Suggestions for sharpening up TVNZ

United Future’s broadcasting spokesman Marc Alexander says the debacle over Judy Bailey’s massive salary increase shows the broadcaster’s bosses need a short sharp shock of commercial reality.

“If TVNZ wants to give their newsreaders a ‘competitive’ salary of $800,000 a year, then let TVNZ itself become competitive,” he said today.

“Why has the Government recently given TVNZ $14 million dollars to compete with TV3, Prime or SKY when they are expected to earn their own keep? So much for the free market and competition!

“What the Government should now do is reduce any payment it makes to TVNZ every year by $800,000.

“If TVNZ wasn’t given a ‘tax driven leg-up’ then they could pay who they want whatever they want. But it’s ‘our’ money and as good as Judy Bailey is, the head boffins of TVNZ ought to show more respect to the hand that feeds them.

“I simply cannot believe we don’t have any other talent around who would be more than keen to earn half as much to do as good a job.

“You cannot have it both ways. Either you’re in the ring with the big boys or you’re on the umbilical cord of dependence at the taxpayer’s expense.

“This debacle proves that there is nothing easier than spending someone else’s money. But as TVNZ is just another government agency, could anyone have been surprised?” said Mr Alexander.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>