Fair Go, Sunday and Re: News caught in TVNZ cuts
Friday, 8 March 2024
TVNZ's flagship current affairs programme Sunday, long-running consumer affairs programme Fair Go and the more modern Re: News are affected by a proposal to cut up to 68 jobs, industry insiders say.
The three programmes were all considered “at risk” in a proposal announced by the public broadcaster to cut up to 68 jobs.
RNZ has reported a hui for all TVNZ news and current affairs staff is set to take place at 1pm today, though it was not clear yet what the meetings would mean and whether the programmes would be fully cut or face significant redundancies.
TVNZ said yesterday it would begin consultations on cutting up to 68 jobs or 9% of its workforce. The state-owned broadcaster — which last week reported a six-month loss of $16.8 million and indicated break-even was years away — said the cuts would be “across all business areas”.
Those who were affected were told yesterday with more details expected today.
A well-connected source believed TVNZ’s job cuts would potentially include about 40 journalism roles.
Sunday, hosted by Miriama Kamo, has a team of seven reporters including Mark Crysell, Conor Whitten, Mava Moayyed, Kristin Hall and Tania Page.
Kamo told RNZ that the news from Thursday’s meeting was “devastating”.
“It's devastating not just for our business, it's devastating for … what it means for our wider society. Of course we saw Newshub go and that has really, I believe, dire implications for our democracy.
“When we start cutting into news programmes at our state broadcaster then that really speaks to how dire things are and I am very, very concerned about what the landscape looks like going forward,” she told RNZ.
TVNZ workers concerned with the company’s process will fight proposed cuts said E tū, the union for media workers. in A
One E tū member at TVNZ said workers were particularly feeling the pressure around not yet knowing their fate.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the news of TVNZ's restructure was “incredibly unsettling”.
“The media play an important role in New Zealand, a very important role in our democracy and I know it's incredibly challenging for the whole of the sector,” he said.
It comes off the back of the proposed closure of Newshub, announced last week, threatens about 250 jobs in journalism, making it the biggest potential blow to the profession to date.
Stuff’s Newsable podcast spoke to former TVNZ presenter, Mark Sainsbury, who hosted current affairs show Close Up on TVNZ 1 between 2004 and 2012.
He said it was “devastating especially the way things are at the moment”.
“I just feel so much. These are friends and colleagues and they are all waiting to hear what’s going to happen.”
In 30 years he had lost count of the number of restructures he had been through but “this feels very, very different”.
He said Fair Go and Sunday staff had both been called into a meeting which meant “something is going to effect them”.
“These are the premiere programmes on TVNZ.”
He questioned what TVNZ would look to provide as the state broadcaster given the scale of the proposed cuts and the changing landscape.
His was worried especially about regional coverage and what would happen to regional newsrooms.