Media need to focus on quality
When Stuff ponders the problems at Media-Works and the ongoing issues in the small, fragmented Kiwi market, we share the company’s pain and recognise our part in a messy, struggling ecosystem.
We too understand the difficulty of establishing value in an advertising market comprising few buyers and picked over by bigger players.
Jesse Mulligan was making an attempt at some clarity last week. He used the platform of Three’s The Project to highlight the perceived unfairness of a market in which one of its players is a statesupported entity with no shareholders to feed.
But in doing so Mulligan has also highlighted the tricky nature of the industry and the near-impossible task of supporting and funding it through the painful transition from legacy to laissez-faire.
Mulligan spoke of the impact on shows such as 7 Days and New Zealand Today. But both of these shows and a great deal more are supported by government money through NZ On Air. Like those shows, Mulligan too is supported by the state through his role in a popular segment on RNZ.
If the market is as difficult as MediaWorks makes out – and any media company will confirm it is – then the public should perhaps be grateful that the government is supporting RNZ, TVNZ and much of the content broadcast and published by others in various channels. If both organisations were more exposed to the unsteadiness of a purely commercial footing, would they too wobble?
But like other companies, MediaWorks must take some of the blame for its struggles.
In a rapidly changing world in which customers have access to screenfuls of highquality streamed content, will we really cry over the demise of tawdry reality shows based on overseas product? And how important is it that it is viewed over a traditional terrestrial television setting rather than myriad platforms?
Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi is considering the Government’s response to the existential crisis facing the media in this country.
He has quite the task ahead of him, but he must do what many media companies have failed to do over the past few years: recognise the global trend away from traditional platforms, and prioritise quality over quantity. And democracy over dumbed-down entertainment.
It may seem a little self-serving, but journalism and content that chronicles the unique Kiwi character should be the priority.
Limiting communities’ access to the news and views around them undermines democracy and potentially empowers the corrupt. That has to be addressed.
As does the competition from global media giants such as Facebook and Google. It might be too difficult for the Government to protect the industry from that predation, but it should play some part in supporting the potential prey, whether through financial means or by legislation.
Like us, Faafoi might struggle for a clear line of thought, or may finish short of the mark in places. But it is still well worth the attempt.
Limiting communities’ access to the news and views around them undermines democracy and potentially empowers the corrupt. That has to be addressed.