Some days I feel like crying as I watch the demise, transition and decline of New Zealand media. The change is rapid and massive.
Audiences that used to watch linear television and listen to radio regularly are now largely getting that content online. It is one reason traditional news audiences are collapsing. Why wait until 6pm when you can get information earlier and instantly on your device?
Like most things, consumers want convenience and to do things when they want to. Unlike the “old days”, when there was no choice, now you decide what you want to watch, read and listen to and you’re in control of when to do it and for how long.
The Covid pandemic hastened the pace as people sat at home on their phones and realised what was possible. The crowd turned; the advertisers followed. Just look at the last election and where the politicians spent money advertising themselves and their parties. It was online.
This has been a slow burn since 2007 when Apple released the iPhone. Suddenly our worlds were in the palms of our own hands and we made the call. The change was always going to have a tipping point. I believe we are watching it right now and it won’t be pretty.
The industry sat back and watched as platforms emerged and billions of people posted their stories. Those organisations that sat still for too long have now been bitten on the arse.
Those that moved first and created paywalls for content and looked for varied revenue streams, rather than just from direct advertising are likely to be winning, but only just. We are a small country of just five million and there are only so many clicks and credit cards among us.
In many cases, we are asking people to pay for content they have had free for decades. Despite small pockets of success, New Zealanders don’t like to pay to read or watch the news online because they never had to in the past.
Whatever happens, 60% of the entire advertising market is now online and it’s growing. I started to transition to podcasts six months ago when Today FM collapsed. I am proud to say we have done 130 daily podcasts since Duncan Garner, Editor in Chief (of the people’s podcast). That last bit was chosen by the audience.
The “we” bit is my producer Dave Hull who needs to be knighted for his courage in working with me. His consistency is legendary. It is sponsored thanks to Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C and the MTA. Without them, my broadcasting career would likely be over. (To the man from ‘Lypo with the y is the one to buy’, thank you for believing in me. Same with the MTA.)
They showed interest so I met them in Wellington when I was hosting a MediaWorks function. A few selfies later and some background number-crunching, a deal was done. I take the podcast seriously, but we have fun. I prepare for each one like I would a TV show or radio programme. But here’s the realism in all of this. If journalists and broadcasters want to survive and have a sustainable career inside a media company, they must become business savvy. They need to understand and cultivate advertising and sponsorships to cover costs and make a profit.
And they must tell high-quality, authentic stories with integrity because they must still deliver an audience for their commercial partners. Otherwise, why would anyone sponsor it? I am proud that we have about 200,000+ unique listeners and 350,000+ downloads of the podcast. Those numbers don’t account for the Instagram and TikTok users. Some clips have had hundreds of thousands of interactions.
This is part of the future. It is life - adapt or die because if you stand still you will be run over. But the fight to stay alive is constant and after being salaried for 30 years, I will likely go out on my own next year as a contractor and offer my skills back to MediaWorks.
It’s scary. I am 49 and will have no regular salary. Just a share of the revenue, however that shakes down.
The turmoil and mess being left behind is unprecedented for this industry. The cost comes in the form of people who lose their jobs when a radio or TV show is cut. Their skills are specific and there are very few jobs like that left in the industry. To survive, you will be lucky. You will have to think quickly, adapt, bring in revenue and make yourself uniquely indispensable, in some way.
A couple of weeks ago, Discovery announced it would axe the TV show The Project. The rights and fees associated with The Project were clearly too much. Thankfully it appears it is still committed to a news type set-up at 7pm and there have been whispers that Paddy Gower is being lined up for that.
But it seems nothing is ever allowed to flourish or become part of the furniture. Bosses are so busy looking for sugar hits they forget their audience. It takes time to build audiences, why ruin it during that search? But journalism and broadcasting must now pay its own way. If it doesn’t turn a profit, media companies can’t simply underwrite it forever.
I am as passionate about the craft of journalism and broadcasting as I was in 1995 when I blew the TVNZ helicopter budget for the month by taking daily early morning flights to the scene of the Sounds Air crash in the hills above Blenheim.
I write. I podcast. I make the odd speech and I emcee the odd conference and awards evenings.
I have thought about retraining as a lawyer or a horse racing commentator. My old high school even suggested I return as a teacher - 15 weeks off a year fully paid, sounds enticing.
I have thought about moving to Aussie or going to Wellington to question politicians again, but my youngest son starts college next year and I don’t wish to be 800km away.
So the future for me is to go it alone, set up a company and work for anyone. It is daunting, exciting and scary all at the same time. I can’t believe I am going through all this uncertainty which seems to have been constant for the past three years. Just three short years ago, I used to do radio and TV. I now do neither.
So, this is my stark reality. This is no attempt at looking for sympathy nor do we as an industry deserve it. I have been on the end of many dying carcasses in the political scene and likely buried the bodies as well. I have reported on the demise of several public figures, mostly politicians. I have had my fair share of blood on my hands and have been there to give the final nudge or push. Besides, it’s not just the media in trouble.
Our wider economy is in poor shape with forecast growth numbers going backwards and that means more job losses. We see it in retail, in construction and reduced farm gate prices. The inflation squeeze is choking us to death. The mortgage hikes are killing us. Businesses are now going under too. It means 2024 looks suspect and not super welcoming.
To the Reserve Bank - are you happy? Is this the end or just the beginning? You’ve killed jobs and overseen the demise of companies along with hopes and dreams and ambitions of Kiwis, all to get inflation down. I know that is your job but boy, it comes with a huge price tag.
The economic pain is still coming and as always, we will count the human costs.
A strong media is vital to our democracy, and I intend to fight to stay in it. But if I do leave, it is because I need to survive - I would have exhausted every avenue to stay in the only industry I know and love. It’s so much a part of me that spinning for the corporates is just something I can’t see myself doing.
But never say never… I guess.
