Freeview sports channel Sommet Sports launches today

The Conservative Party leader Colin Craig stands by his defamation warning against the satirical website The Civilian this week.

Radio New Zealand is looking at going to video again, writes John Drinnan. The public broadcaster is working on a proposal to turn Parliament Television - broadcast on Sky and Freeview - into a Kiwi state-owned version of America's C-span.

MediaWorks-made boy band Titanium has scored in the Top 40, writes John Drinnan. Tweenie girls swoon for the late teen and 20-something lads and their heavily packaged formula pop.

It has been a long hot summer but Campbell Live has been enjoying a much longer season in the sun.

TVNZ is serving up a hot-cross-bunfight with some viewers by replacing BBC World with paid infomercials, starting on Easter Monday, writes John Drinnan.

The decision on the show's funding will highlight how far public bodies are prepared to fund commercial content aimed to boost networks' bottom line, writes John Drinnan.

Rupert Murdoch's selling out of Sky Television comes at to the end of a long golden period for the business, writes John Drinnan.

It was about money, strategy and power, writes John Drinnan. Actors' Equity boss Simon Whipp was like Smaug the dragon - a snake-like figure, a furious Jackson warned the Government.

Reality TV queen Julie Christie is tipped for a role overseeing MediaWorks, including TV3, Four and half the commercial radio industry.

Hosking cosies up to the PM, Wallace Chapman returns to advertorial, the future of Fairfax's Auckland Now and Maori TV launches a website.

The prize for "Media Love Affair of 2012" goes to Kim Dotcom, writes John Drinnan. The German millionaire and unlikely "small guy" enjoyed adoring coverage through 2012.

Television New Zealand is to run more phony news stories under its The Extra Mile advertorial brand next year, writes John Drinnan.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully appoints political lobbyist, and old friend, to board of Antarctic New Zealand.

If Paul Henry came home to work at TVNZ he'd find it has changed from when he walked its studios, writes John Drinnan

"In my opinion, if you relied on free to air television, TV3's local coverage of the US election was better," writes John Drinnan.

Debt-for-equity deal along lines that is keeping Channel 9 on air in Oz is looking more likely for MediaWorks in NZ, writes John Drinnan.

TVNZ is considering killing its flagship current affairs show Sunday next year, having shortened it this year to make room for New Zealand's Got Talent, writes John Drinnan.

John Drinnan's media column looks at Paul Henry's chances of a TVNZ close up, and the fallout from a Kiwi newsman's 'Gotcha' tape of Alan Jones.

An outsider tuning in to the Valerie Adams medal ceremony could be excused for thinking Adams came from the small Pacific nation of "ANZ Bank".

John Drinnan asks why are taxpayers set to fund a second overseas format talent show while public broadcasting collapses around our ears?