KEY POINTS:
Backgrounder:
Bill Ralston: The Man who walked away from TVNZ
Bill Ralston was appointed head of news and current affairs at TVNZ in 2003 by then chief executive Ian Fraser, who welcomed his "bit of mongrel" attitude.
His salary was rumoured to be around $310,000 a year at the time.
He's been around the journalism traps a bit before that though.
The Ralston CV:
While he was still at primary school, a teacher suggested he would make a good writer. But getting a break took some time.
Ralston was rejected by both the Herald and the now-defunct Auckland Star for a cadetship, and spurned by Radio New Zealand after a voice test.
After completing a masters degree in political studies and history at Auckland University, Ralston landed a cadet job at South Pacific Television in 1979.
While in the parliamentary press gallery for television, he covered the fall of Sir Robert Muldoon's Government and the strife in the Labour Government of 1984-90.
During the mid-1980s, he also served as a foreign correspondent for TV One, reporting from Indonesia, South Africa, China, the Philippines and Europe.
In 1988 and 1989, he worked for the TV One current affairs programme Frontline, the predecessor to Assignment.
In 1989, he became political editor at TV3 and reported for 3 News.
Career highlights during that period was being shot at a Soweto school during the rebel Cavalier's tour of South Africa in 1986 and told he would not be welcome back by the Ministry of Information.
He was kicked out of Fiji for his reporting in 1990.
During a five-year stint at TV3, he presented the current affairs segment of 3 News and his own weekly chat show, The Ralston Group.
He was nearly banned from Jim Bolger's press conferences following irreverent reports on Nightline.
Editor of Metro magazine from 1997 to 2000, he was replaced by the publication's founder and former editor following a fall in circulation.
Before his appointment at TVNZ he was a Radio Pacific talkback host and wrote for the Independent business weekly and the Sunday News.
Ralston also hosted successful arts show Backch@t shown on TV One before it was axed in 2000.
Isn't Ralston known for a bit of backchat?
Where to start...Ralston's most widely known quote during his time at TVNZ was his criticism of TV3 and Paul Holmes on the eve of TV3's entry into the 7pm current affairs slot with Campbell Live.
At the time he told the Herald on Sunday he would be "throwing himself off Auckland's tallest building" if he were Prime's chief executive Chris Taylor.
He also said TV3 must be "wetting themselves" having made "a major cock-up" moving John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld from the news to Campbell Live.
Who has fallen by the wayside during his tenure at TVNZ?
2003:
* A third of the Breakfast television staff are dumped, including newsreader Peter Williams and weather presenter Mike Hall. Williams moved to a new role presenting the extended Midday news.
* Mike Hosking ditched as presenter of current affairs show Sunday, but remains on the same pay working five days a week on Breakfast.
* Investigative programme Assignment cancelled
* Veteran reporter Rod Vaughan made redundant.
* Reporters Kerryanne Evans and Rob Harley accept voluntary redundancy.
* Pam Corkery's show The Last Word is axed.
* Sports presenter April Bruce is involved in a dispute with TVNZ over her reported $150,000 to $180,000 salary.
* TV One says veteran newsreader Richard Long will not have his contract renewed, reportedly worth up to $500,000 a year.
2004:
* Simon Dallow is replaced by sports presenter Bernadine Oliver-Kerby reading One News in the weekends.
* Mike Hosking dumped from Breakfast.
* Weatherman Jim Hickey replaced by Kay Gregory and Karen Olsen.
* Radio Pacific host Paul Henry joins Alison Mau to present TV Ones two-hour Breakfast show.
* Veteran broadcaster Paul Holmes resigns and announces his shift to Prime Television. He is replaced by Susan Wood.
* Alison Mau resigns and moves to Paul Holmes' new current affairs show on Prime.
2005
* Ralston sacks One News executive producer Melanie Jones without warning following a steady slide in the shows ratings, a trend that has accelerated in the past four months.
* Judy Bailey's $800,000 contract is not renewed.
But he's also very generous, yes?
Well, those on the receiving end of his long lunches would agree.
In 2005 he was asked to repay $1000 racked up on the company credit card during a lunch Ralston had with Prime Television rival Paul Holmes.
Also in 2005, he allegedly spent six hours entertaining companions over lunch at Auckland restaurant Prego.
Pressed on who was there and whether it was business or pleasure, Mr Ralson said: "I'm not getting into any discussion except to say no TVNZ funding was involved. Thank you, goodbye."
