Media: No joke - the beers are on the house

Chris Knox's stroke six weeks ago has led to the organisation of an art auction to raise money to brighten up Auckland's rehabilitation centres. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Television New Zealand has pulled its public service media show Media7 from the raffish charm of Auckland's Classic Comedy Club into the bowels of its studios.

But the invited audience for the wholly taxpayer-funded show on the TVNZ7 digital channel can relax.

They will still be offered a beer or a wine to warm the cockles of their hearts on a cold, wintry night.

TVNZ has budgeted for production company Top Shelf Productions to continue with the policy of laying on a few drinks and that won't be changing now the show is coming into the studio.

A few nibbles and drinks are normal when guests appear on TV panels - it can after all be stressful.

TVNZ also says that when a studio audience makes the effort to come in, it's only right they should be allowed to relax and enjoy the show being filmed.

Media7 producer Phil Wallington said that typically 20-40 people might join the studio audience to watch the show being filmed.

He said that Media7 host Russell Brown liked a studio audience. And it adds to the atmosphere.

Wallington says the beers are brought in from the local wholesale.

Like Wallington, TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said nobody was getting merry on the taxpayer at Media7.

She said that on average the drinks for studio guests cost just $10 a head a night. That is just $300 or - in its extended season - $15,000 a year.

In the high-cost world of television production that is virtually nothing.

SKY'S ROUND?

TVNZ7 shows Media7 and the political programme Backbenchers are paid for out of $79 million of government funding for digital programming over six years.

The shows are run without advertisements and audiences are still too small to be estimated. Media7 can have some interesting guests.

Both shows operate on comparatively small budgets and Media7 especially can be entertaining.

Backbenchers - made by TVNZ at the Wellington pub and parliamentary hangout of the same name - also invites along people to the bar-room jolly japes.

Both seem to be targeted and have real appeal to the blogger set - whom TVNZ digital sees as promoting digital TV.

Producer Maryanne Ahern says not everybody invited gets free booze - but on a winter Wellington weeknight it was important to entice people out.

TVNZ7 was once exclusive to Freeview but now appears on Sky TV - another boost for the pay-TV network.

Maybe it's time that Sky shouted a few beers and pinot gris to audiences at taxpayer-funded digital TV.

Invites to join the Media7 live audience are available through tvnz.co.nz or Russell Brown's Hard News website.

AWARDS DELAYED

New owners for NZ Marketing magazine have set back the industry awards for three months because of disruption when the title's owner, 3media, was in liquidation and receivership.

HB Media took over the ownership of the awards when it bought the magazine this year. HB Media - which publishes Idealog and Good magazines and produced Inspire magazine for House of Travel - has formed a closer relationship with the NZ Marketing Association, which will be overseeing the awards.

Under the deal, NZ Marketing becomes the official magazine of the NZMA and the two bodies will be working together to develop the website.

Chief executive Sue McCarty said the awards show would run on October 29 rather than July 30 because of disruption during the sale process.

She said most of the first-round judging was complete and finalists would be announced soon.

No decision had been made yet whether the awards would move permanently from July to October, McCarty said.

When HB Media partner Vincent Heeringa noted the current advertising market - he used a word that begins with "s" and rhymes with hit.

He said that the hard-copy magazine would change from being published monthly to every two months and would be relaunched in August.

Heeringa has temporarily replaced Graeme Medcalfe at the editor'sdesk.

RECOVERY ART

TVNZ's digital channel is organising a charity auction of artwork with proceeds going to brighten up stroke rehabilitation facilities in Auckland's Pt Chevalier.

TVNZ7 New Artland presenter Chris Knox had a stroke six weeks ago and has spent time in an Auckland rehabilitation unit which has caring staff, but somewhat grim decor.

Knox had completed filming for his frontman role on New Artland.

TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said that some artists - including those who appeared on New Artland - would be donating work directly to stroke rehabilitation units.

TVNZ said art which could be over-stimulating and unsuitable for the rehab units would be included among artwork that would be be auctioned.

Richards said the family had wanted it to be clear that the charity auction was for the facilities at stroke rehabilitation units and not for Knox himself or the family.

Meanwhile, the US band MGMT played a special-licence all-ages DJ set on Monday at Auckland's Bacco Room, with all proceeds for the $20-a-head show going to Chris Knox in aid of his recovery. A music industry source estimated that 500 people attended, though at print time the exact figure raised was not available.

IRISH AND BLACK

Last year I tut-tutted Noelle McCarthy for plagiarising content for essays on Radio New Zealand National which eventually led to public radio standing her down for a few weeks from Jim Mora's afternoon programme.

But I've been impressed by McCarthy's print publications, especially an entertainingly bleak missive last week in her Herald column about "New Zealand being closed for winter". It was, as a Robert Forster song lyric would say, Irish and so black.

At the risk of being accused of giving a free plug to the Herald, it was very readable.

McCarthy's Irish brogue wins as many detractors as admirers as she traverses the world of news and current affairs with occasional stints on RNZ. And her online excursions at Fashion Week last year were sometimes embarrassing. But as a columnist she has revealed a unique voice in print.