TV3’s woes and a media bouquet

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, November 5th, 2015 - 21 comments
Categories: journalism, Media, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , , ,

Excellent piece on TV3 at Spinoff this morning:

Swapping News for Reality – Looking Back on a Bad Year for TV3

With yesterday’s terrible news about flagship current affairs show 3D, Duncan Greive assesses the MediaWorks’ strategy, a year on from its flashy relaunch.

News used to be a signature of TV3 – pacy, punchy, no-bullshit news. It had an energy and attitude which seeped into everything the channel did and stood for. But the summary execution of two of its biggest news properties, despite an uproar and Campbell Live‘s extraordinary ratings, gives credibility to the conspiracy theorists.

They’ve long muttered that the Weldon-Christie duo really are ridding TV3 of anything resembling hard news, anything problematic to their political views. I still don’t think that’s the case. Seems too crazy, despite the circumstantial evidence. I’m leaning more toward another diagnosis: incompetence.

[Weldon]’s presided over a period in which TV3’s brand, for so long so strong, has been badly eroded on multiple fronts. And, correspondingly, the company’s owners Oaktree Capital, now possess a media company which is no longer anything like so valuable as it was. That exit strategy looks a long way off.

Which makes you wonder – will Weldon last the year? And will some poor sap have to come in and clean this mess up? Starting with rebuilding the news brand? More specifically, in time, will the axing of 3D look like the end of a tough period of reorientation. Or the last, flailing act of an administration which got it very badly wrong.

My guess is the latter.

https://twitter.com/danylmc/status/661981958889603073

Danyl might find some of his question answered here on TS in this Q&A session with Scoop’s Alastair Thompson. It’s a grim picture for news over all, and we are much (much) the poorer for it.


All the more reason to support great investigative journalism where we find it. Kudos to Kirsty Johnston at The Herald for this series (two down one to go) on education:
Education investigation: The great divide
Search continues for schools silver bullet
Friday: What is working: A simple idea helping bring families and schools together.

21 comments on “TV3’s woes and a media bouquet ”

  1. tc 1

    Weldon is the gattung of mainstream tv, christie is a reality show queen both chosen with zero broadcast management experience.

    TV3 now face the consequences of kowtowing to nact …..cry me a river.

  2. shorts 2

    I doubt Weldon cares – radio is where media works current profits lie, so why not kill off the newsbird once the state funding runs out

    this is not the quality media outlet we’re looking for

  3. Sirenia 3

    I hate the celebrity rubbish that the 6 oclock news now begins with. It is just laughing at the folly of viewers expecting some real news or indepth investigations of real issues.

  4. Gangnam Style 4

    The Spin Off is a site & shows how it can be done, a good contrast to the dross you get on TV3. The did this great interview with Nicky Hager, Hager is very positive!

    http://thespinoff.co.nz/category/politics-media/

  5. esoteric pineapples 5

    The Spinoff is fast becoming one of my favourite online reads. It nearly always has a different take on its subject matter from the norm. It has a youthful perspective and while taking an apolitical position, its writers happily wade into controversies where they feel appropriate.

    • shorts 5.1

      my thoughts exactly – talented group of writers there who on top of all else don’t take things too seriously

  6. Rosemary McDonald 6

    Kirsty Johnston must be able to rightfully claim the top prize for investigative journalism in NZ.

    She did some fine work exposing the horrific abuse suffered by disabled people in Ministry of Health funded facilities.
    http://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/canterbury/8712453/Abuse-claims-at-seriously-dysfunctional-care-home
    http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8633676/Boy-left-to-eat-grass-at-horror-home

    She has also done some excellent work at highlighting the incredibly difficult time parents have accessing special education for their disabled children.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11476238

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11478936

    And she must be doing excellent work because A Certain Person doesn’t like her very much…http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2015/06/just-how-much-is-kirsty-johnson-in-the-pptas-pocket/

    and his mate, http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/tag/kirsty_johnston

    Good work Kirsty.

  7. savenz 7

    Apparently Christie always hated John Campbell.

    • tc 7.1

      Christie understands how to copy reality tv formats not operate a tv station with multiple types of content.

      Campbell annoyed the govt and embarrased them over many issues so up steps jk besties to remove that annoyance.

  8. Venezia 8

    Except for free-to-air Rugby world cup matches, I haven’t watched any TV on MSM since the last episode of Campbelllive (and discovered heaps of other productive activities for my life). I keep up with local & world news online.
    So can you update me what has happened to TVNZ and TV3 since people like me switched off?

    • Gangnam Style 8.1

      Couldn’t tell ya, but I am enjoying no longer watching Gower etc… the only thing my family still watches on telly is the Simpsons, otherwise Netflix, Youtube, Torrents & the like. Was very thankful for Prime to show me some games of rugby, & sounds like theres good things on Maori Channel, but nothing that can’t be found online to watch in my own time.

  9. Adrian 9

    I would love to know just exactly how involved Nat Party connections were in the demolition of news at TV3. Weldon in particular is real close to Key, Christie is a Nact trollop and I bet Joyce still has secret shares in it.

  10. Keith 10

    TV3/Mediaworks has ceased to be relevant and we should not shed a tear because of it. That is surely the death knell of any organisation.

    It was horribly compromised by its former owner Stephen Joyce and his massive conflict of interest when as Minister NOT of Broadcasting but something else decided to spend up large on the taxpayer and bail it out. I am quite sure some in National braced for the deserved fallout but it never came, it simply went over the heads of our so called journalists and as a result National bought itself a broadcaster without spending a red cent!

    And if the current regime running it is not a conspiracy from the Nationals Party’s filthy sticky little fingers then;

    Why is someone like Weldon who knows jack shit about broadcasting but who is a good mate of John Key, running it?
    Why was the other half of this very undynamic duo Julie Christie on the stupid flag commitee?
    Why is Nationals Paul Henry on the prime time morning slot with maximum promotion?
    Why is Radio Live not an alternative to the uber conservative ZB, rather it’s turned into a ZB lite with ZB wannabees like Plunkett and Garner?
    Why is the hugely partisan National man Gower their so called Political Editor?
    Why axe their top rating show Campbell Live who dared only to question this government from time to time?

    As a result of all of this it should also cease to get another cent from the taxpayer such as NZ On Air.

    • tc 10.1

      JK’s minions have ensured there will be no money for serious investigative stuff via their new criteria just to be sure.

  11. Hami Shearlie 11

    I would imagine the shareholders are not too happy at the moment – the ratings for
    “Story” are pretty bad which is entirely understandable, and the news is going down too – If you don’t like reality shows or talent shows or banal shows with fake banter and inane and shallow “stories” then there is very very little for you on TV3

  12. Rodel 12

    Where’s Gower? I hadn’t noticed his absence until TS reminded me. (Good though)

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