Rikkitic:

networkn:

Ok. So let's look at this from a different perspective. You *seem* to be putting the poor state of journalism firmly at the feet of media companies who employ these "poor held to hostage journalists".

 

You understand these media companies are businesses first right? They have shareholders, and staff, and costs like other businesses, and the CONSUMER dictates what they want. If the media company doesn't offer that, the consumer doesn't "pay" and everyone employed or involved in the media company loses. 

I despise most reality TV shows (the occasional cooking show being the exception), but I know a LOT of people (seemingly otherwise intelligent humans in my experience) who LOVE them. THIS is why there is so much RTV On screen. 

Newsroom was a very interesting series. They went against the grain and produced different material, but to do this you need a benefactor or share-holder with DEEP pockets. NZ doesn't have any media companies that fit that bill. 

Even our beloved Fair Go is now not so much investigative journalism as individual crusades against businesses. 

My argument is twofold: First, I think it is utterly shameful that we are the only western country without public service television. I think this is a responsibility of government and I think we have been badly let down. It would also provide a much-needed platform for some of that essential quality journalism.

Second, I think those responsible for programming decisions on commercial media should be taken out and shot. It is a race to the bottom. TV One may be doing better in ratings, not that it means much when there is no effective competition, but it has achieved this by selling its soul and dragging the rest of the country down with it.

TV 3 had for a long time the core of an excellent news and current events service with programs like Campbell Live, The Vote, 3D, The Nation, and others. But it decided to compete with TV One by trying to be exactly like TV One so it dumped the news organisation and people built up over the years and now it is falling apart, with even worse ratings than it had before. My argument here is that they didn't have to beat TV One at brain-dead television, they could have done fine as a quality niche broadcaster and now the idiots in control have thrown all that away. 

Did dumbing down save TV 3's bacon? No, it just accelerated the death process. If they had gone the other way and continued to build on what they already had, they would have been providing a unique service that would have drawn sufficient viewers to also draw sufficient advertising revenue and eventually other income streams to keep it going. You don't always have to have the biggest dong in the pool to be successful.