Comments on: Kill your television

By: Dual obligations « The Standard

Dual obligations « The Standard — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:25:49 +0000

[...] more I ponder the scrapping of the TVNZ charter the dafter it seems. There are obvious downsides. What is the upside? What possible reason could there be to further weaken the already vestigial [...]

By: Uroskin

Uroskin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:05:46 +0000

“One of which would be a community TV operation, but with professional standards (i.e. one that people would actually watch”

Auckland’s community TV station Triangle TV is watched by between 250,000 and 400,000 people a month

By: spot

spot — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:14:50 +0000

“no original content”…?

Bar the sport I’m sure you mean.

By: Rex Widerstrom

Rex Widerstrom — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:11:18 +0000

Tsk, Draco, you’re like soooooo 90s

Digital will give them plenty of scope for multiple channels. The ABC is currently running 3 – ABC 1 simulcast on analog, ABC 2 digital only (with a mix of new programming, stuff that wasn’t succesfful enough on ABC 1 but still has an audeince, and repeast of top rating ABC 1 stufff for those that missed it, and ABC 3, a dedicated kids-only channel.

I’d retain TVNZ 6 & 7 of course, and hopefully they could develop a couple more – at least one of which would be a community TV operation, but with professional standards (i.e. one that people would actually watch).

By: Rex Widerstrom

Rex Widerstrom — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:07:17 +0000

Yeah, but my concern that the yunguns would think Eddie Murphy before they thought Rex Harrison (whose namesake I am, I might add) meant I went for the more understandable-in-context “two headed llama” for fear of losing them entirely, Scribe.

By: prism

prism — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:19:32 +0000

Hear, hear RW.

By: Santi

Santi — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:00:42 +0000

Marvelous!

I’d say not only ditch the charter, but also sell the bloody lot to whoever wants to buy TVNZ’s assets.

By: Tigger

Tigger — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:14:27 +0000

Or we could have slipped on a leash, taught it how to stop biting people and fed it some nice food, patted it, brushed it and improved the Charter so it actually worked properly. I was never a fan of the Charter as it was, too messy, too many expectations on it. But if we’d expected TV One to be a public broadcaster and let TV2 do what it wanted then things might have been different.

National will now just let it run off and do what it wants, within two years there is literally no one who will see it as ‘public’ and voila, sold.

I wish Coleman didn’t have such a hard-on for SKY, then he would realise that it’s a venal operator, giving us a B grade pay TV service. He thinks its a success. It’s only a success because it’s a monopoly. It’s certainly not a great pay operator, no original content. It’s a leech. But it’s what Coleman wants TVNZ to emulate. It’s like telling your daughter to become a hooker. Yes, she’ll make money but she’ll lose her soul doing it.

By: Scribe

Scribe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:26:39 +0000

“Double-headed llama”?!?!

Don’t you mean a puhsmepullyou?

By: tc

tc — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:10:46 +0000

yes Randal it is our dog but it’ll never be anything like a public broadcaster so like all responsible owners we should put it down.

By: Draco T Bastard

Draco T Bastard — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:04:17 +0000

Actually, to be a decent public broadcaster I think TVNZ still needs two channels. One on history and one on political economy. Or you could break it down to national and international. Just get rid of the entertainment/infotainment on it and it’ll be worth something.

By: randal

randal — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:41:19 +0000

anti-spam= threat
how apposite.
TVNZ may be a dog but its our dog.
thinking about fox news and the plastic people of the universe gives me the yips and the screaming heebeejeebees so I better stop here.

By: Rex Widerstrom

Rex Widerstrom — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:41:16 +0000

The only credible media models are either â€˜wholly Public’ or â€˜wholly Private’

Dead right. Yet Coleman’s Bill isn’t killing this double-headed llama* either, it’s just poutting a carrot in front of one half and watching the other half die of starvation.

What a pity no one in Labour had the gumption to sell TV2 and create a proper independent public broadcaster like the ABC when they had the chance. By the time they inherit this mess, my bet is it’ll be so knackered they’ll sell it off for a quick buck. And sadly, no one will care.

* Ref Doctor Dolittle. The proper one, with Rex Harrison not that abomination with Eddie “I just shriek at the top of my voice in every role” Murphy.

By: Noko

Noko — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:35:30 +0000

I second this.

By: Irascible

Irascible — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:35:26 +0000

What for the public auction of TVNZ and welcome FOX News to NZ as the privatisation agenda of the NACT govt surges into actual legislation.