Funding mooted for fave TVNZ shows
The cost of licence fees could scupper any backing from NZ on Air Warriors marketing manager lifts lid on team’s cult fandom
It feels like TVNZ is in such a rush that maybe they have just made up their minds before hearing all the feedback. That would suck.
TVNZ staffer
Television New Zealand has spoken to NZ On Air about getting financial backing for fan-favourite shows Fair Go and Sunday as staff nervously wait for the final decision on their future.
The broadcaster announced last month proposals to slash up to 68 roles, including about 35 from the news and current affairs team, as it strives to remain “sustainable”.
A TVNZ spokesperson said the NZ On Air funding was contestable, so submitting a proposal for Fair Go and Sunday would not guarantee their support and TVNZ would still have to pay a licence fee for the material.
This could scupper plans to save the shows, as the spokesperson said the fee could be up to $55,000 per hour. “Given both programmes run year-round, the licence fee costs would be too high for us to move forward.”
A TVNZ staffer spoken to by Media Insider questioned whether crushing costs was the only thing the broadcaster cared about if it was unwilling to chip in on that fee.
As the proposed restructure hangs over the newsroom, the staffer said TVNZ workers have been “up and down”. “It feels like TVNZ is in such a rush that maybe they have just made up their minds before hearing all the feedback. That would suck.”
Multiple TVNZ newsroom sources have confirmed they expect to hear the results of the consultation on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for NZ On Air said applications for this round of contestable funding close on April 24.
“We do not discuss any live or potential applications.”
NZ On Air’s funding strategy document also has a “no duplication” principle, which means the agency invests in content the market alone cannot support. This could make securing NZ On Air funding a hard sell as both shows are still profitable.
Chief executive Cameron Harland said the agency was in talks with Warner Bros Discovery, TVNZ and production companies to understand the implications of proposed changes at the broadcasters.
“We are concerned about what the cuts could mean, not just for staff and news outputs, but also investment in content outcomes for audiences.”
Farming out paper deliveries?
Starting off the weekend with a cup of tea and the Saturday paper.
A simple pleasure that’s endured despite huge changes to traditional media, and one that offers respite to screen-strained eyes.
But for some avid readers, the ritual may soon be lost to time.
Media Insider hears some rural posties have been told Saturday deliveries will cease in their areas from the middle of this year.
New Zealand Post has refused to comment on the situation, except to say there will be an announcement regarding rural deliveries next week. It is currently “confidential”, a spokesperson told Media Insider.
Ashburton Guardian co-owner and managing editor Daryl Holden told Media Insider that most newspapers rely heavily on NZ Post’s delivery services for rural distribution of the key Saturday edition, which is traditionally the biggest and most important one for advertisers.
“New Zealand Post’s expected decision to cease mail and package delivery rurally means subscribers to those Saturday papers up and down the country may now face delays in receiving their favoured read, possibly having to wait until Monday for delivery.”
He said the Ashburton Guardian
was working through options to best serve rural customers, but finding another delivery provider was not one of them.
“The cost involved to travel big kilometres rurally makes it uneconomical. Luckily, we do provide a full electronic version online of all of our editions, but we also understand that some of our customers may simply prefer print.”
NZME, the publisher of several Kiwi mastheads including the Herald,
said it had not received confirmation of the change from NZ Post. If it did occur, a spokesperson said NZME would do all it could to ensure those communities continue receiving relevant news.
AgriHQ chief executive and publisher Dean Williamson told Media Insider the move would be “annoying to farmers” because there were some good Saturday newspapers.
However, in today’s hyperconnected world, Williamson said people can still get their news online.
“With the massive reduction in both media and then physical mail in recent times, it seems impractical to expect delivery every day of the week in the way we’ve enjoyed in the past.”
Although Williamson’s publications aren’t delivered on Saturdays, he said his father would miss the weekend newspapers if the As a reluctant Aucklander and a late Wahs backer, there’s a question burning a hole through my handbag.
It’s a query that even Google doesn’t have an answer to. Something logic and reason seem to defy.
All I want to know, deep down, is what’s driving our apparently unstoppable infatuation with the New Zealand Warriors?
To find out, I trekked out to the Mothership (Mt Smart) in near-peak Wednesday afternoon traffic to sit turf-side with the club’s marketing boss, Glenn Harris (no relation).
Like myself, the marketing and business development general manager is admittedly not a “day one” fan. But after upping his move went ahead. “He gets both the Whanganui Chronicle and the Manawatu¯ Standard because he loves doing the puzzles, he’s 96 and he loves it. So he will miss it, but maybe the opportunity is to put two puzzle pages in on a Friday and retain the subscription.”
News of the potential rollback comes a week after NZ Post announced there would be “significant job losses” as it moves to deliver mail alongside courier parcels.
A reminder that NZME subscribers can access digital copies of papers at nzherald.co.nz/e-editions/
The Platform co-founder targets ‘cancel culture hypocrisy’
Rich-lister Wayne Wright describes himself as the hands-off funder of The Platform, fronted by editor and broadcaster Sean Plunket.
But when Plunket made derogatory comments about children with Down Syndrome, it spurred one upset mother to complain directly to devotion in 2008, and spending the past four years with the club, he now lives and breathes the “Up the Wahs” mantra.
Harris told Media Insider although there have always been the die-hards — those with the unwavering belief that this is our year — the undeniable growth in the team’s popularity has been a fairly new phenomenon.
Since he started, Harris said the organisation looked to create a clear narrative around the Warriors, focusing on the brand’s storytelling.
“More on the ‘why’ of what we do rather than the ‘what’. I mean, yes, we’re a football team, but we’re also a sports entertainment brand.
“We celebrate our fans, we make them the star of the show.”
This means allowing the faithful to dictate where they want their Warriors journey to go.
In his view, the clearest illustration of this has been the adoption of the phrase “Up the Wahs”, and how the club has embraced it.
“Up the Wahs never came from us. It came from the fans. All we did was clear the way, so it could be something that unified them around a shared challenge of spirit, a belief that this was our year.”
The exact date the phrase was coined is still up for debate, but Harris said the slogan took off en masse last year.
“From the NBA through to Formula 1, from schoolyards and flights. It’s sort of touched every corner of the world and became more than just a catch cry, it became a global saying of unity between fans who love supporting challengers.”
The heritage interwoven throughout the team’s branding and merchandise is also no accident, it’s a way of acknowledging the legacy of the giants of the past and the players who have spilt blood for the jersey.
For many fans, Harris said the merchandise is a badge of honour, a way they express themselves and the team they love.
The Warriors’ success in the branded-goods arena is also linked to the connection people felt with the club, he told Media Insider.
And that connection appears earned.
Whether going into schools, a library programme, hosting groups on-site or running the League in the Libraries competition, he said being in the community and being accessible is something dear to the brand and its identity.
“A lot of people in our organisation probably didn’t sign up for the responsibility that comes with being a brand as successful as we are. But I think everyone in this place has taken on board that sense of responsibility and duty of care to the community.”
Part of that accessibility is ensuring tickets are within reach, the club doesn’t want anyone priced out of the game.
“We know there are massive pressures on household budgets and discretionary spend like rugby league games is an easy one to park if you’re dealing with rising food and fuel costs and all that stuff.
“So what we’re very careful with is making sure that our value proposition is always really good.”
One of these efforts is $10 general admission tickets for 24 hours following a Warriors win, or $20 outside of that period.
The club also leans into usergenerated content, which he explained again is because the fans are the stars of the Warriors show.
“They come up with some phenomenal content from Instagram to Facebook and TikTok. There’s always a cool expression of someone’s experience with the Warriors, whether it might be a chance meeting with the player, whether it’s someone who’s at the game that’s filmed the runout or the fireworks on their phone and shared it on TikTok.”
Everyone in this place has taken on board that sense of responsibility and duty of care to the community.