John Darkin: Public programming bosses need to listen to the public
The New Zealand Herald
Will TVNZ rise to [the] challenge when, according to the Herald-Digipoll survey, 80 per cent of 40 to 59-year-olds say that there is too much reality TV.
TVNZ, especially, has a responsibility to contribute to this country's cultural and national identity, and that shouldn't include dumbing down. Leave that to others. When reality TV and similar programming is offered by the national broadcaster, the image of this country is all the poorer.
National television should be a beacon of light reflecting the intellectual soul of the nation by providing the highest quality, with absolute impartiality. It is unfortunate that in New Zealand these goals must be achieved in a commercial environment.
But why should TVNZ executives and the Government care about the public? They can point to high viewer ratings for a few of their programmes and claim success. But they shouldn't be fooled; for many people television is their only entertainment and they are suckered into watching even banalities.
For national TV bosses, tied to measuring their performance within the constraints of the charter, cheap, rubbishy and piffling programming is a false success.
Surely it is not beyond the Government and TVNZ to implement changes that will protect the broadcaster from the pressures of commercial interest and allow at least TV One to go upmarket. Let TVNZ become yet another great force for cultural good.
Breaking out of its mould will take some lateral thinking by TVNZ and the Government, plus the co-operation of the public. But ask the public at the next poll if they will back quality against cheap, rubbishy and piffling programming and they just might.
posted by Anonymous at 1:55 PM
7 Comments:
Too right, NZ TV is appalling, 3rd rate at the least. Politicians don't care, they do not have time to lift their snouts out the trough to worry. When you think TVNZ makes a huge profit, pays it's staff obscene salaries and yet lumbers us with cheap reality programs and mind numbing advertising, that do not reflect our society as a whole. Now a certain clever opposition leader could gain a huge amount of votes, if, in the next election, he promised a more modern, non commercial channel that relected a more advanced NZ. This bunch of inepts, including the Minister of Broadcasting, that supposedly run our TV networks would have a real shock if such a thing were to happen and it could!!
Gawd! John Darkin says: "National television should be a beacon of light reflecting the intellectual soul of the nation by providing the highest quality, with absolute impartiality." For god's sake. It's just television. It's bubblegum. Don't take it so seriously. It's really not important. Try listening to quality radio (NatRad and streaming NPR, CBC etc.) TVNZ isn't chewing for the mind. It's chewing gum for the mindless.
I don't think the problem is reality TV itself. It takes on so many different forms and can appeal to so many different audience that there's no reason why there couldn't be reality-type programming that would appeal to an older audience.
I think the problem is overall quality. It's cheap and easy to make a shitty reality programme, but it takes a lot more talent, effort, resources and money to make a good programme (reality or not).
How does TVNZ get away with it?
Look at this quote from Online magazine.
"While it's welcome news that there is some television drama being commissioned at last, we're reminded about the bizarre agreement with Australia that allows TVNZ's head of commissioning Tony Holden to claim the Australian programme Last Man Standing qualifies as 'local' drama. As Onfilm magazine notes, since there's one Kiwi actor (along with the six or seven core Australian cast), and a whole two NZ actors are involved in the NZ scenes, and of the total 130 day shoot seven will be in NZ, it qualifies. South Pacific Pictures head of drama Simon Bennett points out that: "Both governments on either side of the Tasman count this show as local content because of the treaty that considers New Zealand content to be Australian and vice versa."
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