National to economically strangle Radio NZ
Axe hovers over board of Radio NZ
Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman is considering sacking the Radio New Zealand board if the public broadcaster cannot shift to a new business model in an effort to save money. Documents released under the Official Information Act to One News show that Dr Coleman has told Radio NZ not to expect any new funding for the foreseeable future. Radio NZ costs about $38 million a year to run, but the Government is demanding a shake-up to counter rising costs. In meeting notes from last November, Dr Coleman was advised that replacing the board was an option if they could not find a solution.
It is utterly unacceptable to economically strangle the last publicly funded media bastion of critical thought in this country! National are attacking public institutions on a vast front and the last thing they want is any critical examination of their ill-thought out ideological blitzkrieg.
From National Standards which were always a front for League Tables which lo and behold this week are a Trojan horse for education privatization; From Private Prisons who only benefit from the longer sentences mantra and the 3 strikes law get's passed; ACC has a manufactured crises and Rape survivors have to convince an ACC bean-counter who is there to turn down their application that they are mental to get counselling; GST rise when Key said he wouldn't rise it with tax cuts that will effectively only benefit the wealthy in a vast transfer of wealth that will permanently damage social equity; the list goes on and on.
Which public broadcaster will challenge this blitzkrieg? Look at Close Up over the last couple of days, a story about a woman scared of clowns, the lack of yoke in creme eggs and Alison Mau's lesbian rumours. For Chirst's sake, on the day Key's GST flip flop came to light Close Up bumped the PM from being held accountable to interview a bloody All Black who wanted to apologize for groping a teenager on a Fijian beach!
National want to economically strangle Radio NZ so that they stop being that bastion of critical thought and this bully boy tactic by Coleman has to be protested over.
Join the Save Radio NZ facebook group.
posted by Bomber @ 8:40 am
25 comments
25 Comments:
For critical thought you cant go past the legend, Leighton Smith.
For critical thought you cant go past the legend, Leighton Smith.
LMAO - that is the funniest thing I've read for some time. Leighton Smith, he's like younger Garth George
With a media dominated by lefties who want to control how you think, Leighton is a beacon hope to those who sit in darkness.
Oh. My. God. You actually 'believe' in the liberal media myth doncha champ? I bet you believe that climate change is a hoax and you watch Fox News as well?
Would it be too far to suggest you also think Sarah Palin has some great points to make?
LOL - that you even describe Leighton Smith as a 'beacon of light' is extremely funny anon. If you love him so much anon and you are so proud of him - why post anonymously?
There was a time when I and many of us over 60s would strongly resist any State interference with RNZ. Unfortunately the gutting and dumbing down of National radio was completed a few years ago with the introduction of the current crop of embarrassingly ill-informed, saccharine sweet anchors.
These days I tune in (if I remember) for Bomber's appearances on The Panel and the occasional documentary.
If National Radio should disappear tomorrow, most of my group would rate the loss on a par with the disappearance of "Woman's Day" - which it has come to resemble.
"Lovely having you on!"
Like to be provocative eh Anon?! I can only assumne you are either taking the piss or have been lobotomized. Corporate media everywhere I turn, no sign of anything liberal as far as I can see - unfortunately Brewerstroupe is probably right about RNZ also. Palin's a goodie, Chavez is a baddy, blah blah... blind consumer of spin I think you need to read a little more!
Anonymous Im sorry , but to quote Colbert, "Sarah Palin is a fucking retard." RNZ should run autonomously from government, left or right, and not be forced to make changes for solely financial reasons. It may not be perfect in the eyes of the current government, but I think an independent voice in the media is worth far more than being able to save a few dollars.
@anon 11.04am. I thought this blog was meant to be for serious comment not stand up comedy.
RNZ is a beacon of light in a landscape of darkness and confusion that passes as main stream media.
Meddle with it at your peril!
"Meddle with it at your peril!"
Or what? The beehive is going to be beseiged by thousands of middle aged grey cardian wearers from Tawa.
why should tax payers pay for the leftist dribble?
I'm on today with Richard Griffin - is he leftist? I was on the Panel last year with Michelle Boag - is she leftist? Interesting it's just the anono-trolls who have a problem with Radio NZ isn't it folks?
"why should tax payers pay for the leftist dribble?"
Are we to assume from this that something which has some degree of debate and isn't overtly in support of a very small elite is leftist. The left/right debate can be an easy distraction can't it, from the reality of the American model we're following. It's been a great success there too hasn't it.
"The beehive is going to be besieged by thousands of middle aged gray cardigan wearers from Tawa."
If that ever happens you righties will be in deep shit.
In a radio climate like today where 99% of radio stations are owned by international corporations, Radio NZ (and the Bnets) are the only shining light with something different and worthwhile to listen to. To take these away (or reduce funding, whatever) would be a huge mistake.
But getting back to the debate - if TVNZ News (which employs 300 people) and has enormous costs in sourcing and transmitting pictures can operate on $35 million AND Newstalk ZB can operate on 6 million - TELL ME WHY NATIONAL RADIO NEEDS $35 million?
Does anyone actually listen to Radio NZ, or get their current events from the airwaves these days?
Just saying.
GRIN - I love the slight change in anono-trolls shrill pitch from...
With a media dominated by lefties who want to control how you think, Leighton is a beacon hope to those who sit in darkness.
to
Why is it a mistake to make in cuts in areas that are dominated or supported by the left?
after I pointed out...
I'm on today with Richard Griffin - is he leftist? I was on the Panel last year with Michelle Boag - is she leftist?
Hilarious. Why should we have publicly funded media, because when it is left to the corporates you get Fox News, you get Australian money men who want to cut Campbell Live, you get advertisers influencing news, you get gutter media that focuses on heat rather than shedding light. The media hold the powerful to account, it's the role of the 4th estate, it's part of a healthy democracy, when it's sold off our left to the whims of the corporates it becomes infotainment and the powerful get let off.
That makes anonymous trolls and the elites happy because the don't like being held to account.
Oh and Jeff, I think RNZ at 533 000 listeners outrates the other radio stations in NZ.
It's also REALLY boring but hey $35 million of taxpayers money goes to a radio station with half a million listeners - well that's better than $40 million of taxpayer money going to MTS, a TV station with 1,000 viewers
Jeff,
Does anyone actually listen to Radio NZ, or get their current events from the airwaves these days?
I just started to recently due to a massive craving for some decent journalism and comment... RNZ hasn't disappointed and contrary to the inference from one of the anonymous comments that RNZ listeners are middle aged, grey cardigan wearers from Tawa, I am a long way from that.
I work for TEAR Fund, part of my role involves staying informed on global issues, I have found that listening to RNZ when I first get up in the morning serves this very well - better than any other station has done for me. I supplement this with a diet of many other news sources.
I also believe that an impartial media source is necessary for a healthy, functioning democracy. Democracy (when operating properly), places power in the hands of the general populace - for that power to be properly exercised, the population needs to be well informed by more than vox pop sound bites getting the feelings of people who know next to nothing about the subject matter.
The population of a democracy needs good information in order to make good choices - if we reduce our information sources to simple magazine content then politics becomes a game of nothing more than a popularity contest reminiscent of the power plays that would go on in a school yard to determine the "cool group" and the populace remains ignorant of the real information behind the massaged information in press releases, allowing a government to undertake whatever it wishes, unquestioned.
A good democracy also needs a body in the media that holds the government to account and has the ability to critically analyze decisions made. The role of the opposition is to serve this need in the House, but a media body is needed that does the same thing - the only body that seems to be able to do that effectively without magazine pap at the moment is RNZ.
If a situation is created where RNZ needs to turn to advertising $$$ to operate, we are undermining the health of our democracy... I think this IS that important. We need a broadcaster whose sole function is to serve the public, inform it and help express it's identity.
Let RNZ stand on its own feet since it has such a massive audience. Lets see how many companies want to chuck ad dollars at them.
Zero at a rough guess.
I don't want money taken off me and given to that bunch of dribblers anymore.
Why dont we do this? those who want to can pay some money for radio nz, and those who dont want to pay, dont. that way those who believe in it, listen to it, pay for it. those of us who think its a pile of left-wing cow dung, wont pay.
"Leighton is a beacon hope to those who sit in darkness".
Why are anonymous and his friends 'sitting in the darkness'?
Are they ill?
I never cease to be amused at the capacity of otherwise rational people to hold conflicting concepts in their heads.
Politicians insist that Chinese walls can be constructed to insulate their investments from the insider knowledge they gain from their position of privilege.....yet they do not seem to believe that a public broadcaster can be insulated from partisanship by a properly constructed charter.
Idiots like the right-wingnut anonymous poster measure all there is in coin of the realm and even then they get it wrong. The commercial success of many of our musicians and film-makers is a direct result of State Institutions like Radio New Zealand and the Film Commission.
Some folk would rather the market dictate the culture. This group is much-loved by the marketing people at Sony.
"I never cease to be amused at the capacity of otherwise rational people to hold conflicting concepts in their heads."
Like those who support Muslim fundamentalist parties who hate jews and gays and want to kill them simply because they happened to win a democratic election?
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