More FM's Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama among MediaWorks cost-cut proposals

Grant Kereama and Polly Gillespie are said to be affected by MediaWorks' restructure. Photo / File

Two of New Zealand's highest-profile broadcasters are understood to have been affected by proposals to cut staff numbers at MediaWorks.

Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama have been household names on New Zealand radio for decades - they currently host More FM's Wellington weekday breakfast show.

Sources have told the Herald the pair - who were previously married - are affected by restructure proposals at MediaWorks, which would see up to 130 jobs lost.

Gillespie has not responded to requests for comment, and a MediaWorks spokeswoman did not address questions from the Herald about whether the pair were affected.

"Our focus is on all of our people right now. We are not commenting on any individuals," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

News of a MediaWorks restructure came on Monday morning when chief executive Michael Anderson told staff in an email that the business was entering a restructuring process across its sales, out-of-home and radio divisions.

"It's proposed that in the region of 130 of our friends and colleagues will have to leave our business".

Because MediaWorks is still attempting to sell its TV arm, Anderson said there would only be small changes to that area of the business.

As well as its TV arm, MediaWorks owns a number of radio stations including The Rock, More FM and The Edge.

Anderson also said the company's pay cuts would be extended throughout the business to the end of September.

Late last year it was reported the cash-strapped company's owners - equity fund Oaktree and billboard company QMS - were looking to sell off the business' TV division.

Several potential buyers have reportedly expressed interest including Australian broadcaster Seven West-Media.

Gillespie and Kereama are two of New Zealand's most well-known radio hosts.

They joined More FM in 2017, and had previously hosted a show on the The Hits, a radio station owned by NZME, publisher of the New Zealand Herald.

And for many years they were the ZM breakfast show hosts out of Wellington.

They were previously married, and in 2015 announced their separation to The Hits listeners live on air, shocking fans by saying they had been "living apart" for two weeks.

The huge shakeup at MediaWorks came on the same day Stuff - owned by Australia's Nine Entertainment - announced the sale of its business, for $1, to chief executive Sinead Boucher.

That deal is expected to be completed by the end of May. As well as the Stuff website, the business owns several newspapers including the Press and Dominion Post.

It continues a turbulent time for New Zealand media, with Bauer New Zealand closing during the Covid-19 lockdown and more than 200 people being let go from the company, which published magazine titles including the Listener and North and South.

Last month NZME announced 200 positions had been dis-established or not replaced. Like pother media businesses, it has also asked staff to take a 15 per cent pay cut for 12 weeks.

TVNZ has yet to cut jobs due to the fall-out of Covid-19 but a spokesperson last week said that the need for further cost savings was "inevitable".

The Government last month offered New Zealand media businesses an initial $50 million to help them weather the economic fallout from Covid-19 while it puts together a second round of support.

Kris Faafoi, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, said the news of redundancies at MediaWorks was a reminder about the volatility in the media sector, exacerbated by the pandemic.

The sector would inevitably face fundamental changes in the future, Faafoi said.

"I feel for staff at MediaWorks.

"The Government is working through the details of its longer term approach to media sector support which can ensure a strong, sustainable, and diverse news media for New Zealanders and we will have more to say on that in the coming weeks."