Finding the right medicine for state TV

Jonathan Coleman brings a calming bedside manner to the broadcasting portfolio. Photo / Dean Purcell

TVNZ executives can feel relief that a medical doctor with an MBA is watching over the rebirth of profit-focused state television.

National and Labour have prescribed market remedies for state TV but Labour mixed them up with cultural obligations for the unfortunate experiment at TVNZ.

Now Dr Jonathan Coleman's script is for TVNZ to stop taking its cultural medicine and exercise its commercial instincts.

Much to their relief, chairman Sir John Anderson and chief executive Rick Ellis are left to concentrate on making money.

But beyond clearing away social obligations and recreating a commercial focus, what sort of recovery is Coleman looking for?

And if the operation to get TVNZ out of a crisis is a success, might it mean the concept of public service TV is finally put to rest?

That is certainly not the way Coleman sells the policy that TVNZ should be freed from the shackles of social responsibilities but remain in state ownership.

It appears the National ideology of profit holds sway alongside the socialist ideal of the aggressive state-owned business.

Qualified as a general practitioner, Coleman brings a calming bedside manner to the portfolio.

He seems devoid of ideology.

Raised in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank, his earliest political influences were from his grandmother, who was a strong supporter of former Rob Muldoon "and one of the more fanatical members of Rob's mob", he says.

After completing his medical degree at Auckland University, he lived in Britain for eight years as a doctor before moving into the financial sector with an MBA, then working for consultants Booz Allen in London.

He came back to New Zealand in 2001 when the tech bubble burst.

He missed out on the national nomination to Tamaki but ended up with Northcote.

In December 2006 he was accused of blowing cigar smoke while a guest of British American Tobacco at a U2 concert. This may have harmed any ambitions for the health portfolio, a subject where he clearly has expertise.

But he has been seen as a safe pair of hands inside the Nats.

His rather too low-key role as campaign manager in Melissa Lee's ill-fated byelection campaign for the Mount Albert seat led to Labour jibes calling him "Maestro".

But it appears John Key does not harbour any doubts about Coleman.

Coleman insists he is interested in the broadcasting portfolio, while he is also a shareholding minister for TVNZ.

From 2005 to 2008 he was the lowly broadcasting spokesman in the National administration.

Among industry leaders he was seen as following a party lead in passionate support of private property rights and against regulation.

But he was also seen as straight-forward and transparent and a marked counter to the Maharey years, when the minister in charge of promoting TVNZ's interest was also the minister in charge of the wider broadcasting industry.

Coleman insists privatisation is not on the agenda.

As for his own TV viewing habits, he says he has become an accomplished "timeshifter" on his digital video recorder.

"I record a lot of stuff on MySky, but I have so little time to watch that I have had to cull.

"I have taken to buying box sets of DVDs and I have Mad Men - 30 Rock and am working my way through a box set of The Wire."

JONATHAN COLEMAN
* Shareholding minister TVNZ, Broadcasting Minister, Immigration Minister, Associate Tourism Minister.
* Age: 43
* Education: Auckland Grammar (Head Boy) studied medicine at Auckland University Medical School followed by post-graduate Diploma of Obstetrics at National Women's Hospital.
* Married with one child.

THE MINISTERS

Former Broadcasting Ministers and the TV titles that sum up their tenure.

MAURICE WILLIAMSON

Deal Or No Deal

A passionate supporter for TV3, Sky TV and private broadcasting, his era coincided with management moves towards the sale of TV2 to Kerry Packer. His calls for sale were tempered by Prime Minister Jim Bolger who saw the move as unpopular with voters. After the introduction of MMP the impetus for a sale was gone.

MARIAN HOBBS

Lost

Inherited Prime Minister Helen Clark's view that TVNZ management had worked against a Labour victory. Hobbs initiated 1970s liberal view of broadcasting which ignored change facing the industry. Hobbs and Labour tried to hobble TVNZ's commercial instincts with a half-hearted charter that muddied its aims.

STEVE MAHAREY

Mitre 10 Dream Home

The former media studies academic was assigned to clear the muddle left by Hobbs. Maharey developed a vision of TVNZ at the centre of a "family of public broadcasters" including Radio New Zealand and Maori TV. With a nod from Helen Clark and little support, he sought ways to make TVNZ's remits of commercial and non-commercial content work. Maharey's good intentions got lost in TVNZ's formidable commercial culture.

TREVOR MALLARD

Grand Designs Revisited

Mallard picked up the portfolio when Maharey resigned from Parliament. While largely uninterested, he was stunned by the money-for-nothing state subsidies TVNZ received and set in motion moves to remove its special status for taxpayer funding.