The new CEO will be highly paid, given the role will bring together the chief executive positions at RNZ and TVNZ.
The new CEO will be highly paid, given the role will bring together the chief executive positions at RNZ and TVNZ.
OPINION:
The Government's ambitious timeline for merging TVNZ and RNZ into Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM) by the middle of next year means that we could expect to see a chief executive appointed in the coming months.
This job will be highly paid, given it will bring togetherthe chief executive roles at RNZ and TVNZ.
The RNZ 2021 annual report shows that the top-paid staffer earned a salary of between $520,000 and $529,000, while the TVNZ annual report for 2022 indicated a base salary of $810,000 for the chief executive (previously Kevin Kenrick). The salary of the TVNZ boss is, however, dependent on commercial incentives and rose to $2.08m in his final year in charge. The TVNZ boss usually earns in the vicinity of $1.5m once full incentives are taken into account.
Given the leadership role at ANZPM will bring together those sets of responsibilities under a single umbrella, it's fair to assume the chief executive will be looking at a base salary in the vicinity of $1m per annum, plus any additional commercial incentives on top of that.
The person charged with this responsibility will need a unique mix of skills – perhaps only achievable by merging a collection of lesser mortals.
Given the toxic debate spinning around the merger and the current lack of clarity, the chief executive of the organisation will have to be an adept communicator capable of helping the public and critics understand why this structure is necessary.
In addition, the person will also have to feel comfortable straddling the corporate and public sectors, given that ANZPM will be state-owned but still have commercial imperatives.
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the executive, however, will be merging two markedly different cultures into a single functioning entity.
Cultural conflict is one of the biggest encumbrances to mergers running smoothly and has the potential to lead to a habit of blaming the previously disparate department.
The seeds of this cultural conflict have already been sown in Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson's comments that TVNZ has a longer way to go than RNZ when representing what the Government wants to see in ANZPM.
The onus of ensuring that bitterness doesn't seep into the operation will now be on the shoulders of the incoming CEO, who will also have to deal with public scrutiny and Government expectations at the same time – not to mention the prospect of a new Government having a completely different view of what the public broadcaster should be doing.
Predictions are always a fool's game, but there are a few executives in New Zealand that could have the necessary skills to make a success out of a job that currently looks like the worst hospital pass an executive could receive.
Here's a rundown of a few of the potential frontrunners for the biggest gig in New Zealand media. And given this all comes amid the Women's Rugby World Cup, we've taken some guidance from the sports reporting team to give each executive a powerlist rating.
Paul Thompson
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Thompson has done an sound job of running RNZ and developing it into the most trusted media organisation, according to two recent independent reports.
He certainly seems interested in the role, as he is currently wrapping up a trip to England and Canada, researching how the BBC and CBC are run in those countries.
There is perhaps no one in the country with more experience at running a public broadcaster than Thompson – and he has to be viewed as a contender to land the gig.
However, a key blind spot in Thompson's career is commercial experience. Having spent the last nine years at RNZ, he has been sheltered from the harsh commercial reality of the industry that was systematically gutted by the emergence of the tech industry.
Further back in his career, he worked as group executive editor at Fairfax Media (the previous owner of Stuff) – a role that would have also had a decent level of separation from the commercial side of that business.
TVNZ earned more than $300m from advertising in the last financial year, and the Government cannot be expected to fill that entire void.
ANZPM will likely still have a significant commercial imperative – and Thompson might struggle to offer a compelling argument for why he's the right person to manage this aspect of the organisation.
The other issue for anyone from the RNZ fold is the struggle the brand has in engaging with younger audiences. RNZ previously tried to increase its younger audience through the youth-themed site The Wireless, but this was eventually canned. Then in 2020, a plan to replace RNZ Concert on the FM frequency with a youth-focused show backfired remarkably amid outrage from fans of the existing setup. This fiasco even led former Prime Minister Helen Clark to question the competence of the RNZ board over its handling of the proposal. Not exactly a sterling reference for anyone interested in leading New Zealand media into the future.
If ANZPM is to achieve the goal of the longevity of local broadcasting in New Zealand, we need to find a way to drag the youth along for the ride. At the moment, we're still relying on RNZ being something that Kiwis grow into – but there's no guarantee of that continuing amid changing media consumption habits.
Thompson will have to bring a sharp collection of ideas to the table to show how he plans to bridge that generational gap.
In 2018 Thompson had to apologise to a select committee after inadvertently misleading MPs over the infamous coffee meeting between Carol Hirschfeld and Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran. Hirschfeld lost her job at RNZ in the fallout.
Powerlist rating
Commercial experience: 2 Editorial skill: 5 Culture building: 3 Communications nous: 3 Government whispering: 3 Total score: 16/25
Simon Power
TVNZ chief executive Simon Power. Photo / Supplied
TVNZ chief executive Simon Power has a unique blend of political and commercial experience that could make him an interesting option for the leadership role at the newly formed entity.
The former National Party MP spent a decade at Westpac working his way up the ranks to general manager of institutional and business banking, as well as holding an interim role as acting chief executive after the departure of David McLean.
He definitely gets a big check mark in terms of commercial aptitude, but his political background is more complicated.
It's understood that members of the Labour Party weren't exactly enamoured with the idea of a former National Cabinet minister leading the public television broadcaster. They'll likely be even more concerned if he were to take the leading role in the fully merged entity.
Power certainly hasn't endeared himself to Labour by pointing out that he thinks the merger legislation is poorly drafted.
The counter-argument to this is that someone from the National Party might, in fact, be the best person to ensure the merger survives. This merger needs to outlast this Government, which means that someone needs to ensure National Party members also buy into the idea.
The National Party is already using the merger plans as a major attack line against the Government, saying that this simply shouldn't be a priority at this point. These calls will only become louder and threaten to derail the entire plan.
The other thing working against Power at the moment is the series of scandals that have hit the broadcaster in recent months. First, there was the Kamahl Santamaria scandal and now we've also had the casting issues for FBoy Island. Although both of these issues were dealt with speedily, they certainly aren't among the gold stars on the executive's CV.
Powerlist rating
Commercial experience: 5 Editorial skill: 2 Culture building: 3 Communications nous: 3 Government whispering: 5 Total score: 18/25
Jim Mather
RNZ chairman Dr Jim Mather. Photo / Andrew Warner
The current chairman of the RNZ board, Dr Jim Mather has a 25-year business management career spanning both the private and the public sectors.
He has a strong media track record, having served as the chief executive of Māori Television between 2005 and 2013.
Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson has stressed the importance of ensuring greater representation for the Māori community through public broadcasting, and there are few that would take this objective as seriously as Mather.
Mather earned a PhD in Māori economic development through AUT University in 2014, and he is also an accountant by trade.
That accounting background could come in handy, as Mather will constantly be challenged to justify financial decisions being made within the organisation.
Mather is also well-known to everyone in the Beehive and has worked well under different governments.
His comfort in both the public and private sectors must be viewed as a major advantage.
Powerlist rating
Commercial experience: 4 Editorial skill: 4 Culture building: 3 Communications nous: 4 Government whispering: 5 Total score: 20/25
Sophie Moloney
Sophie Moloney, chief executive of Sky Network Television. Photo / Dean Purcell
Sky chief executive Sophie Moloney inherited one of the toughest jobs in media when she took over in 2020.
Not only was this in the middle of a pandemic typified by cancelled sporting events, but also at a time when the pay-TV broadcaster was fighting against streaming giants.
The cards were stacked against her, but the trained solicitor has shown herself adept at making smart decisions every step of the way.
The company's latest financial result stands in sharp contrast to the many predictions of its imminent demise.
Sky TV increased its revenue from $711.2m to $736.1m and its net shot up from $44.2m to $62.2m - all of which led to the company reinstating its dividend.
Total subscriber numbers also increased 4 per cent, to 990,761 - representing Sky's second straight gain after years of customer losses.
Moloney knows how to run a media company, but it would take something astounding to coax her out of Sky right now.
Powerlist rating
Commercial experience: 5 Editorial skill: 3 Culture building: 4 Communications nous: 5 Government whispering: 3 Total score: 20/25
Bailey Mackey
Pango Productions boss Bailey Mackey. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Whereas every other person on this list has made a name for themselves by managing others, Bailey Mackey is someone who actually knows how tough it is to make something that people want to watch.
As the chief executive of Pango Productions, Mackey has been involved in signing deals with major international film giants Freemantle Media, Amazon and National Geographic.
The GC, the All or Nothing All Blacks documentary, The Life and Times of Temuera Morrison and Sidewalk Karaoke are just some of the shows he's had a hand in.
Mackey is also a familiar name in government circles, having served on Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council alongside a handful of other business leaders.
Mackey has worked with pretty much every media company in this country over the course of his career.
In a 2019 interview with Mahi Tahi Media's Julian Wilcox, Mackey described the main aim of his company Pango as to "influence the world through Māori storytelling".
Mackey has shown time and again in his career that there is an audience for local stories that are well told.
Even if Mackey doesn't go on to become the chief executive of ANZPM, you'd hope that leadership reserves a seat around the board table for someone who actually has experience bringing local stories to life.
Powerlist rating
Commercial experience: 4 Editorial skill: 3 Culture building: 4 Communications nous: 4 Government whispering: 4 Total score: 19/25
Sussan Turner
Independent director on the NZME board Sussan Turner. Photo / Supplied