MEDIAWATCH: Poll shows NZers want TVNZ/RNZ Merger

Despite the Rights best attempts to paint the TVNZ/RNZ Merger out as the worst thing ever in Western Civilisation, people DO WANT a public broadcaster that doesn’t indulge in Fuck Boy Island…

In case you missed this in the last few days before Christmas, I just wanted to draw your attention to research commissioned by Better Public Media Trust that shows more New Zealanders support the RNZ/TVNZ merger than oppose it.

The Research NZ poll taken 15 to 19 December 2022 found that of those with an opinion, 60% support the merger and 40% oppose it.

Including the ‘don’t knows’ the results were:

• • 44% support
  • 29% don’t support
  • 26% don’t know

The question was – The government is planning to merge TVNZ and RNZ into a new state-owned public media service, with an extra $109 million per year, which equals to $22 per person per year. If this organisation provided new content for niche, minority and regional audiences while keeping the current TV, radio and online services as well, would you support it?

“This result shows considerable support for the ANZPM policy, considering the high levels of negative reporting and opinion pieces against it,” said Myles Thomas, Chair of the Better Public Media Trust.

“With a little more information about the merger, including the cost and the purpose for it, New Zealanders are more supportive of this policy.

“This shows the government can have confidence in its ANZPM policy. When New Zealanders know more about the ANZPM, they support it, and that is likely to grow further once the ANZPM is established in July.”

The research was completed between 15 and 19 December 2022 by Research NZ with a nationally representative sample of 1000, weighted to represent the adult population. The maximum margin of error is +/- 3.2% (at the 95% confidence level).

The new poll differs from a Taxpayers Union poll on the same subject which found 54% opposed and 22% supported the merger, with 24% unsure. That poll was taken in early November.

Another reason for the difference could be the difference in questions asked. Our question adds some context for respondents who may not know what the government’s ANZPM plan is. The other poll’s question expected respondents to know about what they were being asked if they support.

Research NZ analysed the results by demographic and found significant differences by age and gender:

• • Male respondents were more in support of the proposal than female respondents (49% and 40% respectively).
  • Younger respondents were also more likely to support the proposal than older respondents. For example, 65% of respondents aged 18-24 were in support compared with 42% of those aged 55-64.
  • There were no significant differences by geographic location.

…the TVNZ/RNZ Merger is however something Labour need to see through.

Our public broadcasting infrastructure desperately needs upgrading, the feral protest on the lawns of Parliament this year showed us what happens when conspiracy theories over run rationality.

We need to take RNZs journalism and inject it into a platform as huge as TVNZ and we need it now!

Look at how the crime debate has been twisted by crime porn clickbait media? It was John Campbell’s journalism that provided actual insight, we need more of his journalism and less of the ratings driven garbage.

ANZPM is an antidote to that.

It is important for the right wing corporate media to destroy the RNZ/TVNZ merger because they see it as direct competition to their own interests.

Despite new legislation that will force Google and Facebook to provide new revenue streams for the private media and despite the money going from NZ on Air to ANZPM to commission content from the private media (as opposed to building internal capacity to produce all content themselves), the right wing corporate media still see the new ANZPM as a direct competitor threatening their interests.

That’s why the criticism towards the merger is relentless form the private media.

I actually laughed out loud when Damien Venuto was ‘exploring’ the ‘range’ of media responses to the RNZ/TVNZ merger…

TVNZ-RNZ merger: Simon Power’s message to Government, advertisers as uncertainty hangs over state broadcaster

TVNZ boss Simon Power is a man in limbo, existing between the world that was and the foggy landscape ahead.

In his first – and ostensibly last – showcase address today for the organisation that will soon be formerly known as TVNZ, Power addressed that uncertainty that everyone has been speculating about for months.

The showcase event has always been seen as TVNZ’s opportunity to hype up the advertising community with a steady announcement of new shows – and there was some of that.

But there was no escaping the uncertainty that hangs heavy over everything TVNZ plans to do.

What will the advertising mix even look like when TVNZ and RNZ are merged into a single media beast? How much room will there be for the advertisers that have long propped up public broadcasting in this country? And how much of this will come to fruition given the legislation hasn’t even been finalised yet?

From the outset, Power made it clear that he had two audiences in the room: advertisers and the Government.

…to ‘prove’ how universal that criticism against the merger is, Damien gives us the full expanse of his vision…

Warnings of unintended consequences with the media changes aren’t limited to TVNZ boss Simon Power.

Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher has warned MPs that the combined entity could have too much bargaining power when it came to securing staff.

“In some cases, the salary offers have been 30 per cent above what we have been paying and what we are paying is very much the market rate – not low paying, so we are already starting to feel the effects of it and the entity is not even formed,” she said.

NZME managing editor Shayne Currie has argued that the merger could have “distortionary effects” on commercial players in the market and that the Government needs to assess the impact these might have.

MediaWorks CEO Cam Wallace also weighed in, saying the dual-funding model would give the entity the best of both worlds and potentially create circumstances allowing what would be the country’s biggest media provider to offer “predatory pricing” for advertising.

And Spinoff founder Duncan Greive worries that ANZPM could have too much power when it comes to commissioning new shows.

These criticisms span the political spectrum and come from those who have first-hand experience in what it takes to run a media organisation in New Zealand.

…wait, WHAT?

The political spectrum of what? Stuff, NZME, Mediaworks and The Spinoff? 4 media organisations who all take money from NZ on Air and who all have vested interests in the outcome?

How is that the full political spectrum? That’s the full spectrum of people who get money from NZ on Air!

TVNZ is a crass ratings chaser who puts on Fuck Boy Island, we need a RNZ merger to  take over public broadcasting editorially and start using our immense media infrastructure to actually lift its game and become a trusted news source again.

We have seen what happens when people fall down rabbit holes over Covid, the RNZ/TVNZ merger is a solution to disinformation and the fact Google and Facebook are destroying their advertising model.

All the private media who will lose NZ on Air funding don’t want that for very obvious reasons.

NZers need a trusted source of information and we need to demand more than clickbait entertainment from TVNZ.

ANZPM can be a real cultural treasure to New Zealand, the self interested corporate media and Political Right don’t want a merger that can successfully challenge their mythology.

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