TVNZ 7’s latest advert pure Government propaganda

NO! NO! NO! TVNZ what are you doing? TVNZ must know that the Government intend to privatize them post 2011 along with everything else (even though ACC and prisons are being privatized now). So TVNZ must either be wanting privatization or have planned to suck up to the Government in the hope that sucking up will save them, how else can you explain the shocking new TVNZ7 ‘Plain English’ series of TV promos examining the economy with Bill English morphing from Formal Bill to Leisure Bill (there’s not much difference) as he gives a party political broadcast pep talk about how great the economy is. This is 25 seconds of free propaganda by the Nats on public television.

If TVNZ are sucking up to save their bacon, it’s a pathetic strategy because …

1: Nats don’t consult with anyone once they start to privatize
2: GET OFF YOUR KNEES AND STOP SUCKING!

The public broadcaster is supposed to challenge and hold the powerful to account, not broadcast unchallenged pap from the Finance Minister wrapped up as a TV promo! The only thing that will save TVNZ from criticisms like this is if they are going to have all the Finance spokespeople getting the same level of unchallenged air time to put their cases on the economy, it is something someone at the Standard or Frogblog HAS to chase up.

But why whore TVNZ7 off like this? TVNZ7 is the closest TVNZ has to public broadcasting, it has built a liberal credibility with shows like Media 7 (although it’s as dry as tofu muesli) and Backbenchers. If staff within TVNZ want the public to help them stop privatization where will this public support come from? TVNZ has showed nothing short of utter contempt for a public charter so will the public rally around to save them when the privatization axe swings? Well Nat and ACT supporters live for Talkhate radio, so they’ll celebrate any free market humpfest, while progressives and liberals remember TVNZs contempt for public broadcasting and free promos for the Finance Minister ain’t helping win any grassroots fight back.

TVNZ NEEDS a liberal broadcaster that challenges the Government, a new Kim Hill mixed with a sober Pam Corkery and some of the old Bill Ralston to lead a new late night news show on TV2 so they can create their own content for the online site for people to tune in the next day when you’ve generated news headlines from the argumentative interviews the night before. You can’t negotiate with the Nats, you have to fight them to a standstill and a show that challenges them could be a bloody big stick.

BTW – Bill’s denial about how bad the economy is in these promo’s isn’t ‘Plain English’ it’s ‘Delusional English’.