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Television One's Breakfast show is getting a shake-up as its goes head-to-head with TV3's new Sunrise.
TVNZ head of news and current affairs Anthony Flannery said there were plans to improve Breakfast - criticised because of the lack of rapport between hosts Paul Henry and Kay Gregory.
Mr Flannery said he was looking at how the show was structured. There were no plans "at this time" to change the line-up.
A former executive producer of the Australian Channel Nine show Today, Mr Flannery has experience in the area.
The review of Breakfast began "weeks ago".
TV3 confirmed its plans yesterday. Its show will run from 6.30am to 8.30am and is planned to start late next month or early in September.
It aims to attract people who are up for TV3's exclusive coverage of the Rugby World Cup.
TV3 news boss Mark Jennings is auditioning presenters this week and expects the new "entertaining" show to take viewers off TVNZ and attract some radio listeners.
Mr Flannery, meanwhile, was not concerned by an exodus of six of the eight staff journalists at Breakfast, four of whom are going to the TV3 show. Among them are Breakfast executive producer Claire Watson.
He confirmed some had lost their jobs in the recent round of cost savings. It was not clear if any of those cuts would have to be reversed so Breakfast could compete with Sunrise.
Advertising media buyers approached by the Herald said TV3 would have no problem recovering the costs for the new programming.
They said the TV One show had performed well and was useful for advertisers. A TVNZ insider said it was profitable.
But agencies approached by the Herald said the show had been "flat", due in part to a lack of rapport between Paul and Gregory.
Breakfast had peaked in the ratings when it was presented by Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking.
Hosking is set to take over from Paul Holmes as breakfast host at Newstalk ZB.
Hawkesby has resigned from TVNZ but Mr Jennings says she has not been interviewed for Sunrise.
