KEY POINTS:
All sorts of prognostications of doom and gloom have greeted Television New Zealand's decision to axe almost 60 jobs from news and current affairs programmes, as part of a plan to make up to 160 staff redundant. Bill Ralston, TVNZ's former head of news and current affairs, said a reputation built up over 30 years would be destroyed. Others, such as the National Party's broadcasting spokesman, appeared to think that, at the very least, there would be a decline in quality.
Nobody, it seemed, paused to think why that should be the case.
If they had, they might have pondered the reason TVNZ is trying to save $30 million in the first place.
The obvious reference points are a 15.5 per cent drop in net profit for the December half-year, and viewing figures for last month that showed TV3 making further significant audience gains in news and current affairs. The obvious conclusion is that TV3, with far fewer staff and a far more slimline budget, is supplying a quality of broadcasting that many viewers find perfectly acceptable.
During Mr Ralston's three years at TVNZ , the axe dropped on several presenters with household names but there was no similar rein on editorial spending.
News and current affairs staff were exhorted, and funded, to meet the challenge of TV3. Their output simply failed to measure up.
A bigger budget was no guarantee of quality.
It is far too easy, therefore, to say that the loss of up to 160 staff, out of a total of 1000, will be to the obvious detriment of TVNZ's news and programmes.
One reaction to the challenge presented by TV3 has failed. TVNZ will retain more than enough staff to mount a more astute response.
