Why MediaWorks boss Michael Anderson resigned

The business MediaWorks chief executive Michael Anderson leaves later this year will be vastly different from the one he walked into four years ago.

A massive restructure, which will see a reduction of around 130 roles, and the imminent sale of the television arm and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 will change the makeup of the business for good.

But Anderson doesn't pinpoint any of these issues as the motivation for resigning from the business.

"I started having thoughts about resigning at the beginning of this year," he tells the Herald.

"I started reflecting on what the company was when I stepped in and what my role was defined as at that point in time.

"The company had gone through some well-publicised events, which were traumatic culturally and to the business itself. And my role was really to settle the business, create some stability and rebuild trust between management, the board and the people."

Anderson entered the business off the back of the Mark Weldon era, which was marked by a period of major structural change and high levels of media scrutiny. Some of the decisions made during that time proved highly controversial and led to an icy relationship between management and long-serving staff.

"My job was really to rebuild trust between management, the board and the people, and then to essentially work with each of the business units to create a path forward," Anderson says.

"That's a very different task from running a growth company or whatever else it might be," Anderson says.

MediaWorks boss Michael Anderson. Photo / File

With the MediaWorks radio and out-of-home arms about to move into a new building and the TV arm now set to be sold shortly, Anderson says he has after four years identified that path forward and feels the time is right to move on.

He confirmed the sales process for the television arm of the media company was down to a single bidder, but wouldn't confirm if there was truth to speculation it was Discovery Inc.

"I've heard that rumour and I was also presented with other rumours today and the response has been the same: we are not going to speculate. When we have a deal to announce we will announce it."

The MediaWorks statement sent out this morning said that Anderson would be staying with the business until the end of the year – and he stands by this, regardless of the imminent sale of the television arm.

"I fully intend to stay at MediaWorks until the end of the year," he says.

"The timing of this is to make sure we have the ability to take all the time we can to appoint a new CEO and do an appropriate handover. This is really about the governance of the business. My announcement is not driven specifically around the television sale."

Shortly after today's announcement, sources tipped Anderson as a possible successor to the OohMedia chief executive Brendon Cook who earlier this year announced his resignation from the business after 30 years.

"Our intention as a family is to stay in New Zealand," Anderson says.

"The OohMedia role is an Australian position and we're not looking to move to Australia… It's an interesting world right now, but sitting in [our home on] Waiheke wouldn't be a bad outcome. I think there are a lot of people who want to get into this country and feel safe."

Looking at the broader media context in New Zealand, Anderson says Covid-19 has underlined the need for collaboration between the media and the Government.

"My belief is that the conversations that have been started between government and the media in the last year need to continue," he says.

"It's critical for industry and the Government and media to keep this on the agenda because the outcomes are going to be quite important to maintain diversity of news, opinion and local entertainment.

"These are things that we just cannot take for granted. And they can't just be left to [their own] survival. There's got to be collaboration that enables a robust, independent media."

Like all CEOs struggling through Covid-19, Anderson has spent some time licking his wounds over the last few months trying to find a lesson in all this madness. So what big learning will he be taking to his next role?

"I think being blindsided has to become part of your strategic expectation," he says.