Nigel Godfrey's blog

TVNZ sure is going for a NEW approach to current affairs, but it is one of which they should be ashamed. Last night’s 20/20 was quite the worst piece of ‘investigative reporting’ and I use the term with my tongue firmly in my cheek, that I think I’ve ever seen.

Colette Lochore, the reigning Miss World NZ, decided that she’d like to go ‘undercover’ to ‘expose’ the NZ modeling industry. However it was unclear before or after the story as to why this ‘exposure’ was needed, as the report lacked any substance whatsoever. This ‘exposure’ consisted of this non-journalist making a few telephone calls and going for an appointment at a company that offers training and intros to model agencies, for those with no experience in this industry, something the company in question appeared quite up front in explaining to her. Continue reading »

I believe it is now quite clearly time for a change in the the way NZ on Air funds Television Production in New Zealand, or at the very least it’s time for a structured and government sponsored public forum and debate, whereby the formation of a new funding model could be seriously discussed.

NZ on Air was set up to cater to a completely different TV landscape. Eric the fish has long since been flushed down the pan to the great fishbowl in the Sky. (I refer to a metaphoric fishy-afterlife and not Mt Wellington)

I used to argue that as the State Broadcaster, TVNZ should simply get all the money with a clear remit given by Statute/NZ on Air for the programmes that it is required to provide from the funding. However come September, when TV changes across the country to a fully digital model, why doesn’t NZ on Air just take a FREEVIEW UHF and a FREEVIEW Satellite Channel and a channel on SKY and broadcast themselves?  This would mean their content is available to ALL New Zealanders and would surely satisfy any questions regarding accessability. Continue reading »

Another classic quote for TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards in the Herald on Sunday this morning:

“Seven Sharp is a long-term proposition that recognises the fact traditional current affairs – on any channel – is not thriving in a media environment where the primary competitor these days is actually You Tube.”

Where on earth does she get this stuff from? You Tube is indeed a very popular medium but NOT for current affairs and NOT for the audience who will EVER be watching TV ONE at 7pm, or at any other time to be quite honest! Continue reading »

I think my tirade against the appalling TVNZ coverage of the TV Awards last year is now somewhat vindicated. However there does seem to be a disconnect in the statement from TVNZ and their responsibility for the current format’s demise.

TVNZ said they decided against support “because the awards had fallen short”. Well whose fault was that?

“It has run its course and part of the problem was that the awards had become a two horse race between TVNZ and TV3″. And whose fault was that?

We have at least 10 local channels making programming, the lack of inclusion of those broadcasters, some of whom have viewers in the hundreds of thousands, was always a major bone of contention. The main reason for the awards demise cannot be placed at the door of either TV3 or TVNZ, the fault lies with those organising them. They never had a clue! Continue reading »

In Saturday’s paper Ross Dagan is again quoted uttering, in my opinion,  absolute nonsense. In  response to the Seven Sharp presenters constant calls for the viewers to interact, get involved and ‘tell us what you think’ I’ve decided to have a dialogue with Mr Dagan based on his utterances to The NZH page A7 9/2/13

Not sure that this constitutes satire but I hope you find it more amusing than Seven Sharp. Continue reading »

Without commenting on Seven Sharp specifically (as I missed it) let’s look at its creation from a different angle. We are constantly told by both the Government and the board of TVNZ that it must run as a commercial business so why in this instance have they allowed their News and Current affairs department to operate with what would appear to be complete and utter commercial ineptitude?

I agree that without a charter and significant public funding TVNZ is simply a business and following that line of argument, like any other business they must create products that people either like or don’t like – viewers will buy/view the products/programmes or they will leave them on the shelf.

So let’s parallel the path to the creation of Seven Sharp with any another business. Continue reading »

Nearly 10 years ago when Wellington hosted the World Premiere of Sir Peter Jackson’s, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, I struggled to find funding, but eventually succeeded in producing a LIVE 2 hour Red Carpet TV Special of the event, due in no small part to the foresight of SKYTV.

As the Executive Producer I assembled an extraordinary team of people, all of whom worked incredibly hard to produce some of the best event coverage that I have ever been involved in. Continue reading »

NBC’s decision to to skip a 9/11 tribute and go instead with a Kardashian interview deserves a 2 minutes silence in itself. The seemingly unstoppable invasion of the vacuous, untalented and self-obsessed in the genre of entertainment programming is tragic enough, but for it to  encroach into the News and Current affairs arena is simply deplorable.

This morning I happened upon a programme screening on the E Channel entitled ‘Mel B, It’s a scary world’, and indeed it was.  A series dedicated to an incredibly needy woman who spends her entire life time getting made-up to go out to events where she can position herself front and centre. In one interminable scene we see Mel ‘shopping’, something that for most of us involves parting with money, however for the woman who has made millions from her pop career the idea that she should pay for anything is quite offensive. Continue reading »

Criticism of the Sports News coverage of The Paralympics on our main channels is completely unwarranted and the difference between sports coverage and sports news coverage needs to be recognised and understood. All the major networks have included news items on paralympic success within their main bulletins and they have then revisited those stories in their sports news segments.

One has to keep in mind the question, “What is television news ?” The parameters here are no different to other countries. Recently when pitching a story in europe to a London based television news organisation I was told, “if it bleeds it leads”, and watching the UK’s main bulletins at 6pm, which incidentally run between 15 minutes and 30 minutes, I can guarantee that their sports news coverage would not be any more comprehensive than ours in relation to The Paralympics, and let’s not forget they are holding the event. Continue reading »