TV feels the squeeze of current affairs war

The battle for dominance in current affairs could have taken a toll on funding of other local programming such as drama and children's TV, NZ on Air has warned.

Deputy chairwoman Judy Callingham's report on local content showed there were 2,160 hours of locally produced news and current affairs on television's three main channels last year - the highest since NZ on Air started the records in 1990.

It was an increase of 101 hours on the year before, thanks largely to off-peak shows such as TVOne's Agenda, Eye to Eye and TV2's now defunct Flipside.

The figures are likely to rise again this year, with the the launch of Campbell Live, Paul Holmes, a possible news show on TV2 and a breakfast show on TV3.

But the report warned that the commitment networks had put into the 7pm slot could impact on other programme genres.

Mrs Callingham expected next year's survey to show a lot less local drama because there had been a "dramatic decline in production in 2004".

Although there had been several new dramas commissioned since, they would probably not screen until 2006.

She said steady levels of local content "masked an ongoing fragility, particularly in those genres that have higher production costs or are perceived as having low commercial value."

Examples of this included local children's shows, often seen as unattractive for commercial networks to spend money on producing because they are screened during low-peak times of early morning and in the afternoons.

Hours of local children's programmes had dropped by 115 hours from 2003, partly because Sticky TV and What Now had been shorter.

NZ on Air chief executive Jo Tyndall said the drop in hours also reflected a new focus on the more expensive option of producing completely local television, rather than relying on international cartoons and shows fronted by New Zealand presenters.

Reality shows were largely behind the boost of 45 hours in total of "entertainment" programmes.

The increase was largely due to TVOne's Headliners, and TV2 shows such as NZ Idol, Living the Dream, Captive and City Celebrity, Country Nobody.

Local documentaries were up by 59 hours from 2003, with 414 hours screened in total on the three main channels.

This was mostly found on TV One, which introduced the NZ Festival series, Explorers, Coastwatch, Road to Athens, and Courtroom, and TV2, with new programmes City Girls, The Lion Man, and Nurses.

There was a decline in documentary hours on TV3, where new programmes included John Campbell with A Queen's Tour and Inside New Zealand.

In all, there were 6423 hours of local content between 6am and midnight, about one third of all television programming.

In Australia, commercial broadcasters are required to meet a local content quota of 55 per cent. However, in New Zealand the Television Local Content Group sets voluntary targets for each channel.

TVNZ has undertaken to deliver 50 per cent local content over the next four to five years as it works to deliver on the Charter. Though TV One now regularly screens more than 50 per cent local content, only about one quarter of TV2's programmes are currently local.

Watching New Zealand

Local content on TVOne, TV2 and TV3 between 6am and midnight in 2004.

* Total: 6423 hours (2003: 6526), or 32.6 per cent of all programming.
* TV One: 51.6 per cent local content (2003: 54.6 per cent)
* TV2: 24.3 per cent (2003: 24.3 per cent)
* TV3: 21.6 per cent (20.4 per cent)