How TVNZ 2 and Duke would make money is an interesting question. And the requirements for a return to the government would be equally interesting. Would just TVNZ 1 be exempt from commercial rigour? Or the whole company?
What if TVNZ were merged with RNZ and Māori Television? A lot of synergies there, a true public broadcaster both for radio and television - but also a lot of job losses. And a fairly huge bill the taxpayer would foot for all the content.
I doubt many people would object. After all here's the irony: the reason so many are in financial trouble is because so few watch anymore, the markets been sliced into a million bits. Getting big numbers for television is hard, hard work.
So given few watch, would anyone really care if TVNZ 1 started showing a lot of Māori programmes, bird documentaries, foreign travel shows, and long-format interview specials? No.
But having worked for TVNZ under the charter invented by the last Labour government I can tell you for nothing it is not a recipe for any sort of success. But if success is not your guiding principle to start with, then it becomes a sort of creative outlet for the worthies and the single agenda 'artists' who have previously plied their trade at the NZ On Air application box, hoping their otherwise commercially dire but creatively fulfilling pursuit can attract a bit of public money.
But in all of this, what is, or perhaps will be, forgotten is also the cold hard truth that some of these players who make no money are in the state they are because they make bad decisions. They make bad telly and bad content, this is a commercial problem. No one brought it on them, it's not Google's fault, it's their fault.
Either way let me tell you this from 37 years in this industry: less competition is bad, government in broadcasting is bad, bailing people out because they've dug themselves a hole is bad.
If the Government are going down the upheaval track, there will be more tears and disappointment than there will be problems solved.