News
NZME forces media merger issue
NZME’s plea for permission to buy its rival Stuff for $1 by the end of this month kickstarted confusing counterclaims today which show a deal is far from done. It’s also a symptom of upheaval in an…
AudioFast food frenzy a genuine story if overcooked in parts
Some people couldn’t wait to get a fast-food feed ASAP after the level 3 switch - and the media copped criticism for wall-to-wall on-the-spot coverage of the frenzy. But reporters went beyond the…
AudioBeebflix? Political push for a subscriber BBC
Boris Johnson’s Tories in the UK are signalling a “mission attack” on the BBC, centred on a switch from households paying compulsory licence fees to voluntary Netflix-style subscriptions. Why? And…
Struggling media get takeaways from government
On Thursday media companies learned some will take away more than others from the government's first targeted Covid-19 crisis package. Meanwhile, the minister of broadcasting has signaled he'll follow…
AudioReturn of party politics puts leaders under pressure
For weeks our political news has centred on the fight against Coronavirus. But this week pre-Covid concerns emerged in the media to create political headaches for Winston Peters and Simon Bridges
AudioMedia ramp up news of going down a level
Last Monday's announcement on moving off alert level 4 was a major event for the media. In normal times people aren't so interested in a PM's press conference co-starring top cops and public servants.
… Audio"Adrenaline shot" for ailing media
The Government has unveiled a $50m “adrenaline shot” for commercial media companies struggling with the sudden slump in revenue caused by the Covid-19 crisis - with more to come in weeks ahead. But…
AudioStuff reaches out to readers
New Zealand’s biggest news publisher Stuff is appealing to readers to fund its reporting just days after its CEO told Parliament "ongoing government support for a commercial media industry" is needed…
AudioMedia make the case for emergency help
News media representatives set out the crisis their industry faces to Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee on Wednesday before the government finalises a package of measures to help them survive…
AudioBig cuts announced by NZME in latest COVID-19 response
Media company NZME has announced 200 jobs will go and it has suspended publication of popular newspaper supplements in its latest cost-saving response to the COVID-19 downturn.
AudioMedia beat the drum to roll back lockdown - and sound the alarm
Even before the first hints we had “turned a corner” with Covid-19, pundits were pumping up the volume on calls to loosen the lockdown and get more shops and businesses open again. But others in the…
Audio'Your money or your life'
The lockdown designed to save lives has also damaged livelihoods by slowing the economy to a crawl. Some pundits and politicians are now warning in the media that health can’t always be the top…
AudioSpeaking truth to Bauer: a wretched week for media
As local media companies scrambled to stay in business this week, the giant German publisher of our most important magazines pulled the plug on them - and about 250 jobs - with no warning. It…
AudioSudden shutdown for New Zealand's largest magazine publisher
Bauer Media was the publisher of the NZ Listener, North & South, NZ Woman's Weekly, Next, and Metro. It has cited the Covid-19 shutdown for its decision. The government has confirmed the company never…
AudioCovering a country under lockdown
Our media have plenty of ‘emergency journalism’ experience after several major disasters and crises in recent years. But covering the whole country going into lockdown was a new one - and in spite of…
AudioMarking an awkward anniversary
Major media organisations rolled out lots of commemorative coverage to mark one year since the atrocity in Christchurch. It honoured those who died - and those who survived but have suffered - and…
Video, AudioCOVID-19 clampdown squeezes the media
Tough new measures announced yesterday to counter COVID-19 pleased pundits who had pleaded for action in recent days. But the effects could also change the game for media in the long run. Meanwhile…
AudioStress of the ‘big dry’ sparks claims of rural-urban antagonism
Farmers in drought-stricken regions are having a tough time right now, but do recent reports of environmentally-inspired hostility putting their mental health at risk really stack up?
Midweek Mediawatch 4 March 2020
Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin talks to Karyn Hay about a chilling picture of the White Island rescue risks, RNZ's ads riling the rest of the media, more on Critic's…
AudioBusinessDesk follows the money - and wants yours
BusinessDesk was an independent agency supplying the media with news and commentary for more than a decade. Now it’s offering “world-class coverage of NZ business and how the world works” for $250 a…
AudioHorror headlines amplify the anger
The deaths of Hannah Clarke and her children at the hands of husband with a history of violence were so shocking that many reports warned people in advance the details were distressing. But breathless…
AudioMidweek Mediawatch 19 February 2020
Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin talks to Karyn Hay about tensions over 'those' photos of two journalists investigating NZ First, Breakfast burn-out, how a poke at the woke…
AudioTVNZ chief faces future dilemma
Kevin Kenrick leads the broadcaster that pulls in the biggest audiences in the country and the most money from advertising. But TVNZ - like state-owned RNZ - will be folded into a new public media…
AudioFM x 3- but not for the price of 2
RNZ Concert’s proposed relegation to the 'sub-optimal-for-symphonies' AM band was short-lived, but the government freeing up another FM frequency for RNZ raises more questions about what will be…
Video, AudioRNZ changing its tune for music
RNZ’s planning a new music brand based in Auckland to hook younger people. But RNZ Concert will make way for it on FM and be reduced to an automated service with no human hosts. That has sparked a…
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