not many if any. At the very least none truly worthy of the public adulation that seems to come with celeb status. The fact that you sat at an outdoor table at SPQR doesn't make you a celeb. It makes you a poseur.

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    To be fair on the journos, Bart, they have been required to "sign off" every story since, I think, the late eighties (eg, ending with: "...Bart Jonswattle, TV One news.") My ex-boss- a fine wordsmith- worked in TVNZ news for many years and almost quit when they said he had to start doing it.
    On the other hand- you seem to find journos nowadaze without any curiousity about bleedin' anything. That's a killer. Not to mention you'd be very hard pressed to find a single TV journalist who understood the most basic principles of statistics.
    </whining ranting and nitpicking>

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Jonty,

    I've seen NZ TV develop almost since it's inception - from back in the old B&W days when Peter Empen, with his brilliantined SB&S, read the news with all the gravitas of an undertaker and Les Andrews used to sing Pedro the Fisherman every Sunday evening. Riveting. But once the Town & Around team had tired of fast forwarding Barbara Magner frolicking in the Domain (nightly for months it seemed) and the public were tiring of the facile American rubbish, dear old aunty NZBC did start bringing in quality programmes that were at the time regarded as the Best of British. Sundays were commercial free, ad breaks were about a third of what they are now, and there seemed to be a general assumption at NZBC that it was bordering on crassnes to inflict any more on the viewing public. In the US meanwhile they were oblivious of John Logie Bairds' heartfelt hope that television would be the catalyst for universal education, peace and understanding between nations - their TV dived straight to where the bucks were - with the lowest common denominator - and has stayed there ever since. And now sadly it seems TVNZ has followed suit. Business has taken over the medium completely and, like the Jesuits, makes sure we stay 'on message'. Now where's my library card?

    Katikati • Since Mar 2007 • 102 posts Report Reply

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