Stuff rescues Newshub

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, April 16th, 2024 - 23 comments
Categories: news - Tags: ,

RNZ has live coverage.

From the Spinoff:

Breaking: Stuff wins race to replace Newshub with a new 6pm bulletin for Three

Sources familiar with the deal say the print news giant has beaten out NZME to create a 6pm bulletin to replace Newshub at Three.

Less than a week after Three confirmed that its proposal to completely shutter Newshub will be going ahead, it will today confirm that Stuff has won the pitch to create a new news product to run in the vital 6pm slot for the channel. The Spinoff understands that Stuff has set up for a town hall-style all-staff meeting, called at 9.15am this morning to run at 10.30am. This mirrors a similar meeting at Three’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), scheduled for this morning, as reported by Stuff yesterday. The leadership from both organisations will then assemble at Stuff around midday to make public further details about the product – though much remains to be worked out.

23 comments on “Stuff rescues Newshub ”

  1. SPC 1

    Stuff is to produce an hour long show during the week and half and hour at weekends.

    It has bought newshub.co., but will provide the news show under a new name.

  2. Sad to see the demise of an important news organisation that has been a part of our cultural conversation for 3 decades now. Best wishes to Stuff, I hope they build on a great legacy.

    Also, I'm glad that Rupert Murdoch hasn't gotten his grubby mitts on it.

    • Jilly Bee 2.1

      'Also, I'm glad that Rupert Murdoch hasn't gotten his grubby mitts on it.' Me too – and NZME as well.

  3. Ad 3

    Is no tv3 news better than oligopoly controlled tv+radio+site+newspaper?

    We've had 2 Commerce Commission rejections of full merger for good reasons.

    Terrible result today.

    • Jilly Bee 3.1

      Ad, I for one, certainly don't wish to be 'forced' to watch One News on TV1 – I gave them up years ago and on the odd occasion I have seen video of some of their news stories, they, IMHO, are just so far up the Government's derriere, whereas TV3 had started to show at least a modicum of spark in holding the Coalition of Fools to account. Even Jenna Lynch, with her Act credentials has been giving them heaps – I saw a recent photo montage of a press stand up in Parliament Buildings where one of the Ministers was making a statement and/or generally rambling on and there were three shots of J L with looks of absolute incredulity across her face – I just wish I could locate and share it.

      • Ad 3.1.1

        Well good for you. Beyond yourself, there are plenty of older people who prefer TV news as their primary news source. And they ought to have a choice.

        • Traveller 3.1.1.1

          You could also argue that there are older people who want to drive horse and carts around the city, and they ought to have a choice. The world moves on.

          • Ad 3.1.1.1.1

            Or actually that older people prefer watching the news on broadcast television.

            Radio has a very slow decline, in particular with the highly effective Hosking on ZB. The NZHerald cross-platform audience is 1.7 million people. Newspapers in NZ are read by 2.7 million people.

            The world doesn't have to move down.

            • Traveller 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Older people are not going to sustain traditional broadcast media. Simple. Yes the world does have to move on.

  4. Traveller 4

    Overall television audience numbers have been in rapid decline for years (The Spinoff: 20 years of TV ratings that show the immense scale of audience decline – NZ Herald). Parallelling that decline, is the rapidly changing way in which we choose to receive our news, and not just young people. The concept of a 6.00pm news bulletin is increasingly an anachronism.

  5. RIP Shub,

    Long live Shtuff / NewStuff / stuff 3.0

  6. ianmac 6

    Sounds good Stuff. Thinking last night that TV1 news is very small as real news would be lucky to fill 15 minutes. The rest is fluffy ducks, promoting Luxon or Sport.

  7. tsmithfield 7

    I am glad to see TV3 news is saved. I have found that better to watch than TVNZ.

    And I am glad to see that it happened without a government bail-out. Those who argue that it is in the public interest for the government to keep funding national media need to realise that the public are becoming less trusting of the media. Hence the same public who pay the taxes to subsidise said media are likely to become progressively more irritated to see their taxes directed towards the media.

    IMO the government shouldn't be funding the media at all.

    • SPC 7.1

      It is common for first world nations to have public broadcasters – Radio and TV, and without ad revenue, so they do not stifle the private market.

      None of that is changing.

      • tsmithfield 7.1.1

        Maybe. But it will be interesting to see if that is still the case in ten years. I have often heard that it is in "the public interest" to have public media. But, if the public vote with their feet, and are no longer interested, then governments may well start questioning whether that funding media that has little public attention.

  8. adam 8

    I'll still watch the ABC, least they don't treat me like an idiot.

    That said, like the BHN if people want something a bit more brain worthy that is NZ made.

    Like this piece which looks at the covid19 response with eyes wide open.

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