NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Why viewers are turning off TV3

Karl Puschmann
By Karl Puschmann
Culture and entertainment writer·NZ Herald·
11 Jun, 2015 09:45 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mike McRoberts and Hilary Barry from 3News.

Mike McRoberts and Hilary Barry from 3News.

Karl Puschmann
Opinion by Karl Puschmann
Karl Puschmann is Culture and entertainment writer for the New Zealand Herald. His fascination lies in finding out what drives and inspires creative people.
Learn more
Boycotting TV3 is big news, writes Karl Puschmann. But what if there's no one around to report it?

* Warning: This story contains satire.

Have you heard the news? Don't be alarmed if you haven't. In fact, you shouldn't have heard the news. Because we're boycotting it.

That's right. We're taking the power back! We're sticking it to the man! We're showing TV3 who's boss! We're ... turning off the telly?

Hmm ... wouldn't it have been better to boycott in summer when the evenings are pleasant? Boycotting in winter when it's rainy and miserable out is a bit bloody stupid innit?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Regardless, you asked for the news, not the weather. Which is a pity. Because I can't talk about the news. We're boycotting it. The weather? It's rubbish.

There's a lot of rubbish on the telly too. Have you noticed? Especially weeknights, around 7pm.

Read more: Anger over Campbell Live's replacement Come Dine With Me

Didn't use to be this way. Used to be some guy with plastic hair, long vowels and an obsession with getting all up in people's business and banging on about some disaster or other had a show.

I forget his name. It's been a couple of weeks. James Cameron, I think. Whatevs. Doesn't matter. He's yesterday's news.

But he's the reason we're boycotting today's news.

Discover more

Opinion

Steve Braunias: The secret diary of ... Campbell Live

29 May 05:00 PM
Opinion

Karl Puschmann: Farewelling a 'legend'

29 May 05:00 PM
Opinion

Shakespearean tragedy in death of Campbell Live

01 Jun 08:17 PM
Entertainment

Don't blame me for Campbell's demise

09 Jun 10:30 PM

The big cheeses at TV3 didn't like him or the cut of his dad's suit so they fired his sorry ass. And we, as a people - nay as a movement - didn't like that at all.

As an aside I have to say it was the most glacial sacking I've ever seen. Six weeks it took!

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Shoulda done it like a plaster and yanked the sucker off in one go. Woulda hurt for a second but that woulda been the end of it. Done.

Instead, they went and made a big bloody drama out of it. Didn't they know TV2 already screens one of those at 7pm?

As a soap Cameron: Live showed potential. It had people you could root for, it had evil villains, and, in the form of roving reporter Muhammad Ali, it had lols. The host had a tendency to overact, but all new soaps have teething problems.

But we're supposed to be talking about the news. Or not talking about the news? I'm not entirely sure how it works. The rules of the boycott are a bit fuzzy. There's not even a Facebook page.

What I do know is that TV3 can bloody well go and get stuffed. Not content with killing credible news in this country they're pouring insult in our wounds by announcing plans to air a cooking show in the slot where our news used to be. The poor joker hosting that is going to get roasted alive.

Read more: Guy Williams: Don't blame me for Campbell Live's demise

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Listen, TV3, you can't fire the only credible newsman in the whole entire country and not expect repercussions.

We've got choice. You're not the only channel on the box. You're the third. How do you not know this? It's right there in your name!

From now on we're watching the other guys. They break important stories too. Just this week they broke the story that one of their newsreaders is preggo and followed that up with the scoop that another newsreader - or possibly the same one, they all look the same - is getting hitched.

Read more: Did TVNZ co-hosts' rivalry spill into broadcast?

They've got us covered for current affairs too. On Seventh Shart their cheery host Mick Hucknall regularly reassures us that, "It's all good!". Makes a nice change from your bloody whingeing, that's for sure.

Yep, the boycott is working out pretty well. I'm feelin' happy and I ain't worried about a thing.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

So here's some breaking news for Mike McRonaldMcDonald and Hillary Clinton to read: TV3, we don't want your news!

Here's something Newsworthy for David Farrar and Samantha Fox to report: from now on we're finding our own cat videos on the internet!

Here's a scoop I'm leaking to Patsy Growler: We're boycotting the f**ken news!

Yeah! Power to the people! Viva la remote! In the fightin' words of glam rockers Twisted Sister, "We're not gonna take it!"

The only sure-fire way to show TV3 how much we love serious news is to no longer watch any of their serious news shows. That'll learn them for not listening to us, for ignoring our online petition, for not doing what we want.

If the side effect of this news boycott is that it completely proves management's short-sighted and foolhardy belief that no one watches serious news, then so be it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If TV3 then uses those low ratings to justify canning all their serious news shows, well, that's a price I'm prepared to pay to prove to them just how much I love serious news shows.

You better believe this boycott is serious. It's big news. I only hope there's someone around to report it.

Debate on this article is now closed.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

'Failures are more powerful': How setbacks shaped a thriving Kiwi comedy career

10 May 09:00 PM
Entertainment

'I nearly passed out': Robyn Malcolm on Bafta nomination moment

10 May 07:00 PM
Talanoa

'Let's get Kavafied': Kiwi artist joins chorus of support for Pacific drink

10 May 07:00 PM

Sponsored: Top tier tiles - faux or refresh

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

'Failures are more powerful': How setbacks shaped a thriving Kiwi comedy career

'Failures are more powerful': How setbacks shaped a thriving Kiwi comedy career

10 May 09:00 PM

Broken ankles and broadcasting school rejections couldn't keep David Correos down.

'I nearly passed out': Robyn Malcolm on Bafta nomination moment

'I nearly passed out': Robyn Malcolm on Bafta nomination moment

10 May 07:00 PM
'Let's get Kavafied': Kiwi artist joins chorus of support for Pacific drink

'Let's get Kavafied': Kiwi artist joins chorus of support for Pacific drink

10 May 07:00 PM
Photographer Rachel Mataira shares her favourite spots in Auckland

Photographer Rachel Mataira shares her favourite spots in Auckland

10 May 05:00 PM
Sponsored: How much is too much?
sponsored

Sponsored: How much is too much?

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP