Comment: Why one television news reader makes sense

Simon Dallow and Wendy Petrie have long hosted 1News. Photo / File

COMMENT:

The Covid-19 apocalypse across the media industry has led to workforce redundancies of a scale that made the GFC look like a stable time in history.

Many of those cut have been the faceless workhorses, sitting in the background shining the limelight onto others.

Simon Dallow and Wendy Petrie have long hosted 1News. Photo / File

The up to 90 redundancies recently proposed at TVNZ were understood to again be hitting the programming, sales and backroom staff the hardest.

However, it now seems that some of the more famous faces aren't being spared from accountants looking to save a few dollars.

Speculation published in the Herald this morning suggests that the dual roles of Simon Dallow and Wendy Petrie could be uncertain as the scalpel goes through the broadcaster.

And this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The corporate parlance we often hear during restructures is that organisations need to find "efficiencies" and streamline their businesses.

If this is really the case, then it could certainly be argued that TV news and entertainment shows – whether in the morning or the evening – only need one person to read the teleprompter. Surely, a proficient single host could deliver accurate material that strives to inform the public that's tuned in.

Besides, the whole concept of two - or sometimes three - presenters sharing cheesy banter between lines is a hangover from the golden age of television.

It was forged at a time when the nation was glued to the TV set every evening. The advertising dollars followed the eyeballs and it was good business for everyone involved.

Viewership simply isn't what it once was and a famous face (or three) isn't quite as good at pulling in advertising dollars as before.

The justification to keep the format in place is starting to look more porous with each departing advertising dollar.

Covid-19 isn't the cause of this, but it certainly pushed its fingers into the cracks and opened a gaping hole that exposed the shortcomings of the setup.

Retaining a structure built for a time when there was more money available isn't only bad business, it's disrespectful to other staff members who have to deal with the anxiety of potentially having their jobs scrapped while seeing the untouchables carry on unhindered.

If the accountants are going to be called in for a legitimate round of consultancy, then shouldn't they also look at those who make most money within the organisation?

Surely, one of those massive salaries could be redirected toward developing younger talent that challenges the status quo and hunts for new opportunities.

You're never going to find innovation from those who have the biggest interest vested in keeping things exactly as they are. If anything, it will have the exact opposite effect and the steady decline will simply continue until the next crisis finally brings down the guillotine.