TV channel still Curran’s vision

Independent advice to minister cool on public television channel run by Radio New Zealand

Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran is still wedded to the idea of a public television channel run by Radio New Zealand despite independent advice that the wider media sector does not support it, and non-committal from RNZ.

Curran announced yesterday the allocation of $15 million in this year’s Budget to implement the recommendations of a ministerial advisory group on public media.

RNZ will receive $4.5m to further develop its multi-media platforms and NZ on Air will receive $4m to boost content for under-served audiences such as Ma¯ori, Pasifika and children.

The two crown agencies also share $6m for a joint venture in which RNZ will commission content for its platforms from the commercial production sector.

Another $500,000 will go towards researching what level of funding is needed for an effective public media sector, a request that came from Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

In their report to Curran, the advisory group said there was strong support across the sector for more funding for RNZ’s online and radio content, as well as the current Freeview channel content.

But: “We wish to note that it became apparent in our conversations with sector participants and stakeholders that a new full-service RNZ+ public television channel is not supported,” group chairman Michael Stiassny wrote.

But a television channel is still in the mix in the future, with Curran telling reporters the plan had not changed and yesterday’s announcement was the beginning of the process.

“It can’t all be done in one Budget and there’s more work to be done. My vision remains the same.”

Stiassny said the stakeholders were those in the industry.

“You would expect that to a person, they probably did not want another competitor.” The Better Public Media Trust, which campaigns for quality, diverse local content, said it had found strong support for public television.

“The BPM/ActionStation People’s Commission into Public Media And Broadcasting last year found strong support for a public television channel — whether stand-alone or linked to other platforms.

“In fact, audiences are desperate for it,” said chairman Peter Thompson.

RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson, who has previously said RNZ was not looking to turn RNZ+ into a fullblown television channel, reiterated that position yesterday.

“At present the concept of any kind of formal linear station being the centre of RNZ+ is not on our horizon, it’s not where our thinking is,” he said.

The funding of $15m in this year’s Budget is nowhere near the $38m a year promised by Labour in the leadup to last year’s election.

National’s broadcasting spokeswoman Melissa Lee said yesterday’s announcement had simply produced more bureaucracy for those at RNZ and across the broadcasting sector.

“Ms Curran’s own advisory group has told her there’s no appetite for RNZ+, yet she’s still pushing the line that RNZ+ will be a fully digital multimedia platform.”