Prime news show makes unimpressive debut

By GREG DIXON

The nation's politicians will no doubt be forming an orderly queue at the door of Prime television this morning.

After last night's debut of Prime News First At 5.30 with Suzy Aiken, pollys of all stripes will be wanting some of what Helen Clark was given.

During a flat, first-up effort by the new news show, Clark was questioned in what could only be called a slipshod fashion by anchor Aitken.

Beginning with a query on National's race policy-driven poll surge, the Prime Minister was then asked tedious, pointless questions on when her Government expected a resolution of the foreshore issue, whether it expected such opposition to the lifting of the GM moratorium (way back in October, remember) and what its "number one priority" is this year.

Clark no doubt couldn't believe her soft ride given her Government is looking as vulnerable right now as it has ever done.

But it does seem unfair to blame Aiken for her patsy interviewing. Until now, her reporting CV stretched only to soft interviewing for America's ABC network during Millennium celebrations, a bit of sport, and travel puffery on the likes of Getaway.

She hardly has the training or the hard-won experience to cross words with such a media-savvy PM. No wonder Clark smiled like a reef shark during their short chat.

But then Prime - clearly inexperienced in the business of news itself - has apparently thrown Aiken into the drink with few real local resources to keep her afloat.

This supposedly New Zealand news show, though it comes from across the ditch from the Sky News studios in Sydney, has no newsroom to compare with its rival services on TV One and TV3.

And the first bulletin revealed the weakness inherent in running a news show without proper staffing.

The first two stories were international news furnished by Australia's Sky News, a story on a shortage of doctors in rural areas was matched to file pictures of cows in a field and the bulletin had only a brief, worthless mention of the ongoing, unprecedented ruckus over cops accused of rape.

Prime News First At 5.30 is clearly an attempt by Australian-owned Prime to gain credibility in the New Zealand market.

But a news service broadcast from another country with no real investment in local resources and an inexperienced anchor hardly seems the way to do it.