Willie Jackson managed what National Broadcasting Spokesperson Melissa Lee and Herald reporter Thomas Coughlan aptly described as a “train wreck of an interview”. ACT leader David Seymour went further and said if Helen Clark had been leader Jackson would have been sacked thirty seconds after the conclusion of the interview. Willie, probably without realising it, let the cat out of the bag as to his real intentions. In reality, we are looking at the public broadcasting version of Three or, as it has now become, Five Waters: using taxpayer-funded radio and television to further his own left-wing and Maori viewpoints.
Willie wants a government-run broadcasting entity which will entrench (there’s that word again) the left-wing bias already prevalent on both RNZ and TVNZ. I am talking specifically news and current affairs. He said he wants a BBC or an ABC. Had he done some basic research he would have found that both those organisations are reviled by many in both countries for doing precisely what he is wanting – spouting left-wing ideology. Not that that would have changed his mind.
Willie says audience habits are changing and TV1 is losing both revenue and audience. He might find he’s partly responsible. Too many of the interviews like the one he gave on Q+A and TV1 are likely completely devoid of viewers. Willie and TV1 need to work out which demographic they are going to attract if they are putting an emphasis on being non-commercial. The answer is the older age groups.
The only way this will work is if TV1 is completely non-commercial, is broadcasting programmes of a higher quality and therefore providing more intelligent viewing than might appeal to Willie. Willie gave an example where he thought Jack could be the host of Treasure Island, the inference being that is the type of programme we could look forward to under the merger. All I can say is if he wants to continue losing audience he’s going about it the right way.
This is yet another idea that has been given no thought beyond its ideological appeal to the left. Willie says he’s doing it to counter changing listening and viewing habits. What Willie is proposing won’t do anything to address that. If he looks at ratings and demographics he will find few under 35s give a fig about TV1 or RNZ. They are at a different stage in their lives. Nothing he does will attract them to those entities any more than there’ll be hundreds of bikes on Michael Wood’s proposed cycleways.
What we have is the same sort of idiocy that RNZ talked about when proposing a Youth Network. Their rationale was that the young would listen and they would be permanent devotees for the rest of their lives. That is not how it works. The younger demographic listen to the myriad of music outlets available, like Spotify, and probably have never heard of RNZ. As their lives change, they start families and take on more responsibilities, so their listening and viewing habits change.
Willie wants lots of Maori programmes on the new entity along with more Pasifika and Asian programmes. That is what it’s really all about, and you can bet your bottom dollar most of those will be Maori. This despite the fact we already have two Maori TV channels and a plethora of Maori radio stations, some of which he has had a relationship with. That’s not enough for Willie. What he wants is akin to having your cake, eating it and then regurgitating it to have another go.
According to Jack Tame, a recent poll shows only 22% support the new merger but, no matter, just like Three or Five Waters it will be forced upon us. Nobody wants it, TVNZ don’t, RNZ don’t, the staff in each of the entities won’t and neither do the public. It will not be a harmonious relationship between the staff involved. That is of no concern to Willie. He sees this as a means to flood the airwaves with left-wing propaganda and the Maori worldview in Aotearoa.
It is nothing more than a rort, a further waste of taxpayer money, and will achieve nothing. If we were to get a replication of Sky News Australia then it might be worthwhile but to get a version of the ABC or BBC, no thank you.
Thank goodness National and ACT have vowed to repeal this nonsensical idea.