Media: Holmes gives Banksie the heads up

Paul Holmes cites his long-time friendly relationship with John Banks for his frankness. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Paul Holmes has told John Banks that he will not be standing against him for the Super City mayoralty.

But the TV One current affairs host has not given a similar heads up to other candidates.

And he makes no apologies for having left his viewers on the public service show Q&A out of the loop.

Holmes' decision not to join the race removes a wild card from the Super City pack.

Banks had been wary of any right-of-centre candidacy and made his views known to the broadcaster.

Holmes acknowledged yesterday that, had he stood, he might have taken votes from Banks.

He felt he should give the Auckland City Mayor "a heads up" because of his long-time friendly relationship with Banks.

He said he did not need to notify other candidates because he did not have the same friendly relationship with them.

Neither did he see any problem in his privately considering the candidacy while a presenter for Q&A - a role in which he shepherded debate over the mayoralty.

Holmes saw part of the issue - he could not have raised his consideration of standing while presenting the current affairs show.

But he saw no problem considering it privately while presenting the show.

"Deborah [Holmes' wife] pointed out that of course you can't be Auckland mayor when you are living in Hawkes Bay."

ASK NO QUESTIONS

Another person on the right who considered standing was sceptical about Holmes staying out of the race.

The election was still 10 months away and nobody would be surprised closer to the time if he said he needed to answer the plea from his supporters to stand.

Holmes' hush-hush approach on his political aspirations may be understandable.

Q&A marked his return to the television screens after a long time and there was no guarantee it would get another series.

But TVNZ took an odd approach - treating the role of one of its chief interrogators as inhabiting a half-way house between politician and journalist.

Its ask-no-questions approach is more akin to a political blog rather than the country's most authoritative public service current affairs show. It fits with the bizarre spectacle where the state broadcaster ran a highly politicised TVNZ 7 promo for Bill English.

BANKSIE'S RAINBOW

It would have seemed unlikely a few years back but Banksie's team is starting to look like it is aiming at a rainbow constituency, with high-profile greenie Stephen Rainbow his chief of staff.

Now TV3 parliamentary press gallery reporter Scott Campbell has joined as media adviser. Campbell - who was a talented mini-me to TV3 political editor Duncan Garner - will start in January. Campbell - who is of Te Arawa descent - said that being Maori may have helped his case.

Banks may need help. Earlier this week he was trailing the early left-wing candidate, Manukau mayor Len Brown. Brown's media minder is David Lewis, a former press secretary to Labour leader Helen Clark from 1995-2007 with a reputation as being a True Believer in the cause.

A CUNNING PLAN?

Saatchi & Saatchi global head Kevin Roberts may be implementing a brilliant strategic plan with the upheavals at the New Zealand operations. It just seems the departure of chief executive Andrew Stone and Mike O'Sullivan has been confusing and fragmented with a hiatus between the old and new guard at a busy time in the advertising cycle.

Rocky is on leave and Mike O has left the building. The hiatus seems unusual for an agency on the scale of Saatchi & Saatchi - with no resident CEO and referrals being made from Sydney.

Some people believe that Roberts' appointment of Nicky Bell, 40, to replace Stone may be a stroke of brilliance. Bell starts in February.

Having survived for 10 years as a senior executive at Ogilvy in New York she is clearly very talented.

Stone has his admirers and as a personality type Bell appears to be the polar opposite - which could make sense for such a big change at the top.

She will face a big challenge leading an agency with some of New Zealand's biggest advertising accounts while looking for the pivotal role of executive creative director to replace Mike O.

We wish her luck as she takes the helm of an advertising agency with a special place in New Zealand advertising - and a special place at Saatchi & Saatchi globally.

SELL, SELL, SELL

Consultants are popping up around TVNZ as the state broadcaster is prepared for privatisation - or part privatisation - if the Government goes to another term.

National has said there are no plans but back in the mid-90s the same party, driven by ideology, denied its active works toward TVNZ privatisation.

This time the moves are built on pragmatism rather than ideology but the same methodology is in place - make TVNZ more efficient and remove any responsibilities and any reason for it to be retained.

For those who wish for the recovery of a public service ethos the hope is that the Government will create a cultural role for one of the digital channels, TVNZ 6 or TVNZ 7.

This week Bill English said: "One of the benefits of not having asset sales this term is that it's given us the time and the space to focus on all of the Government's assets and some of them are in good shape and some of them aren't in such good shape.

"The Government owns a number of network businesses which are all under pressure. So Kordia, TVNZ, NZ Post, KiwiRail ... are now struggling with technology and the pace of change."

Some would say Rick Ellis has a myopic focus on technology, turning the broadcaster into a digital media company financed by cuts to TV One and TV2, while any vaguely non-commercial roles are paid by taxpayers.

The argument has been and will always be that there is no point in a wholly commercial venture remaining in public ownership.

Ellis can be criticised for turning his back on the traditional television operation - the role of public television that TVNZ management have usually found, in private, most irritating.

Ellis' approach may be right or wrong.

But by turning TVNZ into a more saleable asset, it is at least adapting to the media revolution. In contrast its private sector free-to-air rival MediaWorks - weighed down with debt - has been waiting for an upturn that might not happen.

DRINKS ON IAN

New MediaWorks boss for TV3 and C4 Ian Audsley has cut a swathe through the firm.

The former Aussie Channel Nine chief operating officer raised eyebrows last week telling staff he planned to set up a bar on the corporate floor inviting the staff to come up and join management for a tipple or glass of orange juice each night and watch the 6pm news go to air.

Beyond the cultural differences between Aussie and New Zealand media companies, the question will be about the timing and scope for cost cutting.

Ten days after his appointment there is some confusion over his stated 12 month term with suggestions he might be around for just six.

MediaWorks was unable to explain the confusion in what has been an unusual transition from 10 years of stability under former chief executive Brent Impey.

Impey - who is believed to have walked away from MediaWorks with a seven figure severance package - is expected to announce his new, and apparently surprising, business venture soon.

BOUND FOR SIX

Audsley's arrival has sent a chill through the TV3 newsroom with many believing that it will mean job cuts.

TV3's announcement it is bringing talented broadcaster Rachel Smalley from the UK to replace Samantha Hayes on Nightline is surprising - she is far too good for a late news backwater.

Hayes will become 3 News' environment reporter.

If Campbell Live survives the Audsley upheavals I think Smalley will be a fill in for Campbell.

But once she is an established face with viewers, how long will it be until she replaces Hilary Barry as anchor for 3 News?