Today FM has abruptly abandoned its scheduled broadcasting and staff at the station fear they are about to lose their jobs. Video / NZ Herald
Stunned Today FM staff have headed to the pub after being told today the station will close and given mere hours to make submissions on the decision.
Hosts Leah Panapa and Tova O’Brien and her producer Carol Hirschfeld were among staff who headed to a nearby bar.
“Let’s go nuts,” a staff member could be heard saying, as cheers and whistles sounded their arrival at the venue.
Today FM abruptly abandoned its scheduled programming this morning – but not before O’Brien and host Duncan Garner revealed on air that the MediaWorks-owned station’s future looked grim.
It is now advising on its homepage a full update on the embattled station will be unveiled in an announcement at 5pm.
Host Duncan Garner today revealed during his show the struggling station’s hosts had been asked to attend an all-staff meeting.
The station then abruptly abandoned its scheduled broadcasting.
Tova O’Brien’s line producer Tom Day said the MediaWorks board “have made a proposal to shut down” Today FM. Speaking to media outside after the meeting, he said he had had “better days” and that he was absolutely “gutted”.
“We received notifications that there would be a meeting at 12.15pm but it was brought forward. They told staff to start playing music.
“Wendy Palmer [acting MediaWorks CEO] said at the meeting MediaWorks’ board had decided to shut down Today FM.”
The staff have been given until the end of today to make submissions towards the proposal, Day said.
Today FM staff including Tova O'Brien leave MediaWorks building after the station was taken off-air this morning amid a proposal to shut the station down. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Today FM staff leave the MediaWorks building after the station was taken off-air. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
”It is very little time. I am pretty gutted. We have a really good team who work hard.
”We will lose a news outlet and that’s bad.”
The meeting came as a bit of a shock but also wasn’t a surprise, Day said.
“We passionately believe we have done amazing work. We are frustrated the board doesn’t see that... it was a five-year plan but we have only been on-air for a year.”
In a recording of the all-staff meeting obtained by the Herald, acting MediaWorks CEO Wendy Palmer told workers they hit a “significant block in terms of revenue” late last year.
“When I came in 20-something days ago I had absolutely no thought or idea that I’d be standing here talking to you today about something to do with the state of the company, but I am,” Palmer began.
“Starting around Q4 last year we’ve hit a massive block in terms of revenue and it has been significant.
“Q1 we were down significantly on last year and our view of what April and May are looking like are also significantly down.”
Radio, which is 70 per cent of revenue, is down on 2019, digital is up about 40 per cent, but is a small portion of revenue.
Today FM costs are around $7.5 million, which includes half of the newsroom. Revenue this year for TodayFM is looking like it will be about $6 million-$6.5m, Palmer said.
“Based on the financial position the company has found itself in... we are looking to retain people who are in digital. The decision around TodayFM that the board have come to is that we will close TodayFM”.
MediaWorks interim CEO Wendy Palmer tells Today FM staff that had she known how bad the financial situation at MW was she wouldn’t have taken on the role.
In an extraordinary few minutes of radio, Garner was joined on air by fellow host Tova O’Brien, who said the company had “f***ed us”: “We are all going to lose our jobs,” she said.
“We’ve been on-air for just a year, we were told we had the support of everyone from chief executive to the board to the executive.”
He also told listeners: “Broadcasters here at Today FM have been called in to see the boss. We don’t know what’s going on. Tova’s asked for assurances that we are safe and hasn’t received them. Certainly some concerns in the background about the finances for the company overall.
“We were last on board you see as a station here. Could it be that we are first offloaded? I hope not. But that’s the axe hanging over us.
MediaWorks station TodayFM abruptly abandoned its scheduled broadcasting. Photo / Michael Craig
“It’s going to be a pretty difficult show but I am going to give it my best and be as honest as I can be with you. As news may or may not come through.”
The station has now abandoned its regular programming and is playing music instead.
Garner said: “We’ve been pulled off air right now.”
O’Brien, who joined Garner in the studio, added: “Without even being given a chance.”
O’Brien told the host, “it sounds like it’s over”.
A second tweet said: “Mediaworks said Today FM was a five-year plan. They have completely lied.”
NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said despite NZME and MediaWorks being fierce competitors, the two companies also have a strong relationship, working together for the betterment of our industry.
“Our thoughts are with the Today FM team and those MediaWorks staff who are impacted by these changes.”
Gurney, a former general manager of Newstalk ZB, was hired by MediaWorks to help launch Today FM just over a year ago, signing up hosts O’Brien and Garner, as well as Rachel Smalley, Pauline Gillespie and Leah Panapa.
Gurney will leave the company in May and so far no successor has been named.
Today FM has struggled to make any inroads in its first year into Newstalk ZB’s ratings.
Newstalk ZB’s overall cumulative audience in New Zealand is 691,900 while Today FM sits on 100,400.
MediaWorks put a brave face on the ratings in December, saying: “Today FM remains a long-term project for MediaWorks and there won’t be a full national picture until next year when the results are decoupled from Magic Talk.”
However, in several metropolitan areas, the Magic Talk number has already been decoupled from Today FM. In Auckland, the station has a weekly audience of 29,700 compared to Newstalk ZB’s 269,900.
