A fair go for advertisers only

Written By: - Date published: 12:16 pm, March 2nd, 2012 - 16 comments
Categories: tv - Tags: ,

National’s New Zealand becomes a scarier place by the day. Clare Curran has revealed that TVNZ ordered Fair Go staff to bear the interests of advertisers in mind when making their stories. Well, there goes the reputation of the gold standard in New Zealand TV. This is what you get from a government that has dropped the charter and made TVNZ purely commercial.

 

16 comments on “A fair go for advertisers only ”

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  1. Matthew Whitehead 1
    2 March 2012 at 1:44 pm

    ….well, that’s ridiculous.

  2. Vicky32 2
    2 March 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Where does that leave Fair Go? Stranded, is all…

  3. Steve 3
    2 March 2012 at 3:42 pm

    TVNZ has been a national disgrace of a broadcaster for many years. This is one asset I am in favour of selling, so long as we use the money to create a proper state tv broadcaster. Oh, we have it already TVNZ7…..whew.

  4. Cin77 4
    2 March 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Its shameful but not completly surprising. Wonder what it will do to the best and worst ad awards?

  5. Bill 5
    2 March 2012 at 5:07 pm

    Any TV outlet that has any advertising always has always bowed to pressure from those advertisers. Always.

  6. Ron 6
    2 March 2012 at 5:15 pm

    This has been standard in the commercial media for years.

    Any journo or announcer who has worked for commercial radio can tell you stories of being hassled by sales reps or sales managers about the content of their stories or even what they talk about.
    I remember a station manager hassling a morning host not to ask callers what their job was because his advertisers were getting jumpy because so many listeners said they were looking for work.

    Right after 9/11 a show I worked with was told to stop talking about the invasion of iraq – “the clients say it sound like you’re supporting the Arabs”.

    Another mroning host being hauled over the coals because during a power shortage he’d commented that a client’s car yard was lit up like a naval base as he passed it on his way to work.

    A newspaper journalist told not to go to hui on marae because clients thought the paper was getting “too close to the Maoris”. meanwhile, of course, the police reporters drank at the police club every night.

    A radio journo pressured to pull a story about an employment dispute at a client’s business.

    All censorship in the name of a buck.

    Fair Go hs been such a big part of the scene that no-one has had the guts to hassle them until now. But I imagine the depression is making media sales tough and they’ll find any scapegoat.

  7. Draco T Bastard 7
    2 March 2012 at 5:55 pm

    I think I’ll just reiterate what I said yesterday:
    Time, methinks, to go to a non-commercial public broadcaster as it’s obvious that any commercial operation is, by its very nature, compromised.

    • Populuxe1 7.1
      2 March 2012 at 10:12 pm

      Well yes, but the trick is to convince someone to pay for it….

      • Ed 7.1.1
        2 March 2012 at 10:55 pm

        Put all NZ on Air funding into TVNZ and Radio NZ, prevent them from raising money from other sources, and put all license fees for commercial radio and TV into those public sector organisations as well. A start?

        • Populuxe1 7.1.1.1
          2 March 2012 at 10:58 pm

          Which would stifle production and result in a lot over boring telly with no alternatives. How about we demand at least one state-funded channel back?

  8. Hami Shearlie 8
    3 March 2012 at 12:20 am

    Even a hint of interference with Fair Go could destroy its credibility completely!!! Can’t imagine Gordon Harcourt was ok with the little meeting!! And I can sure imagine the words that came out of Kevin Milne’s mouth when he heard!!! The man who called the so-called meeting should be fired immediately! Says quite a bit about the flavour of broadcasting that the Nacts are promoting, doesn’t it?

  9. newsense 9
    3 March 2012 at 8:25 am

    Is anyone from Fair Go approaching TVNZ about it’s interference in Fair Go? Would be a story there.

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