Simon Dallow's unscripted bulletin

Simon Dallow, pictured yesterday, says he's tired of the media treating TV One as a whipping boy. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Television presenter Simon Dallow is unhappy with a high-profile One News promotion and upset with "fluff" in news bulletins.

On his morning show on the radio station Viva, Dallow revealed that he had no say over the advertising campaign featuring him and co-host Wendy Petrie.

He told listeners that he had opened his session "feeling rather down" and apologised if he had dragged them down with him.

"I just feel the weight of pressure from what seems like an avalanche of criticism that Wendy and I and One News have been facing recently."

Dallow said a number of issues had come up as to what was potentially wrong with One News.

"I think these are issues that we are identifying and have identified as well, and of course you will realise that as the presenter of One News I don't actually have say over much of how the news is put together."

Dallow, a TVNZ presenter since 1993, said he realised that being in the public eye he needed to be more thick-skinned. "The thing is, though, that despite what you may believe we don't receive much praise or supportive commentary ...

"It's not a world of the glamour that it might well be portrayed as and it's not full of people sucking up to us."

The presenter also wanted "more news and less fluff in almost every respect and that's on both channels".

Dallow had called for listeners' views on One News, a move prompted by a "nasty and vituperative" letter to the editor published in yesterday's Herald.

The letter from a Titirangi woman described him and Petrie as "Stepford Muppets" who hosted the news and then "popped up in the evening in ridiculous advertisements".

One woman listener wrote in an email that the TVNZ opinion polls he and Petrie fronted were not news and "when I watch the news I want news".

Dallow said she made a "a really valid point" and added that marketing campaigns "were not something we drive".

"We have to face and present them, but at the same time I'm not certain either."

Dallow said the idea was to try to focus on interactive news, to give the viewer the chance to have a say on topical issues.

He was not sure how long the campaign would run.

Another listener said she did not think the problem was the presenters but rather the news content.

She had switched to 3News because it was "somehow lighter to watch" and did not seem to sensationalise as much as One News.

"I know many others who feel the same way," she said.

Dallow said he would pass that on to "the bosses" because "we often feel it's the other way round", but he said she might have made a very valid point.

Dallow said he considered it a privilege to be able to present the news.

After he came off air Dallow told the Herald the promos were arguably questionable but he was not making any criticism of TVNZ or its approach.

"I am not about to bite the hand that feeds me."

He was tired of the media treating TV One as a whipping boy.

TVNZ public affairs manager Megan Richards told the Herald the Crown-owned broadcaster had no problem with Dallow's comments. "It's not an issue ... We don't mind our staff having opinions."

She said Dallow was known as a hard-news junkie.

WHAT WAS SAID

Excerpts of comments made by TVNZ newsreader Simon Dallow on his morning radio programme Viva FM yesterday:

"I just feel the weight of pressure from what seems like an avalanche of criticism that Wendy and I and One News have been facing recently."

"There are a number of issues that have come up as to what is potentially wrong with One News and I think these are issues that we are identifying and have identified as well, and of course you will realise that as the presenter of One News, I don't actually have say over much of how the news is put together."

"...despite what you may believe, we don't receive much praise or supportive commentary, it's not a world of the glamour that it might well be portrayed as and it's not full of people sucking up to us."

"...obviously marketing campaigns are not something we drive, we have to face and present them, but at the same time I'm not certain...I'm not sure how long that campaign is going to run for."

"...my take on things is I like the hard news, I just want to make the news the news. But apparently the research shows that people want more accessible information relating to their day to day lives and I think that's why the marketing campaign has been geared up that way and also the bulletin."

"...I think that we all need to be reminded that people who present the news are just facilitators and we're lucky to be there."

"...I consider it a real privilege to be able to present the news and I'd like it to be more news and less fluff in almost every respect and that's on both channels."

QUICKFACTS - Simon Dallow

* He co-hosts TVNZ's One News with Wendy Petrie each weeknight at 6.00pm.

* The duo took over reading the news full-time after long-time reader, Judy Bailey, known as "The Mother of the Nation" left in December 2005.

* They have faced criticism for their newsreading style, but especially the marketing campaign using them to interview ordinary people.

* Dallow is currently also the host of Viva FM from 9am to noon.

* He is married to broadcaster, Alison Mau, and the couple have two children.

* He has worked at TVNZ for 13 years.

* He originally trained as a lawyer, practising as a litigation lawyer in Auckland.

* After the stockmarket crash in 1987, he changed careers to being a freelance tour director in Europe.

* He has been a newsreader and presenter since joining TVNZ in 1993.