TVNZ goes for 'a bit of fun' to lift ratings

TV One has gone Hollywood in a bid to attract more viewers for One News.

From March 8, the channel will have a 5.30pm news show that will cover "everything from J-Lo to Hayley Westenra", TVNZ news chief Bill Ralston said yesterday.

This would add a daily half-hour to its growing roster of arts and entertainment news coverage.

Thirty per cent of the content on Headliners will be local.

Producer Linda McLennan said the programme would be "a bit of fun" and "very different from what TV One viewers have seen in the past".

"We're very big on what the Auckland Theatre Company is doing this year, we're looking at profiles on people like [ATC artistic director] Colin McColl, local musicians here and overseas, NZ Idol. We're very much into promoting our own local product.

"[It's for] 10-year-olds who want to know what Britney Spears got up to and her latest video, to household shoppers and mums interested in the arts scene."

Headliners will be presented by Edge radio station host Jason Reeves, 27, and 24-year-old newcomer Renee Wright, who has worked as a producer and host for Classic Hits FM.

TVNZ reporters Mary Durham and Ruwani Perera will also work on the show.

TV One publicist Zara Potts said the programme was not TVNZ's answer to Prime Television's new First at 5.30 news bulletin, nor would it be similar to TV2's 6pm youth news bulletin, Flipside.

Mr Ralston recently demonstrated his desire to match TV3's arts and entertainment coverage by introducing the entertainment-heavy Tonight with Kate Hawkesby and Eric Young and Flipside Late on TV2 with Oliver Sealy and Sacha McNeil.

Arts and entertainment are also available on Sky TV - which starts an arts channel on March 1 - and Prime's Entertainment Tonight at 5pm.