Holmes past it, says TVNZ

By SCOTT KARA, ALAN PERROTT and REBECCA WALSH


TVNZ has delivered a savage parting shot to Paul Holmes, saying its former star will not be missed.

Chief executive Ian Fraser said yesterday that Holmes' best work was behind him and it was time for the veteran broadcaster to move on.

Holmes resigned from his 7pm current affairs show on Tuesday to move to Prime, where it is understood he will be paid $1 million a year for the three years of his contract as co-producer and host of a new show starting next year.

"Paul's view that he's in the summer of his career, well, frankly, it's not TVNZ's view," Mr Fraser said.

"We say goodbye to Paul with affection, but without any regret."

He said Holmes had been rehashing the same personality-driven formula for almost 16 years, "and I think there's been a growing sense at TVNZ for some time that it has been time to move on."

News chief Bill Ralston said he was in "100 per cent agreement" with his boss. "Ian has seen the same research I have and, it would seem, Prime hasn't."

He said the Holmes show had one more year left in it before the format would have needed a major overhaul and a new host.

"There would have been other shows he could have done, but he has chosen not to stick around."

Holmes' producer, Pip Keane, has also resigned to join him at Prime, but Mr Ralston downplayed the move.

"If people at Holmes want to follow Paul's suicide mission ... that is their call," Mr Ralston is reported as saying in yesterday's National Business Review.

Mr Fraser said TVNZ's 7pm slot - now called Close Up At 7 - was overdue for change.

He expected any new show to "concentrate more on journalism and revolve less around the splendours of a unique personality".

He said contract negotiations with Holmes started in April, and the network refused to budge on the length of his contract or his salary.

It offered a standard one-year renewable contract, but Holmes held out for an extended term - believed to be five years. He was also offered a continuation of his $730,000 to $740,000 annual salary.

One industry source told the Herald the presenter wanted more, if not complete, editorial control of Holmes.

Mr Fraser, who was not involved in the contract negotiations, said succumbing to such wishes would have been irresponsible.

"Paul, from time to time, has let me know that he would prefer to have greater editorial control of the show ... Well, um, you know, sorry.

"Had we allowed for that, I think we would have been completely irresponsible."

The first outing of Holmes' replacement, the Susan Wood-hosted Close Up at 7, attracted 634,500 viewers aged 5 years and over from a potential audience of 3.73 million.

That figure dropped to 464,200 on Wednesday but rose slightly on Thursday to 521,600.

ACNielsen ratings for the past 10 weeks of the programme show that 661,000 viewers aged 5-plus watched on an average Tuesday, 593,800 on Wednesdays and 608,200 on Thursdays.

TV One publicist Zara Potts said numbers were down but overall viewer numbers always drop at this time of year when people spend more time outdoors.

Anna Chitty, managing director of advertising agency FCB New Zealand, said advertisers would watch the ratings battle after the Holmes resignation with fascination.

"The question is whether Holmes is bigger than TV One or not," she said.

Glenda Wynyard, managing director of Universal McCann, predicted TV3's John Campbell would be the big winner from the reshuffle.