Privatization of TVNZ moves into next phase
Government signals big changes for TVNZ
The Government is moving to set up TVNZ 7 as a public service broadcaster, leaving TV One and the other TVNZ channels to focus on making money. Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman has written to TVNZ chairman Sir John Anderson asking him to prepare a plan "demarcating" its commercial and public broadcasting roles and funding of public broadcasting. Coleman yesterday confirmed his preference was to turn TVNZ 7 – and possibly TVNZ 6 – into public service-style channels.
As has been predicted on Tumeke for sometime, the move towards privatizing TVNZ is on track with TVNZ7 and Maori TV likely to be the 'new' public broadcasters.
The joke here is that Maori TV and TVNZ7 are ALREADY public broadcasters, the Ministers attempt to define them as such is so that he can flog TV2 and TV ONE off post 2011 if National are returned to office.
Privatizing TVNZ is a little like privatizing the prisons. Because both institutions have been so terribly underfunded the public resent them and or don't care. The argument against the destructive influence of allowing corporations to warp social policy by making money out of imprisoning people is lost in the shrill scream generated the Sensible Sentencing Trust who harness the natural outrage generated by the medias irresponsibly myopic 'if it bleeds it leads' ratings driven editorial policy on crime. Likewise the argument of a publicly funded broadcaster that brings light rather than heat to the important issues of the day as an important working feature of a healthy democracy rather than the expansion of corporate news which seeks to promote the interests of corporations over the interests of citizens is lost when the quality of what we currently get from TVNZ is so bad.
If the 6pm National news is reduced to a mere 30 minutes because of duopoly conspiracy between TVNZ and TV3 that's simply 17 minutes of national news to illuminate what is happening in this country while National and ACT quietly conspire to ram their none mandated agenda through under a misuse of urgency.
It's the reason why saving Radio NZ is so important
posted by Bomber @ 9:54 am
6 comments
6 Comments:
Labour will just buy it back for an inflated price if TVNZ gets privatised.
Labour will buy it back ? - well lets not fucking sell it then eh?
The whole irony here is that a past National government broke up Radio NZ because it was accused of cross-subsidising its non-commercial services with its commercial stations. Nothing I have heard from Coleman indicates he understands anything more than the policy requirement to get rid of anything publically owned NO MATTER WHAT. There is no mandate, there is no common sense, its just nonsense. I am now fully expecting these clowns to announce they will build a "public broadcasting centre" where news and current affairs services could be based and co-ordinated for public service broadcasting . Why they could even call it 'Broadcasting House' ..I think i could show them a great spot for it just by the Beehive..
Morons. Every one...
Grant
Let's not sell it indeed. But let's get a commttment now that if sold, its life as a purely profit making enterprise whose only function is to prop up the likes of a Henry ego will be short lived.
As I opened up this morning;s Dominion (thiking to myself how lucky they were that I bothered to expend $2.50 on this rare occasion), it came as no surprse to read that headline "TVNZ7 to become charter channel".
My immediate thought was - yea typical - pick the most struggling, the channel which operates on good faith and a belief in what it's doing, and the one that;s the most financially unviable, and let's say that should be the one and only PSB.
No.... here's an idea - let's make 1 and 2 PSBs with a Public service mandate.
Or perhaps NZers would prefer we go down the privatisation-of-electricity-that-occurred-over-the-past-decade route. "We promise cheaper prices on the basis of competition, efficiency and effective service delivery!"
And when we privatise the media that you as the PUBLIC own - we promise the same, with continued diversity and representation of your interests,
The key to all this bullshit (as with other assets many of which are now long gone, of course is that characterisation of their being owned by the "STATE" - AS OPPOSED TO THE "PUBLIC".
But then I guess if that public chooses to elect egg rolls to represent their interests, then more fucking fool them.
Let's just leave it in the hands of that charismatic Mr Jonky shall we? Such a lovely man! Why I'm coming over all queer at the thought of him!
great stuff
I'm a great believer in decent public broadcasting but I can't really get too steamed about the potential sell off of TVNZ 1 or 2. For the last twenty perhaps more years it has systematically dumbed down the standard of New Zealand television and I really believe that the whole system is so totally stuffed that we would be better to cut the whole cancerous lump off and use the proceeds to establish a decent free to air non commercial channel or three. the trouble is I wouldn't trust the philistines currently in power to mow my lawn let alone create a vital and useful state broadcaster.
Simon its not the sell-off of the station or network per se ...its the sell-off of the infrastructure and the people ...TV can be good and can be bad, it just depends where you want to take it as a medium . "Getting rid of TVNZ cos its stuffed" is exactly what they want you to think ...there's no way a new national public broadcasting TV channel could be built here from the ground up without massive govt investment and these clowns have shown they are not even interested in a pissy $7mill a year increase for RNZ just to keep it doing what its charter says it should..!
We don't nedd to sell TVNZ. We just need to re-staff it with people who understand public broadcasting and care about it.
TVNZ is run by commercial TV execs doing what they do ...and i'm sure they are all very keen to get away from the govt altogether and embrace Murdoch's way of business.
Democracy and arguments about public information etc etc have no place in his boardrooms around the world and really we have everything to lose by giving up on TVNZ as a broadcaster.
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