TVNZ

TVNZ has today announced John Gillespie as its new Head of News and Current Affairs.

TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick says it’s extremely pleasing to appoint a leader with an unquestioned commitment to New Zealand and to TVNZ.

“John is well-known and respected in the industry for his editorial experience and has a thorough understanding of the multi-media environment our news team now works in.

“Because he knows our organisation so well we expect John to make a smooth leadership transition and there’ll be no loss of momentum as we further develop New Zealand’s most watched news and current affairs service.” Continue reading »

TVNZ has announced that the television captioning and audio description service it currently runs will soon be operated by a separate entity.

TVNZ and New Zealand on Air, which funds the service, are working together to ensure a seamless transition to a newly-created entity, which will ensure that the current quality and quantity of the service is maintained or increased.

At the moment, TVNZ handles captioning for other broadcasters as well as its own programmes. The move to an independent third party is the result of a business decision by TVNZ to cease a non-core activity.

Existing staff will transfer to the new provider once the administrative and technical details are in place. Continue reading »

TVNZ has released the following press release regarding their half year result.

TVNZ is on track at the half year point to meet its full year Statement of Intent forecast.

Announcing the company’s Interim Result today, Chief Executive Kevin Kenrick said the first six months of the year had featured some exceptionally positive programming and consumer developments within a continuing challenging economic environment.

“The net result is that we are where we expected to be at this time.”

TVNZ has recorded operating earnings for the half year of $21.6 million – $7.1 million below the prior year. The primary driver of the year on year change in operating earnings has been increased investment in both local and international programming content. Continue reading »

TVNZ released the following tribute to Phillip Leishman today.

Statement from Jeff Latch, Head of TV ONE and TV2:

We awoke this morning to the sad news that one of New Zealand’s favourite broadcasters, Phillip Leishman, has died.

Those of us fortunate enough to work with Phil know that he was an extraordinarily gifted presenter and broadcaster – a favourite with viewers and much respected by his industry peers.

Phil’s history with TVNZ goes back to the old NZ Broadcasting Corporation days in 1971, when he got his first break at Dunedin’s DNTV2. Continue reading »

TVNZ has sent out this press release this afternoon:

HE TĀHUHU RANGAPŪ HŌU MŌ NGĀ HŌTAKA MĀORI, MOANANUI A KIWA

Kua whakawhiwhia e Te Reo Tātaki te tūranga o te Tāhuhu Rangapū Hōtaka Māori, Moananui a Kiwa ki a Shane Taurima.

Tekau mā rua tau a Shane e mahi ana i Te Reo Tātaki hei kaiwhakataki mātāmua, hei kaiwhakahaere mātāmua hoki. Inātata nei, ko ia te Kaihautū o Te Karere, te kaiwhakataki hoki o Q&A.

Hei tā Ross Dagan, Tumu Whakarae o Te Tari Kawe Pūrongo o Te Reo Tātaki, “he nui ōna pūmanawa ki te ao pāpāho, kawe kōrero hoki. He matatau ia ki ngā take huhua e pā ana ki ngā hapori Māori, Moananui a Kiwa hoki. He nui ōna mōhiotanga ki te ahurea Māori, Moananui a Kiwa hoki.”

“He mana tōna hei kaikawe kōrero, hei kaihanga hōtaka i roto i Te Reo Tātaki, i roto hoki i ngā hapori o te motu. Kei te mōhio ahau, māna ngā hua me ngā painga o ngā hōtaka Māori, Moananui a Kiwa hoki e whakawhanake, e whakawhānui, kia tipu tonu ai.”

KA MUTU

And for those of you unable to read what it says, they also provided an english version: 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 »

While Sky spent yesterday pointlessly shooting itself in the feet over the global availability of the Banshee pilot, a drama paid for and commissioned by US cable network Cinemax, TVNZ has revealed that from Monday, they will be debuting the prequel to Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaries, on TVNZondemand.

TVNZ, which will be broadcasting The Carrie Diaries later in the year, will make episodes available via their ondemand service within a week of its US release.

This unprecedented move is the exact type of scenario that a, dare I say it, forward looking television broadcaster would take in order to stem revenue loss from content being sourced elsewhere.

TVNZ’s Head of News and Current Affairs, Ross Dagan, has resigned to go back to Channel Seven in Australia after just 10 months on the job citing family reasons.

Dagan will be remembered as the man who removed Mark Sainsbury from prime time.

An agreement has been signed by the major New Zealand networks to have the volume toned down during TV advertisements.

The move will stop ads from sounding significantly louder than the programmes they break up.

The agreement will officially come into effect on January 1, 2013 but TVNZ says they will begin to adjust as early as Sunday.

“We’ve moved to adopt it sooner because our research has shown it’s a strong irritant for viewers, and we’ve been able to get a technology solution in place now,” TVNZ said. Continue reading »

Every year around this time the TV networks in New Zealand roll out their new season packages, giving us a glimpse as to what lies ahead for the following year.  Head of TV One and TV2, Jeff Latch described TVNZ’s 2013 new season as offering “a stronger and more exciting range of programmes than ever before”. I beg to differ.

In the 50 plus years of television in New Zealand, does he honestly believe that statement?  There is no new hit like a Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives so I’m not sure what he’s referring to at all.

Latch also believes “the strong local programme line-up, the new and returning News and Current Affairs programming and the extensive showcase of outstanding international content means that TVNZ will continue to deliver the nation’s most watched content”.  But as we know, most watched does not equate to best. Continue reading »