Inside TVNZ’s newsroom meeting on the day the axe fell
Friday, 8 March 2024
TVNZ executives were grilled by journalists on the rationale behind proposed job cuts.
A TVNZ journalist who was at the meeting says there’s no possibility of people attached to axed flagship programmes being re-absorbed into the company.
Staff have been given 11 days to provide feedback.
TVNZ executives have been grilled by some of their journalist colleagues - who were angry and of the view the only vision for the state-owned broadcaster seemed to be cutting jobs.
“If TVNZ isn’t telling local stories, then what’s it for? It’s an existential crisis,” the journalist told Stuff, speaking on condition of anonymity following this afternoon’s meeting for all news and current affairs staff.
The meeting had been set down for 30 minutes, but went for over an hour-and-a-half.
“There’s no room for internal recruitment for those affected staff. So [management] want some big salaries to walk out the door.”
Many of those set to go are the upper echelon of television news and current affairs journalism, at flagship programmes Fair Go and Sunday.
The journalist said executive editor Phil O’Sullivan did much of the talking and was peppered with questions.
“They’re just desperate to reduce the cost base and this is the way to go. There’s no alternative vision.
“It’s fair to say the spotlight went on the executive and the ideas and vision they’re coming up with, because there doesn’t seem to be one… apart from cutting.”
The journalist said at one point, everyone in the executive was asked for one idea of how to improve TVNZ’s finances.
“Not one answered. It was quickly brushed over and on to the next…”
The journalist said Fair Go and Sunday are “legacy programmes” and there’s concern about a public backlash at losing them.
“There’s a feeling long-form is too expensive to produce and journalism doesn’t have a place there.”
Aside from the news and current affairs programmes, the axe is also set to fall over some staff at Re:News, a news website targeted at youth and minority groups.
The journalist questioned how reducing staff there aligned with the state-owned broadcaster’s mantra of “digital first”.
Video content producers - editors who cut video sequences - were also set to be reduced.
As well as the redundancies, a recruitment freeze since the beginning of the year meant the company was already down 22 roles.
The journalist also spoke of many staff feeling angry after learning of the redundancies through other news media before hearing it from their TVNZ manager.
The journalist said leaks were also part of the meeting.
“[Chief executive] Jodi [O’Donnell] was basically put on the spot about the leaks and she was asked whether there would be an inquiry into what happened.
“She said: ‘That’s not something I’m considering at this stage’.”
The journalist questioned where in the company such leaks could have come from, when the level of information hadn’t even reached the workers affected.
“There’s no way anyone at that level knew about that stuff on Wednesday.”
The journalist said a lot of colleagues at Newshub and other media outlets are in the same boat, staring down redundancy with few jobs on offer.
“Given the way the country is heading… Serious journalists are needed more now than ever before.”
In an interview with Stuff this afternoon, O’Donnell was asked about how the meeting had gone.
O’Donnell said: “I would say that our people were pretty sad and upset” but would not go into detail.
“It was a private meeting so I've got nothing else to add about that”.
The journalist said staff have been given 11 days for “feedback” - which closes on March 19.
An outline of the “consultation proposal“ sent to staff - and seen by Stuff - shows TVNZ’s executive will then consider the feedback before decisions on the proposed changes will be made on March 27.
There will then be a further round of consultation with management “considering” responses from staff over two days before decisions are “confirmed” on April 8.
May 10 has been slated for the end date for Sunday, Tonight, Midday and Fair Go.