KEY POINTS:
Television New Zealand is shedding news and current events viewers at a far greater rate than rival TV3 - more than can be accounted for by the general decline this year in television viewing.
Media data analysed by the Weekend Herald shows 78,500 fewer New Zealanders aged 5 years and over have tuned into One News to the end of August this year compared with the same period last year.
That represents a 12 per cent fall in average viewer numbers.
3 News by comparison recorded a fall of just 12,000 viewers, or a 3 per cent decrease.
Even for TVNZ's preferred demographic of people aged 25 to 54, the figures obtained from AGB Nielsen Media Research show a 17 per cent fall in viewer numbers when comparing average audience sizes over the eight months to August this year with the same period last year.
3 News bucked the trend by gaining nearly 5000 viewers in that demographic, close to a 3 per cent increase on last year.
That was in the face of a 6 per cent decrease of people aged 25 to 54 using televisions between 6pm and 7pm, when the news bulletin is screened.
The news is worse for TVNZ in the 18 to 49 years demographic, which showed One News lost on average one in five viewers this year, whereas the 3 News' figures barely changed.
TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said no one knew why television viewership was dropping around the world, or why TVNZ might be affected more than TV3.
"There's some research to show that the heaviest users of television last year are the ones who have cut back their viewing most this year.
"What we do know is that this audience loss is no reflection on the show."
Ms Richards said TVNZ acknowledged that regaining news audiences was a hard slog.
"We are the underdogs at the moment, but that's no news to anyone.
"It's hardly a secret that One News suffered damage from repeated adverse publicity ... we are fighting back strongly."
Ms Richards said in terms of the actual number of New Zealanders who watched the programmes, whatever their age, the One News audience was two-thirds bigger than 3 News', and Close Up's audience was double that of Campbell Live.
Ms Richards said 3 News was doing well with its younger demographic which might be a reflection of strong lead-in ratings from Home and Away.
"But after the news, around half the audience vanishes during Campbell Live.
"Interestingly, our research shows Close Up is building audience in this demo, which may mean younger viewers prefer Mark's moustache to John's marvellous."
Ms Richards said TVNZ was happy with the way Close Up was performing.
However, the ratings indicate that Close Up has problems of its own.
The current affairs show, which Mark Sainsbury took over fronting at the beginning of the year, has lost an average 40,200 viewers, almost enough to fill Eden Park, compared with the same period from February (when Campbell Live returns to air) to the end of August last year.
That represents an 8 per cent fall nationally in viewers aged 5 and over.
Campbell Live lost 6000 viewers, representing a 3 per cent decrease.
Again, the news for TVNZ does not get much better when looking at its preferred 25 to 54 years demographic.
Close Up had an 11 per cent drop in ratings from this year compared with the same period last year, while Campbell Live had a 4 per cent fall.
Carol Hirschfeld, the executive producer of Campbell Live, said the two shows were close in their market share of the national 18-to-49 years age bracket.
Campbell Live currently attracted 19.3 per cent of those viewers, which she thought was good given the show was still a relative newcomer, while Close Up had 21.1 per cent.
"We are locked in a tight arm wrestle."
Mark Jennings, TV3's head of news, said TVNZ's ratings did not surprise him.
"They are shedding viewers, everyone knows it.
"They are in a state of panic ... no one quite knows what to do."
Mr Jennings said it would be interesting to see if the audience decreases were due to an unusual year or a trend.
He said the TV3 news staff enjoyed high morale which contrasted with the low morale at TVNZ.
"That counts for a lot when battling it out on the front lines."
Paul Norris, the head of the Christchurch Polytechnic's broadcasting school, said the large percentage decline of viewers to TVNZ's news and current programmes was concerning.
"That's a serious loss."
* TVNZ announced yesterday it would introduce a new 30-minute news bulletin at 4.30pm on weekdays.
The bulletin, which begins on September 24, will be presented by Neil Waka.
Other changes include Breakfast starting earlier, at 6.30am, and Breakfast Business at 6am. Agenda is moving from Saturday morning to 10am on Sundays from September 16.
