MEDIAWATCH: RNZ decline and how slow motion implosion of ThreeNews allows Rupert into NZ
I called the demise of Today FM before anyone else.
I called Newshub being gutted and killed off.
I called the paywalls at TVNZ (they haven’t eventuated yet, but they are coming)
So what do I know.
As someone who is always interested in NZ Media and who has worked in a lot of it, here are my thoughts on the RNZ ratings collapse and how the slow motion implosion of Stuff TV3 News allows Rupert into NZ.
Revealed: RNZ’s detailed radio ratings
Radio ratings for RNZ and its flagship breakfast show have tumbled in four years, according to data that the public broadcaster has finally agreed to release. It is also at pains to point out that they do not paint a full picture of its audience performance.
RNZ National’s overall cumulative audience has fallen from a high of more than 700,000 in early 2020 – at the height of the first Covid outbreak – to 529,800 in the most recent 2024 survey. Where it once held a lead of almost 100,000 over commercial radio rival Newstalk ZB, those positions are now reversed, with ZB ahead by more than 100,000.
Here’s the one example that highlights all that is wrong with RNZ.
Mike Hosking Breakfast has 2 Producers
Morning Report has 16.
That tells you all you need to know.
Too many chefs, not enough actual soup.
The rarefied elite world of RNZ is an echo chamber for Wellington bureaucrats earning over $250 000. Their opinion gets shared on The Spinoff, Stuff and TVNZ, the same glee club of woke opinions that are vetted for their acquiescence to whatever eye rolling pronoun word salad pepeha Wellington HR demands.
RNZ has succeeded because of the monopoly position they hold, however online has a billion options and if you aren’t providing a bold vision rather than the tepid vegan tapioca currently being offered, they are doomed to wither and die.
Talking of withering and dying, let’s talk about the joke Stuff/TV3 news thing that Warner Bros are using to avoid burning all and any good will as they dump Newshub in favour of this cheap version.
The lighting is terrible, the background looks cheap and the make up is dire.
The stories are shallow and you can see why the show is haemorrhaging ratings.
Stuff have underestimated what would be required here and they are getting hammered.
At some point Warner Bros will throw a wobbly over the ratings decline and the cost could end up sinking Stuff.
Rupert Murdoch’s horror news network wants in to NZ because like all Australian absent landlord corporations, they know a monopoly rental when they can see it.
They are sitting on the sidelines waiting for Stuff to collapse so they can step in and take it over and inject a hard right news media mainlined straight into Cracker Redneck NuZilind.
Interestingly, Stuff chief executive Laura Maxwell has already announced she is leaving for Rupert so all the pieces for a takeover are in place, all that has to happen now is the Stuff TV3 News thing meltdown, and that should take at least another 3 months.
ThreeNews is already in the Today FM doom loop.
Mr Bradbury. See how much better you do when you give your spleen a rest? I thought you could have at least mentioned Ardern’s contribution to the demise of public confidence in the media by paying them large sums of taxpayer money to spread the Labour race relations dogma, but hey I can’t have everything, right?
Graeme Redneck I presume?
Just because you don’t believe in honouring a contract doesn’t make it the correct thing to do.
Rupert Murdoch media literally claims that they are not to be taken seriously when challenged in court. They literally claim that no reasonable person would believe what they say is true, as a defense. How is that a “half decent media organisation”?
If we get Murdock media here then we’re so fucked as a country
The fact is you can get all your news needs off Twitter, TDB (among others), and YouTube/Rumble. For local regional news, you can read your (often for free) local newspaper(s). You just don’t need the bullshit delivered by the government manipulated MSM any more.
So good to see these woke circle jerks in decline.
Regardless of their individual political biases NZ journalism standards have been on a downhill slide for decades and all that paywalls do is turn people away, why would you pay for rubbish that was barely palatable when it was free? So that leaves rubbish websites and crackpot blogs in charge of information – what could possibly go wrong.
“Mike Hosking Breakfast has 2 Producers
Morning Report has 16.”
And as I posted several weeks back, It’s hard to know just what the following do apart from treading on each other’s toes or engaging in group think:
– a music content director
– a head of radio and music
– station manager
– a head of content
(all ‘adequately’ paid).
And of course a CEO.
I’m a staunch supporter or RNZ. It has some good qualified and experienced people across various genres, but it also has quite a few muppets.
I’m not sure Paul Thompson actually understands what Public Service Broadcasting actually is, and it’s probably time both HE and Willie from the chocolate factory moved on.
At times RNZ is like commercial radio without the ads, and it’s certainly introduced the cult of personality with some of its presenters. (Jokey jokey people giving their likes and opinions and feels.
It also seems to be running a social welfare programme for some of the unemployed New Shubsters.
PSB has been a fail from all political parties over the years. It’s been asset stripped and dissected into various elements – all necessary for a functioning system, and all headed by well-paid managerialists -schooled in the bullshit of ‘rebranding/reimaging’ and bizzniss.
But one example: Every last red cent generated by Kordia’s commercial operations should have been plowed back into RNZ, Iwi Radio, MTS and a commercial-free Television 1.
What did we get with that last attempt to merge RNZ and TVNZ? A load of needless and very expensive consultancy – money that would have been better spent on producing content.
Reform should probably start with NZoA. A PS division, and a Commercial division
But you are correct @Martyn. We’ll probably see more destruction of what remains of any value