TVNZ job cuts: Sunday and Fair Go a huge loss for in-depth broadcast journalism- The Front Page

Sunday is hosted by veteran broadcaster Miriama Kamo.

The end of Television New Zealand’s (TVNZ) Sunday programme has been described as the final nail in the coffin for long-form broadcast journalism in this country.

Under TVNZ’s cost-cutting proposal, Fair Go and the Midday and Tonight news shows will also be pulled from the air.

Staff at the state-owned broadcaster were reportedly in tears last week as it was revealed which shows were proposed to go and who could lose their jobs.

Auckland University of Technology journalism lecturer Dr Greg Treadwell told The Front Page it was terrible Sunday would not survive.

“It’s the last nail in the coffin of long-form broadcast in-depth journalism... a colleague of mine did some research on this way back, maybe 20 years ago or more, which showed the beginning of the decline of that sort of format had begun.

Shows have gradually been getting shorter with less depth, Treadwell said.

He said the people who worked at Sunday - their livelihood and their sense of self - was something to be conscious of.

“But there is a wider issue, of course, that the vacuum it leaves in what we might call the national conversation.”

Fair Go has had a place in most New Zealanders’ hearts over the years, Treadwell said.

“I think we have to be careful here not to sideline it as entertainment or informative entertainment. I think it’s journalism and I think it is in-depth journalism.”

Treadwell said people needed to be aware of not just what was going on in Parliament and the council but what their rights as consumers were.

“I think our rights as consumers are massively important. It’s how we get to talk about things like shrinkflation, where we are being ripped off as consumers. So, I don’t think it’s a small loss, Fair Go.

“There are some shows that might claim to be in that area which perhaps aren’t - more kind of entrapment type consumer shows - but Fair Go was all about Kiwis having a fair go... and it’s a really great loss.”

Treadwell said that while television news may not be as central to journalism as it once was, with the ongoing shift online, the medium still has a lot more to offer.

“We have to think of the news as something other than a product to attract advertisers.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Greg Treadwell and what the future of journalism in New Zealand could look like.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Georgina Campbell, a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.