Ministers praise TV3 offerings over TVNZ

Things are bad when a company's shareholders start barracking for the opposition.

On top of TVNZ's public woes of ending newsreader Judy Bailey's tenure, its chief executive officer Ian Fraser resigning, and the Employment Relations Authority ruling that Susan Wood's salary could not be cut by $100,000 against her will, both TVNZ shareholding ministers Michael Cullen and Steve Maharey have added fulsome praise of TV3's offerings.

Yesterday, Mr Maharey, the Broadcasting Minister, told National Radio TV3 was "a class act" and TVNZ's problems attracting the 18-to-34-year-old Auckland viewers were "of course to do with the success of the John Campbell show".

Last week, Dr Cullen, the Finance Minister, said all TVNZ's problems would be solved if they were just a bit happier about things.

He suggested TVNZ should look at TV3's "slick" news programme, adding the ratings could be going their way because "TV3 presents a less relentlessly gloomy and negative view of life than TVNZ tends to do".

Both said there was not much they personally could do about it - ministers were removed from the day-to-day operations of TVNZ.

The irony of ministers putting TVNZ in the headlines by announcing they do not want TVNZ in the headlines did not escape National's broadcasting spokeswoman, Georgina te Heuheu.

"Why shareholding ministers would want to run down the brand and encourage the flight of advertisers to TV3 is beyond me," she said.

"All Labour has done is carp from the fringes while ratings are in freefall."

Susan Wood's negotiations with TVNZ recommenced yesterday when her lawyer Mai Chen met with TVNZ lawyers to "restore the relationship of confidence and trust" after Wood's pay dispute with TVNZ.A spokeswoman for Ms Chen said talks were "constructive and ongoing."