Sunrise makes way for Raymond

Hosts of the cancelled Sunrise programme, Oliver Driver and Carly Flynn. Photo / Supplied

Staff at TV3 have been told that ASB Business and Sunrise are getting the axe, resulting in at least 20 redundancies.

The morning news shows launched two and a half years ago, but the cost of producing the programmes had proven unsustainable, a statement from Mediaworks said.

"We have not taken this decision lightly, and it has been the subject of a lot of debate and discussion at both a board and management level. Ultimately, it has been the board's decision," said MediaWorks TV executive director Ian Audsley, who was appointed in January.

The decision will result in at least 20 job losses across the board but Audsley said TV3 would be able to offer "redeployment" in some cases.

"Today's announcement is not a reflection on the calibre of the people involved in the production of the programmes. They're as good and capable a team as any I've seen anywhere," Audsley said.

The final editions of the shows were broadcast this morning, although Sunrise will be airing a special farewell show tomorrow from 7-8am.

Highlights will include a best-of package of standout moments chosen by the team.

TV3 has replaced the two programmes with repeats of the previous night's Campbell Live, followed by Magnum P.I., Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Staff were informed of the decision this morning as they came off air.

One staff member said the news had rocked many, particularly those who worked on the shows or who had had an involvement in them since they began.

A memo circulated to TV3 employees said the move to axe the shows was the most appropriate one to make in the long term.

TVNZ's Breakfast line-up was rating 4.1 per cent of the potential audience against 0.6 per cent for Sunrise last month. On Tuesday, Breakfast was watched by 169,600 people aged five and over compared with 21,490 for Sunrise.

Sunrise had targeted a younger audience, but in the 18 - 49 age group, Breakfast was out-rating TV3's offering by more than five times, increasing its average rating from 3 per cent to 3.3 per cent.

The average audience viewership of Sunrise since January in the key demographic of 18-49 was 12,300, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Sunrise had a 10.3 per cent share of the breakfast market against all other channels.

The cost of a 30-second ad in the Sunrise programme according to the TV3 rate card would be $300-350, with an agency being able to buy the same ad at $150-160.

ASB had sponsored TV3's specialist business news show, ASB Business, since January 2008.

ASB media manager Sarah Howison said the decision to cancel the half-hour programme was entirely TV3's and that ASB had not pulled its sponsorship.

The producer of ASB Business, Liz Kirshberg, is among those who lost their jobs in the axing.

A Facebook campaign calling for the shows' reinstatement has been set up.

- additional reporting NZPA