Funding boost for New Zealand public broadcasting

Funding boost for New Zealand public broadcasting

23 July 2018

Funding boost for New Zealand public broadcasting

Public broadcasting allocated additional 15m NZ dollars in 2018 budget

New Zealand Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Claire Curran announced the allocation of an extra NZD 15m (USD 10.2m, GBP 7.8m, EUR 8.7m) for public broadcasting on 11 July.

This additional funding is to be spread between RNZ (Radio New Zealand), the NZ On Air funding agency and a new fund targeting “under-served audiences”. This increase results from a recommendation from a Ministerial Public Media Advisory Group which found that NZ public media were funded at a lower level compared with those in developed countries of a similar size (Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland) as well as in Australia and Canada.

Welcome boost

This extra funding represents a 11.4% boost on the 2017 NZD 131.116m budget for public broadcasting. It will be allocated as follows:

  • NZD 4.5m for RNZ, “so that it can extend its multimedia services to reach more people in different ways – “RNZ + Stage 1’.”
  • NZD 4m for NZ On Air, “to enable it to boost its reach to under-served audiences such as children, and for innovative on-line drama.”
  • NZD 6m for a Joint Innovation Fund “to pilot a new type of sector-wide collaboration that would see RNZ commission content for its platforms from the commercial sector in a joint venture with NZ On Air.”
  • NZD 0.5m for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) to undertake research on capacity for media collaboration and the levels of funding for an effective public media

NZ On Air is an independent Crown entity funding agency, which finances media projects and content, including television programmes and activities, community broadcasting as well as local music and artists and other projects that support local content and are important to New Zealanders.

NZ On Air describes its funding model as “unique in the world. Its flexibility has allowed us to follow the audiences, ensuring that as audiences find their media in new ways and places, they can still find local content.”

RNZ was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995 as a stand-alone, Crown-owned entity with major responsibilities being National Radio, Concert FM and Radio New Zealand International. RNZ is funded through NZ on Air (92%) the MCH and Parliament’s Office of the Clerk (8%) and receives no advertising revenue.

RNZ total expenditure in 2017 was NZD 38.981m.

The RNZ Charter, reviewed every five years, sets out RNZ operating principles

Wide and varied offer

RNZ offer has evolved and expanded since the 1995 Act. It includes now:

RNZ National, which broadcasts round-the-clock, its programme mix includes news and current affairs, documentaries and features, drama and music. At least 33% of the music it broadcasts is New Zealand in origin.

Talk-orientated programmes make up 60% of air time. Specialist features and documentaries produced exclusively for RNZ National focus on the interests of particular groups in the community.

Māori programming can be heard across the schedule.

RNZ Concert is RNZ’s fine music network. Music comprises 85% of air time. Much of this is classical, with additional specialist music programmes covering jazz, contemporary and world music.

Concert actively promotes New Zealand music and composition, providing an important showcase for the best of the country’s performing artists. “Its specialised production department commissions work from New Zealand musicians and composers, and initiates an extensive range of music programmes. The station delivers live broadcasts of concerts and recitals both of New Zealand artists and visiting international artists.”

Concert also features international programmes selected from public radio broadcasters overseas.

RNZ Pacific (formerly Radio New Zealand International or RNZI) provides a wide range of New Zealand programmes to listeners in the Pacific and beyond.

RNZ Pacific programmes are streamed online, and are available also in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa on World Radio Network (WRN – in ), on SW frequencies around the Pacific, and some Pacific stations rebroadcast also RNZI News Bulletins and other features.

In addition to its English-language programmes, RNZ Pacific broadcast daily short (4 – 10 minutes each) news bulletins in the following languages: Niuean, Cook Island Maori, Tongan, Samoan.

NZ Parliament broadcasts all sittings of Parliament.

The RNZ News service “provides vital elements throughout [its] 24-hour programming schedule, bringing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day.”

Online Broadcasting

RNZ provides live-streaming of all its broadcasting services: RNZ National; RNZ Concert; RNZ Pacific, and the Parliamentary Network.

Most spoken word content is also available on-demand, with an online programme library which currently features more than 170,000 individual items.

Online broadcasting services are accessible through the RNZ website and smartphone applications.

What about television?

There is no public-funded television network in New Zealand.

TVNZ (Television New Zealand) is a Crown-owned fully commercially-funded commercial TV network.

It operates three channels, TVNZ 1, a general interest channel (news and current affairs, locally and internationally-produced drama, general entertainment and documentaries) TVNZ 2, which targets a younger audience with  dramas, comedies and reality TV shows, and TVNZ Duke, airs comedies, dramas, documentaries, movies and sport.

Sources

NZ On Air Annual Report 2017; RNZ Annual Report 2016/2017; TVNZ Annual Report 2017

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RNZ and Indian Newslink announce content partnership

RNZ and Indian Newslink announce content partnership

8 January 2018

RNZ has announced a content-sharing agreement with the Auckland-based publisher Indian Newslink.

Indian Newslink publishes a fortnightly newspaper with a readership of more than 65,000, making it the most-read Indian newspaper in New Zealand. It also runs several news websites http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz, and is prominent in organising a number of awards for the New Zealand Indian community.

The new arrangement maintains RNZ’s policy of sharing content with media partners and extends to 13 the number of agreements in place with a range of media organisations. Glen Scanlon, RNZ’s head of digital, said the agreement with Indian Newslink was in keeping with RNZ’s push to work with different media outlets and reach more New Zealanders. “We really want to be a helpful partner to the broader journalism industry and believe these kind of deals allow us to do that while making sure we meet all of our charter commitments to reach Kiwis with their stories. We expect to announce more partnerships in the future.”

Editor and general manager of Indian Newslink, Venkat Raman, emphasised the importance of the new relationship. “While accuracy is paramount and sacred to any news organisation, speed is equally important in today’s world, which constantly looks for news updates. Digital technology makes that requirement standard, and our tie-up with Radio New Zealand will also enhance credibility and quality. This is an exciting development in media relationship and we in Indian Newslink look forward to meaningful and professional partnership with Radio New Zealand. The South Asian community is of growing importance to New Zealand and to the world and we believe that with Radio New Zealand, we will be in a better position to disseminate information through reports and features.”

(Source: RNZ press release)

Carol Hirschfeld joins Radio New Zealand

30 September 2014

Radio New Zealand CEO, Paul Thompson, has announced that Carol Hirschfeld, the former
General Manager Production for Maori TV, is to join Radio New Zealand as Head of Content and
Radio New Zealand Networks Presentation Manager, John Howson, has been appointed to the
new role as Head of Radio.
Today’s announcements complete the reorganisation of Radio New Zealand’s senior
management team following an earlier appointment of the STUFF website editor, Glen Scanlon,
to the position of Head of Digital Media.
Carol Hirschfeld will be responsible for News, Drama, Music, Spoken Features and Radio New
Zealand International while John Howson will be responsible for all radio output across the
Radio New Zealand National and Concert networks.
In making the announcements Paul Thompson, has emphasised the importance of the new roles
for Radio New Zealand as it implements a strategy to deliver high quality multi-media journalism
and programming across multiple digital platforms.
“I am delighted to announce the two appointments. Both are very experienced broadcasters.
Carol is a respected media executive with a proven track record of success in managing stories,
developing programmes and leading staff, while John is an effective leader with a deep
knowledge of Radio New Zealand and he has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve over the
next two years.“
Carol Hirschfeld noted that the new position marks a return to an organisation where she began
her career as a cadet reporter. She says: “I believe strongly in the importance of public broadcasting and I am excited by the opportunity to contribute to a national media organisation that touches lives across New Zealand.”

She will join Radio New Zealand on November 24th.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Radio New Zealand Executive Team is:
Paul Thompson – Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief
Ken Law – Head of Business Services, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer
Glen Scanlon – Head of Digital Media (starts November 17)
Carol Hirschfeld – Head of Content (starts November 24)
John Howson – Head of Radio
Matthew Finn – Head of Technology
John Barr – Head of Communications
Radio New Zealand International manager Linden Clark also sits on the executive.
(Source: RNZ press release)

Radio New Zealand Launches THEWIRELESS

31 October 2013

Up front, in-depth and in tune, Radio New Zealand’s new online network,
THEWIRELESS, delivers multi-platform public service media to a generation of New
Zealanders who have grown up in a digital age.

THEWIRELESS marks a significant break from the past for public broadcasting in this
country with Radio New Zealand using video, text, and audio content to take its
informative, insightful and entertaining storytelling to a new generation.

The innovative online approach developed from an original concept for a youth radio
network which has been kicked around in New Zealand for the past 20 years. But the
time for a traditional radio network has passed says project leader, Marcus Stickley:
“We live in an age where you can tell a story any way you want on one platform – the
internet. THEWIRELESS is online only and has been designed with mobile phones in
mind, as well as tablets, laptops and desktops with stories told in video, photos, audio and
text. Some will be told in two types of media, some will be told in all four, or maybe
more depending on where technology takes us.” “We’ll be bold and up-front, covering stories that ought to be told not just those that are being told by other media”.

Radio New Zealand CEO, Paul Thompson, has emphasised the importance of providing
high-quality, impartial content targeted to the interests of a youth audience and delivered
in a way they prefer to receive it – on smartphones, tablets, and computers. He says
THEWIRELESS is the most exciting innovation from Radio New Zealand in recent years:
“THEWIRELESS is run by young New Zealanders for young New Zealanders.

“This new service is about informing and empowering young people and providing them
with journalism that cannot be found elsewhere. It’s about encouraging informed debate
and helping them have a say in decisions that affect them.” “This is a concept that will evolve over time but it’s a terrific way of bringing the values and quality of what we produce to an audience that we don’t serve well at present “.
www.thewireless.co.nz

Radio New Zealand appoints new Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief

13 June 2013

The Board of Radio New Zealand has today appointed Paul Thompson as the next Chief
Executive and Editor-in-Chief of the national public service broadcaster.
The appointment follows the January announcement by Radio New Zealand’s CEO, Peter
Cavanagh, that he would be stepping down from the position when his contract expires at the end of the year. Paul Thompson is currently the Group Executive Editor of Fairfax Media in New Zealand and a former award winning editor of the Christchurch Press and the Nelson Mail.

The Chair of Radio New Zealand, Richard Griffin, says Thompson is a widely respected and experienced media executive with a track record of achievement and successful leadership. “The Board was encouraged by the quality of those individuals who responded to the request for expressions of interest in the position. The process of selection was thorough and competitive and we are sure we have now appointed a CEO who is ideally versed in the concepts of editorial integrity and executive management that have been the hallmark of Peter Cavanagh’s ten years at the helm.”

Paul Thompson says he feels privileged to be chosen to lead such a respected and influential organisation. “Radio New Zealand plays a pivotal role in New Zealand life and I’m immensely looking forward to the challenge”.

Mr Thompson will take up his new responsibilities with Radio New Zealand later in the year.