RNZ Shake-up: Why Brent Impey Could Be Good for Public Radio
The RNZ shake-up puts Brent Impey in the chair at a crucial moment for public broadcasting. Paul Thompson is leaving, Maiki Sherman’s resignation still hangs over the gallery, and RNZ desperately needs to remember that public media is supposed to matter beyond middle-class comfort radio.
One of New Zealand’s most renowned business and media leaders has been named today as the new chair of RNZ – he is expected to oversee big changes at the public broadcaster.
In comments to Media Insider, Brent Impey says the new role is a privilege, as he outlines three key areas of focus – enhancing trust, lifting RNZ National’s radio ratings and continuing to grow its digital audience.
As earlier predicted by Media Insider, Impey – a current RNZ director – will step up to become the new chair on July 1. He replaces chair Jim Mather, whose board tenure ends after eight years.
NZME
Maiki Sherman and the cult of woke representation
For the middle class woke identity politics activists, all that matters is visibility.
Because many of the middle class woke identity politics activists all have their first foot on the ladder of property speculation, it’s less important that the person in power is actually doing something meaningful in terms of economic justice, and more important that they aren’t a white heteronormative cis male.
This creates an insane situation where the celebration of not being a white heteronormative cis male IS MORE IMPORTANT than what that person achieves in power.
I’m a lefty and I was never a fan of Maiki Sherman’s journalism.
I think she over compensated for her being a Māori mother of six by being more critical of the Left when she was TVNZ Political Editor.
DON’T GET ME WRONG.
The leaking of her fight with Lloyd Burr to right wing hate troll Ani O’Brien was absolutely a political hit job.
BUT, by allowing the Government to have this over her since May of last year demands scrutiny of her journalism.
She was so ruthless against Te Pati Māori over the Tamaki Makaurau by-election (which she ironically won a media award for), that TPM banned her from talking to them.
She led the charge against the horrific smear against Benjamin Doyle (ironically started by Ani O’Brien again).
And her attacks on Labour over Peeni standing down was again very ironic because of behind the scenes connections that were never made public.
So, Maiki Sherman’s journalism attacks the left and defended the Right.
Look at the appalling situation where Maiki Sherman grovelled on her belly to the Police Minister Mark Mitchel because TVNZ had the temerity of doing real journalism rather than parrot Government crime propaganda.
So sure, yay yay yay identity politics woke representation but the actual quality of her journalism and her unbelievable capitulation to the Police Minister editing TVNZ news marks her as simply another right wing cog in a right wing narrative construction.
The failure of Paul Thompson at RNZ
Listen to ZB for 10 minutes and you are astounded that five and a half of those minutes are screaming adverts for deer horn dick pills and snake oil joint pills and dick pills that help your joints.
How has Paul Thompson managed to lose against that?
I was never a fan of Thompson, he was intrinsic in ensuring my life long ban from RNZ stayed in place (I was banned for life in 2011 after supposedly defaming John Key). RNZ have become less of a news station and more a middle class culture lounge, look at the issues they think are important…
…a wag would suggest that’s because women create 95% of the mental load so they should probably help carry their end of the couch. I wouldn’t suggest that because anyone who suggests Women are emotional is a rape culture enabler, but wags would suggest that.
RNZ is trapped by their middle class listeners who only want their world reflected back to them and Paul Thompson championed that mediocrity so much so that 5 and half minutes of deer horn dick pills is preferable than hearing 10 minutes of waddling woke radio.
RNZ have the luxury of not having to run commercials and instead of using that advantage, it creates long winded group therapy sessions rather than immediate dialogue. ZB hosts know they only have 4 and half minutes to make their point before they have to go back to deer horn dick pill adverts, without that limitation on RNZ, the radio becomes a boring chat with very worthy people.
Why Brent Impey will be good for RNZ
Brent Impey is the new boss at RNZ and I just wanted to give a shout out to him because he was once my boss.
I’ve known Impey for almost three decades. He was the CEO of Mediaworks when it ran Channel Z.
He is a true lover of radio. He has an intense value in independent journalism and he is a real champion of public broadcasting.
I honestly think Impey will be the best thing to happen to RNZ since the glory days of Richard Griffin.
Good luck to him because RNZ matters, especially in an age of disinformation and misinformation.
Thank you for some reassurance re RNZ. Seymour’s ominous statement about Thompson had us a bit concerned as we don’t know these people at all. We get a few snapshots of what they might be like, now and then.
I loathed Maiki Sherman the moment she burst onto our screens. She couldn’t just talk, she yelled and I thought she made things deliberately long-winded, much like I do.
Over-exposed too. They need several political reporters not just one yelling woman.
She picked on the left for non-events, blew it all up so that she could spend longer having her rant.
Half the time I don’t think they need a reporter on the spot. The newsreader could just tell us. They waste a lot of time blabbing between themselves.
This so very true: RNZ have become less of a news station and more a middle class culture lounge, look at the issues they think are important…
It has become pretty pathetic. I was pleased that John Campbell came on board morning report, Dann was increasingly irrelevant. BUT disappointed that the adverts for morning report now include the words ‘be entertained’ really, I want relevant news not anything else a cat up a tree no leave that to ZB I am astonished that they talk about ZB as their only real opposition. REALLY, how can they be, so very far apart. ZB is pretty disgusting overall I hate talk back radio and I think they only have one presenter who I have any respect for and that is Marcus Lush. The rest of them right wing fools.
Funny Martyn how you criticise Deer Horn Dick pill ads on ZB when your blog here is peppered with all sort of crap pop up ads. How do you explain that?
How do I respond to a right wing cretin politely here?
Ummmmm. Jonzie, buddy boy, laugh munchkin – you understand that those are adverts are google right? They present you adverts based on your browser history so if you are seeing weird adverts, cough – you might want to consider your search history champ and how you kinda mistakingly outed yourself.
That’s a google algorithm, in fact the ads YOU see will be whatever Google thinks will appeal to YOU.
So what is it about YOU that means all you see are Deer Horn Dick Pills and Russian dating ads?
…and here’s me blithely asking Google what the hell are Deer Horn Dick Pills…
Heh. That was the most glorious self-own I’ve seen in a while. “Mum? How does the internet work?”
What would be really good for RNZ is to pull all taxpayer funding. After all, if it’s such an awesome product, it’ll easily attract mega advertising budgets, right?
The problem is that I think we need a public broadcaster. However as RNZ seems to feel free to campaign for Labour, a shot or two across their bows is definitely in order.
so you would rather it was owned by the coalition and their rich mates so they can spout hate all day about the thousands of people they have made redundant this year .