Proposed Merger NZME and Fairfax

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#2481029 11-May-2020 11:45

MikeAqua:

The problem is not that these companies are too small. It's that their products are very poor. Place one turd on top of another turd, it still isn't an appealing product.

Poor quality media still attracts eyeballs but it doesn't attract paying subscribers. The commercial model of dumbing down content to save money works well in a buoyant advertising market, but the problem now is that the advertising dollar has been spread too thin and subsequently decimated by the pandemic situation. That's why NZME, Stuff and, to a lesser extent, Mediaworks are in a very precarious position.

It wouldn't be so bad if they had a decent income stream from subscriptions.

alasta

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#2481031 11-May-2020 11:49

Fred99:

Media is biased. The problem isn't inherently with that - it's with people so brainwashed to think that what they're reading (or seeing and hearing) is "centrist".

There are three media outlets that I consider to have good quality content coupled with a left wing bias; RNZ, Newsroom and The Spinoff.

As a right leaning person I am happy to consume that content because I don't feel the need to exist in an echo chamber where every media outlet reinforces my world view. It's good to be challenged from time to time.

tripp

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#2481097 11-May-2020 12:32

Nine over in AU is saying they cut off talks last week with NZME and has no idea why they released info to the stock exchange this morning. lol

MikeAqua

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#2481212 11-May-2020 14:52

Fred99:

Media is biased. The problem isn't inherently with that - it's with people so brainwashed to think that what they're reading (or seeing and hearing) is "centrist".

If Radio NZ should be called "Red Radio", then the person making it is far from centrist. What a joke - reminds me of Muldoon's "dancing Cossacks". (It's probably against FUG as well)

I'm personally just right of centre. The nickname that RNZ has earned (I didn't make it up) is of course hyperbole, but not undeserved.

Mike

MikeAqua

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#2481311 11-May-2020 15:14

alasta:

There are three media outlets that I consider to have good quality content coupled with a left wing bias; RNZ, Newsroom and The Spinoff.

As a right leaning person I am happy to consume that content because I don't feel the need to exist in an echo chamber where every media outlet reinforces my world view. It's good to be challenged from time to time.

Agree and RNZ is the station I listen to most often (largely because of rural coverage and absence of advertising). I find people I disagree with quite informative. I might not agree with me, but it's useful to understand where they are coming from.

Analogously, I think we need right leaning media content to educate all the lefties.

Mike

Fred99

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#2481332 11-May-2020 15:39

MikeAqua:

I'm personally just right of centre. The nickname that RNZ has earned (I didn't make it up) is of course hyperbole, but not undeserved.

That's subject to your opinion and ability (or lack of) to self-analyse where you are on a political spectrum. Not that it means much - "left/right of centre".

From the FUG:

When talking about a company use their real name. We follow the principle that respect must go both ways.

MikeAqua

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#2481396 11-May-2020 17:23

Fred99:

MikeAqua:

I'm personally just right of centre. The nickname that RNZ has earned (I didn't make it up) is of course hyperbole, but not undeserved.

That's subject to your opinion and ability (or lack of) to self-analyse where you are on a political spectrum. Not that it means much - "left/right of centre".

From the FUG:

When talking about a company use their real name. We follow the principle that respect must go both ways.

Actually based on an online test tool - there is some semblance of empiricism behind my self-evaluation.

I didn't realise RNZ was a company. However, surely them is some latitude for humour/satire. It's a reasonably widely used moniker.

Mike

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freitasm

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#2481402 11-May-2020 17:31

MikeAqua:

Fred99:

hat's subject to your opinion and ability (or lack of) to self-analyse where you are on a political spectrum. Not that it means much - "left/right of centre".

From the FUG:

When talking about a company use their real name. We follow the principle that respect must go both ways.

Actually based on an online test tool - there is some semblance of empiricism behind my self-evaluation.

I didn't realise RNZ was a company. However, surely them is some latitude for humour/satire. It's a reasonably widely used moniker.

"Humour/satire" would explain some names assigned to telcos. And yet people ask for help after calling them names. So our policy has been to not use "funny names" for years now. Because if you want respect you gotta give respect.

Fred99

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#2481411 11-May-2020 17:41

MikeAqua:

Actually based on an online test tool - there is some semblance of empiricism behind my self-evaluation.

This one - or one that you liked better?

kinginvercargill

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#2481461 11-May-2020 19:36

Sheez just opened up the Stuff Homepage, after a we want your donation popup and I see all this....

Can they make it any more clearer they want my money...

shk292

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#2481477 11-May-2020 20:06

Fred99:

This one - or one that you liked better?

It's "interesting" that TOP and Green are assessed as more libertarian than ACT and National, when you consider their policies: Green - ban everything you don't agree with; TOP - make people pay every year for the privilege of owning things that they have bought with money that already had tax deducted. I also struggle to see that Labour is right of centre and Green only just Left. To me, this graph needs flipping about the x-axis and transposing left 3-4 units.

Fred99

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#2481490 11-May-2020 20:24

shk292:

It's "interesting" that TOP and Green are assessed as more libertarian than ACT and National, when you consider their policies: Green - ban everything you don't agree with; TOP - make people pay every year for the privilege of owning things that they have bought with money that already had tax deducted. I also struggle to see that Labour is right of centre and Green only just Left. To me, this graph needs flipping about the x-axis and transposing left 3-4 units.

That's a standard issue with "political spectrum" estimates. I'm assuming they put together the plot based on guesses of their questionnaire answers because of policy statements / positions.
Sure - I'd expect or hope ACT would be "libertarian" - but wait a minute - If I've got libertarianism right, then they'd argue that there's a greater loss of liberty (for example) by forcing many people to pay taxes to support a few, than to "liberate" those in desperate need from the "poverty trap" by encouraging them to go and work for a living by "starving the beast".

Edit - sorry this is politics - but it's very hard to avoid when the political bias of news media in NZ is brought up.

Handle9

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#2481497 11-May-2020 20:41

Fred99:
shk292:

It's "interesting" that TOP and Green are assessed as more libertarian than ACT and National, when you consider their policies: Green - ban everything you don't agree with; TOP - make people pay every year for the privilege of owning things that they have bought with money that already had tax deducted. I also struggle to see that Labour is right of centre and Green only just Left. To me, this graph needs flipping about the x-axis and transposing left 3-4 units.

That's a standard issue with "political spectrum" estimates. I'm assuming they put together the plot based on guesses of their questionnaire answers because of policy statements / positions.
Sure - I'd expect or hope ACT would be "libertarian" - but wait a minute - If I've got libertarianism right, then they'd argue that there's a greater loss of liberty (for example) by forcing many people to pay taxes to support a few, than to "liberate" those in desperate need from the "poverty trap" by encouraging them to go and work for a living by "starving the beast".

It's always subject to confirmation bias. What is considered left wing today would have historically been considered right of centre. I don't think too many national supporters in the 1970s would think of themselves as left wing but Muldoon was a raging socialist.

quickymart

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#2481625 12-May-2020 07:09

As someone who sometimes works in the media industry, I don't think this merger would be good, and it surprises me that NZME are trying this using coronavirus to back up their reasons for doing so.

MikeAqua

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#2481644 12-May-2020 08:24

Fred99:

MikeAqua:

Actually based on an online test tool - there is some semblance of empiricism behind my self-evaluation.

This one - or one that you liked better?

I don't remember sorry.

Didn't look like the above and wasn't a tool that suggested which party I 'align' with.

Mike

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