Readers respond: The Susan Wood controversy

Susan Wood. Picture / Nigel Marple

Few other pay cheques have stirred readers as much as those TVNZ presenter Susan Wood gets from the state broadcaster. The intense interest is on her annual $450,000 salary, which her employers tried but failed to cut by $100,000. We asked whether she should keep her salary and if, in light of her public row with TVNZ, she could continue to front Close Up. Here is a selection of readers' views.

Shameful

Susan Wood should be ashamed of herself. She earns more in a month than some people earn in a year. I'm sure all the nurses who work long hours for very little in comparison would like to see some of that money head in their direction.

Kim Tyrrell.

Excellent

I think Susan Wood should keep her salary and be the Close Up presenter. She is excellent at her job and an asset to TVNZ, and following the news I keep TV1 on to watch Close Up. Don't get rid of her please!!

Bev Barker.

Monkey business

Good luck to her or any other presenter if they can get a high-value contract from an employer. She has the responsibility to continue presenting Close Up until her contract expires. After that it is up to TVNZ about the way forward.

If media management believe presenters need to be paid more than $100,000, then it is time we change the management with trained chimpanzees, who I am sure will do a better job, and they can even read the news and present programmes.

William Thompson.

Disgusting

The salary of Susan Wood is absolutely disgusting. No person doing such a job is worth $450,000 per annum. She should take the $350,000 offered to her. When her contract expires on December 31 there will be some tough negotiating. Mark Sainsbury is better suited for the job as he asks the hard questions.

Robin Brown.

Worth it

Susan should keep her salary and her job if she still wants it. She is an excellent presenter and is worth the money. Other large employers would not do what TVNZ tried to do, especially when she took over from a successful presenter and then went up against him in the same timeslot and did an excellent job. We actually preferred watching Holmes when she filled in for Paul anyway.

Jeanette Paenga.

Extravagant

Susan has been treated very shabbily by her employers. Who specifically is to blame is difficult to identify, the buck seems to be moving at such astronomical speed ...

Given the circumstances there is no alternative but to pay Susan Wood her $450,000 salary, which when compared to various other TV/radio hosts is less than she is worth.

However, I am appalled by the grossly extravagant packages paid to the prima donnas of TV, and apparently radio. Susan would pay more in tax than my whole family earns.

Heather Mackay.

Courageous

Susan Wood should continue with her job, she is very good at it. The issue was not of her making, why should she be penalised? Heartiest congratulations to Susan for having the courage to stand up to her employer.

Lyle & Lima Drysdale.

Obscene

A $450,000-a-year salary for Susan Wood is obscene for such a non- essential job. Do we rate her more important than the Prime Minister, doctors, nurses or teachers?

Val Andrews.

Fantastic

Why shouldn't Susan keep her salary? She has done and is still doing a fantastic job and it would be TVNZ's loss if she should decide to leave. You hear a lot of people saying she should be happy with $300,000. Why? She must be good in her job to be offered $450,000 in the first place. I hope everything good goes Susan's way.

Desmond Sanerive.

Guys and dolls

Terminate the Close Up programme. Terminate Susan Wood. Something fresh with male presenters. Mark Sainsbury does a good job, so does Paul Henry. If they want a dolly, none better on the eye than Alison Mau. But isn't it time for a bit of humour after one hour of news?

Dianne Bailey.

Dysfunctional

Of course she should keep it. If it was good enough when they desperately needed her, it's good enough now. TVNZ appears to be a thoroughly unprofessional and a typical dysfunctional government department instead of a modern media company. That's what you get when you try to mix a government charter with profit objectives and direct interference from the Prime Minister, other ministers and "Labour"- appointed directors.

Michael Hart.

Unjust reward

Susan Wood should keep her $450,000. What CEO (or any person for that matter) would go into a role (they all put their reputation on the line), and expect that if they did a good job they would have their salary cut! I went into a job a year ago and got a pay rise and bonus for doing a good job. I'd be furious if they said, "Ok, you've done a good job, so I'll cut your pay" ... Helloooooo ...

Rebecca McBeth.

Unfair to judge

Yes, $450 000 is a huge amount by most standards, but what do we know about her financial commitments? She could be paying off mortgages for all her family, supporting 100 orphaned children in Pakistan and setting up American college funds for her own kids. Without knowing her personal situation we can't judge Susan fairly, yet she bears the brunt of any poll of public opinion.

Anne-Marie Forsyth.

Jealous

What is all the fuss? Her salary has been negotiated. It should not be tampered with. Yes, she should keep her job, she is damn good. Methinks there is jealousy out there

Parry Auger.

Greedy

Susan Wood (and Judy Bailey) are the "greedy girls". They have won the battle but lost the war, shot themselves in the foot - and all over money. Got the money but won't get the job?

No TV presenter in New Zealand is worth so much. It is more than 10 times most people's salaries and those of people who work just as hard or harder doing real work such as teachers, nurses, doctors, policemen, cleaners, care assistants and even politicians.

Rosemairi Knowles.

Unjustified

I don't think she can keep the Close Up role. Clearly her initial appointment was one of convenience and TVNZ didn't get the contract right, but it is just a job. She doesn't justify the price. After all is said and done, she is just another newsreader and frontperson to a huge number of people who do much of the work.

Bruce Partridge.