KEY POINTS:
Television One's Tonight has knocked TV3's Nightline from its late night news pedestal, last month passing TV3 in its key demographic of people aged 18-49, according to AGB Nielsen figures.
TVNZ head of news and current affairs Anthony Flannery claimed Nightline's problems coincided with expansion at TV3 news and the organisation's lack of resources.
"With all the pressures, TV3 have taken their eye off the ball," he said.
But he praised Tonight presenter Greg Boyed as "an unsung hero at TVNZ" who played a big role in turning the show round.
TV3 news director Mark Jennings dismissed Flannery's claims, saying that while ratings were down for some shows media were rushing to judgment.
He also repeated a TV3 view that poor ratings were due to the long hot summer affecting viewing habits and pointed to ratings this week showing an upsurge.
But while Nightline is still doing better in Auckland, ratings results show Tonight is on a relentless rise.
The traditional Tonight has long lagged behind the bright Nightline. But in December it passed ratings for the 5-plus age group and in January for the TV One target range of 25 to 54-year-olds.
In a milestone result for March, Tonight passed Nightline in the TV3 target range of 18-49-year-olds.
Flannery said that TV3 moving Nightline presenter Carly Flynn to the struggling new breakfast show Sunrise also helped Tonight.
There is no question Flynn had a following but Boyed's success is as a serious news presenter.
"He is a strong journalist, unlike our opponent," he said.
Asked about TV3's Samantha Hayes, Flannery said: "I don't want to go personal on a performer. She is obviously a young kid having a go and it might take time for her."
After inquiries, TV3 issued a press release with AGB Nielsen ratings which showed improved ratings for 3 News and Campbell Live.
IT'S BUSINESS TIME
National Business Review is taking legal advice over the Enterprise New Zealand Trust selling Fairfax Media the naming rights to the Business Hall of Fame.
The newspaper helped establish the awards in 1994 and has played a role researching the recipients for the Hall of Fame, which recognises business achievement.
But the Trust has dropped NBR in favour of Fairfax amid a significant increase in profile and costs.
Trust chairman Tony Caughey said he had told NBR in February about changes which included establishing a permanent display at the Auckland University's new School of Business building.
NBR managing editor Brett Thompson said Fairfax was "cheeky" taking over naming rights but that he was more unhappy about the process.
NBR was seeking advice on whether its contribution over the 15 years of the awards represented some intellectual property rights to the Hall of Fame.
The Business Hall Of Fame sponsorship makes sense as Fairfax Media aims to increase its profile in the business community.
MOVEMENTS IN ADLAND
The advertising creative shuffle has kicked off again. Nick Worthington, newly appointed executive creative director at Colenso BBDO, has headhunted Carl Fleet from Publicis Mojo to join his new team.
Fleet will be joined by Emmanuel Bourgeres, the French import from DDB Advertising. Deputy creative director Steve Cochrane has been appointed creative director.
Such staff shuffles happen all the time in ad agencies. This one followed Colenso executive creative director Richard Maddocks' move to Clemenger BBDO in Sydney.
Worthington is highly regarded but has a tough task maintaining Maddocks' momentum at Colenso.
Colenso ended a flat spell with the likeable NZI commercial "everyone's stealing your stuff", followed by the astonishingly slick campaign for Vodafone, and more recently the innovative ad for State Insurance. The agency is on top of its game.
Meantime all eyes will be on the much smaller Catmur Barnes and Friends now that top ad talent Paul Catmur has become a partner. As creative director at DDB, Catmur oversaw some of DDB's most memorable ads.
Englishman Catmur left amid changes to DDB management, then took on a role as Melbourne-based Australasian creative director for Y & R, resigning in short order. He joined Daniel Barnes with accounts including Subaru.
Ad agency Publicis Mojo has won the Panasonic business, including flatscreens, in a competitive pitch against FCB, Mr Smith and Sugar. Managing partner of Publicis Mojo Group, Kay Boyle, says the agency is delighted to be chosen to work with the world's largest electronics producer.
BIG TIME IN BIG APPLE
In the Weekend Herald, Business Herald writer Anne Gibson looks at New Zealand business people in New York, while Trade and Enterprise sings New Zealand's praises in the Big Apple.
So too does Kiwi PR firm Sweeney Vesty whose principles, Brian Sweeney and Jane Vesty, commute between offices in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney.
Key client Kevin Roberts, who heads Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide, is also a big promoter of New Zealand. We hear there is an interesting rapport between public and private sector image makers.
A KIWI KEROUAC
Brian Sweeney is among New Zealand's best public relations writers and also dabbles in the photography world, having held an exhibition in a New York gallery.
The photography - priced at US$3250 ($4123) apiece - looks like the sort of thing you would hang in your Tribeca loft, if you had one.
It is pleasant enough, but in the art world - as in everywhere else - pleasant is not enough, and creativity needs marketing.
This is delivered in spades in an "essay" on the website paradiseroad.com/essay.php featuring Sweeney's work.
You may have heard of the term purple prose in the past but the essay on Sweeney by writer Stuart McKenzie is closer to vermilion.
Referring to philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche he likens Sweeney to an "Antipodean Kerouac".
"Clearly Brian Sweeney has his head in the clouds. He is on a higher plane. In fact, he's on an aeroplane and taking off or touching down, roving between here and there, camera chattering away, he has become a restless diarist of the unremitting moment," the website essay says.
LAST DAY
Why is the Ministry for Culture and Heritage in such a rush for its review of broadcasting regulations?
Submissions close today and the head of digital development at the ministry, Jo Tyndall, is aiming to have a report completed by July.
The tight deadlines - seven weeks for the first major review of broadcasting regulations in 20 years - have left the media and telecommunications worlds scrambling to meet the deadline.
But the free-to-air sector seems happy to pull finger and ensure that there is something in the legislative or regulatory system before the election, and the rise of a National-led government.
National - obviously enough - sells itself as the friend of free enterprise and the party praises Sky and its founders for taking the risk to launch in 1988.
