Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Media3: Where is Broadcasting?

Cecelia

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:54:30 +1300

Well, in spite of all the doom and gloom and the way no one in government seems to care about the quality of TV, Q&A and Native Affairs have done well, I think. I enjoyed them both anyway and the response to the latter seems to be ecstatic. John Campbell is…

Russell Brown

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:10:52 +1300

The show is here on demand.

Kyle Matthews

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:04:23 +1300

good on the man for turning up though.

I reached the end of the show wondering why we bother having a minister of broadcasting. He won't intervene in anything, won't advocate any funding for anything, isn't interested in the structure of a 'free market' or how the government has got…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:19:14 +1300

A good story on the lack of locally-made children's TV too.

It's there, but it's behind a SKY paywall. What we get on free-to-air are for the most part extended toy commercials.

FletcherB

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:21:29 +1300

weird… I highlighted some text from DeepRed to reply to, clicked the reply button, but it got attributed to Kyle Matthews by PAS ?

FletcherB

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:17:26 +1300

Now that’s going back a while.

It's true... I'm nearly as old as our host, Mr Brown.. :)

I arrived in this country from it's nearest neighbour in Jan 81... that graffiti I mentioned was on that wall (or a close neighbour?) already... and stayed visible and un-painted-over for at…

Rob Stowell

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:03:51 +1300

We’re comparing Public Service TV with a critically acclaimed HBO series which was a ratings failure?
Well, I haven’t :)
Boring is relative; a live telecast of a conference of medieval historians would bore most people to tears, but some historians would be fascinated. (I’m not advocating for this, just…

Sacha

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:54:49 +1300

watch for the fear in his eyes. :)

good on the man for turning up though.

Geoff Lealand

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:38:19 +1300

Watch Media 3 tonight (TV3, 11.20), to see Craig Foss doing an impersonation of a Minister of Broadcasting. A good story on the lack of locally-made children's TV too.

Kyle Matthews

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:06:24 +1300

How many people here have seen The Wire? How many watched it live-to-air at 12:15 am on a Tuesday? Bet the Nielsen ratings weren’t that good…

We're comparing Public Service TV with a critically acclaimed HBO series which was a ratings failure?

That means that I can point out that…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:06:00 +1300

(hint for those too young or forgetful to know/understand, Zap was a flavoured milk product)

Now that's going back a while. These are the earliest adverts I can find on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXgzDCLuqrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ylNmf9OTUw

FletcherB

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:42:54 +1300

Recommend it for anyone who hasn't come along yet. Map here.

Hey, anyone recall what the building used to be? (it's obviously not new)... and is it the wall that used to bear the classic late 70's/early-mid80's graffiti that was so good it wasn't obliterated for around a decade? ("Zap…

Sacha

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:20:38 +1300

Great with a light dressing :)

Geoff Lealand

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:22:15 +1300

Good to see you too, Sacha. Not so sure about the baby hedgehogs, though!

Myles Thomas

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:09:28 +1300

You're all right.

And we're all on the same page when it comes to public service TV. Though it doesn't have to be boring, I think Rob's point was more that it doesn't have to appeal to the youth market and rate it's socks off allowing it to be a…

Sacha

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:02:55 +1300

Damn good show this week. Recommended viewing. Lovely to see you there again Geoff.

Kumara Republic

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:53:23 +1300

FFS, Red, could we acknowledge that some really shitty television slithered into the light of the cathode ray before the 2008 election? Honestly, if I can bring myself to admit the Fifth Labour Government did get things right now and then :), this shouldn’t cause undue trauma.
To clarify, it's…

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:19:59 +1300

Russell Brown

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:18:56 +1300

It’s all pigs around the public trough up there in Auckland isn’t it?

I can't believe John Drinnan hasn't exposed the potato salad scandal yet ;-)

Sacha

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:37:33 +1300

The point of TV shows is to be watched and inform, educate, entertain.

and to foster belonging, to this place and the many cultures and communities we share in it.

Sacha

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:36:54 +1300

It's all pigs around the public trough up there in Auckland isn't it?

you're thinking of Welli :)

Kumara Republic

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:31:50 +1300

The point of TV shows is to be watched and inform, educate, entertain. They can’t do that they’re incredibly good shows that no one saw.

Or for would-be Inner Parties who want a lemming public, it's the polar opposite: to disinform, dumb down, and de-sensitise. The GC and Henry-gate, anyone?

Rob Stowell

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:09:48 +1300

The point of TV shows is to be watched and inform, educate, entertain. They can’t do that they’re incredibly good shows that no one saw.
The flip side of that: even a handful of people being informed and educated by a programme adds MORE to the information and education of…

Kyle Matthews

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:42:33 +1300

the free food is really good

It's all pigs around the public trough up there in Auckland isn't it?

One of the smartest yet most “commercial” television dramas I’ve seen in years was a co-production of not one but two publicly owned state telvision companies working under various local content…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:58:17 +1300

But only because users pay twice. Firstly from taxes which saw NZOA provide kids funding for fta channels. Secondly through pay television subscriptions to access the SAME local kids stuff behind the pay wall.

One of the side effects of this is that kids' TV in NZ is [[http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8371792/Kids-TV-more-American-than-US|more Americanised…

Joe Wylie

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:36:46 +1300

IF someone goes to the bother of fully costing (and presumably that means being very clear about what exactly they have in mind) it'll be interesting- and demonstrate someone is doing the thinking.
I believe that Brendon Burns was taking his shadow role in that area pretty seriously before September…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:30:08 +1300

And Maharey probably couldn't have been expected to know that National would simply kill off the inquiry while it was still in progress. That was breathtaking.

I was going to look that up, thanks. Clare Curran does so much hand-waving it can be easy to forget there's a reasonable sort…

Rob Stowell

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:18:20 +1300

Yeah. IF someone goes to the bother of fully costing (and presumably that means being very clear about what exactly they have in mind) it'll be interesting- and demonstrate someone is doing the thinking. Otherwise. Another minister, another drawn-out bamboozlement.

Joe Wylie

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:52:41 +1300

a firm statement of commitment
So was this, though they don't seem to talk about it any more.

Rob Stowell

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:41:21 +1300

“Labour will take a fully-costed policy into the next election to establish a sustainable new public broadcaster.”
Good! Be interested to see the detail, but it's a firm statement of commitment.
public service television no more has to be “boring” than the commercial stuff had to be tasteless
Jeez, of…

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:38:07 +1300

The key will be to insist that it’s public service television, it’s allowed to sometimes be boring

No no no… public service television more has to be “boring” than the commercial stuff had to be tasteless-yet-lethal as a slab of raw tofu marinated in anthrax culture. One of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_%28Danish/Swedish_TV_series%29|the smartest…

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:08:46 +1300

The key will be to insist that it’s public service television, it’s allowed to sometimes be boring, it’s never infotainment or half-and-half commercial- and commit to it long-term without looking at the ratings every five seconds.

There's no virtue in being boring. Public service TV should embrace difficult, serious and…

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:37:51 +1300

let them placate you with loaves and fishes

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:18:11 +1300

““Labour will take a fully-costed policy into the next election to establish a sustainable new public broadcaster.”

(From context, this clearly means “public service” not just publically owned).

I was going to look that up, thanks. Clare Curran does so much hand-waving it can be easy to forget there's a…

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:13:47 +1300

the free food is really good

I really miss the potato salad.

Stephen Judd

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:12:06 +1300

Labour aren’t committed, as far as a I know, any public service television.

http://www.labour.org.nz/news/opposition-parties-stand-together-on-public-broadcasting

"“Labour will take a fully-costed policy into the next election to establish a sustainable new public broadcaster."

(From context, this clearly means "public service" not just publically owned).

Paul Campbell

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:10:25 +1300

I'm worried we will sell it all off and that we'll have no "white space".

When the US finally gets its act together and allows whitespace use I think there's going to be a flowering much like what happened when they opened up the wifi band to all comers (the…

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:04:47 +1300

But National's decision to kill off the channels smacked of spite than any consideration of the arguments.

or a clear understanding before taking office about what would keep certain interests happy. And that's not the public.

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:02:32 +1300

the free food is really good

Rob Stowell

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:55:32 +1300

sell the 700MHz spectrum to telcos and pocket the proceeds after DSO. But there are major, major problems there.

Radio mics widely used in television production currently inhabiting that spectrum being just one…
ETA: talking about the state of public broadcasting in NZ is almost too dispiriting. And it's not…

Myles Thomas

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:51:18 +1300

Maori TV is an outlyer as far as broadcasting policy goes. They had to go to the Privy Council and won on the basis of strengthening the language, nothing to do with public service television (according to Haunui Royal, MTS filled the void left by TVOne because they saw it…

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:46:46 +1300

In response to Craig, it’s unfair to slap down Labour. Maharey has said the plan was to explore alternate funding sources for TVNZ 6 & 7 in the Inquiry Russell alludes to, specifically a levy on commercial broadcasters such as Sky. This wouldn’t have been popular with the powerful Sky/TVNZ lobby…

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:32:00 +1300

You have to pay for drinks now?

These are dark days.

Tony Siu

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:59:03 +1300

You have to pay for drinks now?

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:58:07 +1300

In response to Craig, it’s unfair to slap down Labour.

Myles: If that's unfair, then it's just as unfair to criticize National for gleefully pressing the kill-switch that was handed to them? N'est–ce pas? I'd also note the establishment of Maori didn't exactly have the "powerful Sky/TVNZ lobby" peeing its…

Geoff Lealand

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:43:49 +1300

Yes, let us not forget Maori Television. Murdoch will be missed, but only as someone to kick around..

See you at Media 3 tomorrow ....

Euan Mason

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:38:27 +1300

I agree with all of you, but how do we fix it? I can't see the Nats & ACT doing anything worthwhile in broadcasting because it would violate their religious devotion to the invisible hand of the market. Have Labour or the Greens got any viable solutions?

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:35:41 +1300

The trend is absolutely clear: This government is running down or undermining our assets in favour of their private business cronies

And it was clear before the last election. You'd think someone could have rallied voters to support an alternative approach..

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:33:48 +1300

the only major media left in NZ ownership: TVNZ and Radio NZ

and Maori TV

Steve Withers

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:32:53 +1300

It's shame that the present government is actively hostile to the only major media left in NZ ownership: TVNZ and Radio NZ. It is even worse that these are media assets we have entrusted to the government to be stewards of on our behalf. They have responded to that task…

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:32:39 +1300

But ultimately Sky must be worried about the big 5 globals with broadband access growing.

Drinnan writes about the implications of online delivery for Sky shareholders.

Future revenue growth will come from squeezing more spending out out of customers and adapting to the internet TV services.

Whichever investor picks up News…

ruth eliz Zanker

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:24:38 +1300

The selling of Sky shares by Roseanne Meo's board was the tipping point. If that had not happened...we might be able to negotiate new solutions for a while longer.

Now Sky is in a dominant position. It has Prime channel providing a fta spoiler for fresh content on other free…

Myles Thomas

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:22:41 +1300

In response to Craig, it's unfair to slap down Labour. Maharey has said the plan was to explore alternate funding sources for TVNZ 6 & 7 in the Inquiry Russell alludes to, specifically a levy on commercial broadcasters such as Sky. This wouldn't have been popular with the powerful Sky/TVNZ lobby…

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:11:44 +1300

I also wonder what would happen if we found ourselves with a government that had the balls to pass a law forcing an end to the highly concentrated ownership of media in NZ. That’s another one on my wishlist, and another I’m not holding my breath waiting for.

Good thing.…

Chris Waugh

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:48:04 +1300

Of course. One thing I am not doing as I wait for NZ to develop high quality media is hold my breath. There's good stuff out there, like, ahem, Media3 (really hope my connection starts working properly so I can watch it again), but nowhere near enough.

But it is…

Sacha

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:46:56 +1300

The drinks are cheap and the conversation is excellent

And a relaxed atmosphere. Recommend it for anyone who hasn't come along yet. Map here.

Russell Brown

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:20:52 +1300

No it won’t, Chris. I know Murdoch is the anti-Christ around here, but I don’t recall INL’s print titles magically becoming the paragon of excellence when they were flicked off to Fairfax.

It won’t change much, if anything. This, from News’s COO:

We and Sky have always enjoyed an excellent, arms-length…

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:50:02 +1300

In support of the new transmission system, he also established TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7. But he – or his Cabinet – lacked the nerve to make those channels permanent. The five years’ funding (structured in an odd and unnecessarily complex way that saw TVNZ raise finance and effectively loan…

Chris Waugh

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:46:02 +1300

Could this be good news? Certainly seems like it, though of course it won't magically revive public service broadcasting.

"News Limited" – the news, limited to what Rupert allows you to know.

Public Address

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:46:02 +1300

Discussion from blog post.