John Campbell joins Radio New Zealand

Good news for New Zealand.

BREAKING – John Campbell joins RNZ – should the boycott of TV3 end and what is next for TV3?

Martyn Bradbury

the Daily Blog,

6 August, 2015

Marvellous news that John Campbell has joined Radio NZ as their drive host, another reason to tune into RNZ…

John Campbell will present a new drive-time news show on Radio New Zealand.

He will be joining the station in September and is involved in the development of the new programme.

…with him ensconced within a nation wide medium RNZ have gained a critical voice who has actual public wide charisma and the talent to draw people onto a station that at times sounds like it’s being broadcast out of Wellington from some time warp stuck in the 1950s.

Pity Mora is still hosting the Panel, I might have been able to return to it otherwise.

The question now is should the boycott of TV3 halt seeing as John is based somewhere else.

I’m not sure of that answer.

A couple of nights ago I was attacked on Twitter by disgruntled TV3 staff claiming that the sacking of a well known Producer as part of cut backs due to the meltdown in ratings was my fault…

…note it’s not the TV3 Management who have killed off the most critical voice of the Government on TV for political reasons, oh no. It’s my fault for stating that we should boycott TV3 for their bias.

Angus then goes onto say…

…the sacking of one well to do News Producer is equitable to the tactic by Talley’s to starve 5000 children in their 2012 industrial fight.

Charming.

The Producer in question is of course is the brilliant John Hale, whom I have an enormous amount of respect for and whom I wish no ill harm to. I respect many of the talented journalists on TV3. Mike McRoberts, Hillary Barry, Paula Penfold, Lisa Owen and Torben Akle do incredible work, but then again they also have Brooke Sabin that awful Tova O’Brien and the homicidal chipmunk on a meth bender, Government script writer, Patrick Gower.

There are journalists who do great work on TV3, and I mean them no ill will to them or their craft, but the pro National Party agenda of TV3 management means that work is under cut by the knowledge that any journalism that hurts Key too much will get pulled.

Can anyone honestly watch The Nation any longer and believe it’s not guest edited by Steven Joyce?

So should the boycott against TV3 end?

Maybe it won’t matter. Whispers are currently circulating that the American vulture fund that has bought MediaWorks – Oaktree, are quietly manoeuvring to cut off TV3 from the company and flog it off to the highest bidder. The money making part of MediaWorks is their radio advertising (the loss of Campbell to Radio NZ will be a particularly harsh blow), their TV branch is hurting and the meltdown in ratings is hurrying along the desire to sell it off.

If TV3 management can’t reverse the ratings situation by the end of the year, it will be all over rover.

John Campbell joins Radio New Zealand

NZ Herald,

6 August, 2015

John Campbell will present a new drive-time news show on Radio New Zealand.

He will be joining the station in September and is involved in the development of the new programme.

"Radio New Zealand's commitment to professional journalism that questions, illuminates, celebrates and holds to account, is an immensely valuable resource in the life of this country," he told Radio New Zealand.

"My job is to hold to those core values, to continue that commitment to the highest quality journalism, but also to expand our reach beyond the confines of radio and into a world I could only have dreamed of when I began as a journalist."

Checkpoint host Mary Wilson has also been promoted to a senior news management role, while her co-host Jim Mora will focus on presenting The Panel.

"I've been talking about it with Paul Thompson for a while, even before John came into the mix," Mora told RNZ.

"We have new kinds of interactive ideas, listener-driven, that we want to develop."

Radio New Zealand CEO Paul Thompson said Campbell was an "outstanding broadcaster" would bring new audiences to the station.

Supporters have been quick to celebrate the news on social media, posting congratulations to the broadcaster.

Bloody marvellous you lovely man @JohnJCampbellhttp://t.co/thgM4dmHz5

— Hamish Keith (@hamish_keith) August 6, 2015

John Campbell joining Radio NZ is bloody great news:http://t.co/sDL9hnwDQl

— Eddy Dever (@EddyDever) August 6, 2015

john campbell is joining radio new zealand. this makes me infinitely happy ??????

— David Farrier (@davidfarrier) August 6, 2015

From Radio New Zealand

John Campbell to join Radio NZ

The End of political journalism on NZ TV

And then they came for Campbell Live – the end of political journalism on NZ television

Martyn Bradbury

Campbell Live was a beacon of light in an otherwise bleak media landscape – we are a lesser country for this decision

the Daily Blog,

21 May, 2015

MediaWorks have released their decision on Campbell Live on budget day so as to minimise the media impact, they have made the same decision TVNZ did – walk away from their 4th estate obligations to peddle trivia and mindless entertainment.

By killing off Campbell Live the right have silenced one of their biggest critics – now it’s just wall to wall Paul Henry & Mike Hosking. Who will hold Key to account now? His chums Mike or Paul?

Maybe TV3 will appoint Cameron Slater as John Campbell’s replacement?

T

he totality of the right wing echo chamber our mainstream media have become just made Key’s attempt at winning a 4th term far easier. -Only National and the right will find glee in this decision.

Campbell Live was a beacon of light in an otherwise bleak media landscape – we are a lesser country for this decision.

Make no mistake about it, this is a political hit job on the loudest critic of the Government.

Mark Weldon’s connection to John Key is well established…

1: He’s the man John Key picked to chair the “Summit on Employment” in 2009(1)

2:He’s also the man John Key picked to lead The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal(2)

3: He’s also the man who used that position to breach the Bill of Rights Act and force “the advancement of religion” into the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust’s constitution(3)

4: And he’s the man Cameron Slater (Whaleoil) characterises as “allegedly a friend of John Key”(4)

5: Slater also asked on October 15 last year “Who will be the first (of many) casualties under Mark “I’m the boss” Weldon at Mediaworks?” with one commenter on that story saying “The man is a tyrant who doesn’t play nicely with others. Frankly, I love the idea of Weldon and John Campbell having to work together …”(5)

6: he’s also the man whom insiders were picking as a potential National Party candidate for the safe seat of Tamaki(6)

7: And he’s a man who praised John Key’s program of asset sales announced in 2011 as “bold, it was clear, it was early – and very positive…” and called those who were cautious about it “fearmongering”. That’s the same assets sales program that had to be drastically cut back and became something of an embarrassment to the government(7)

8: He’s the man who made a substantial personal gain ($6 million) as a result of Key’s asset sales announcement(8)

9: He’s also the man who, as CEO of the NZX, characterised those who voiced concerns about aspects of the Exchange’s operations as mentally ill(9)

10: He’s the man who’s already got rid of two of Mediaworks’s main financial watchdogs – chief financial officer Peter Crossan and company secretary and lawyer Claire Bradley(10)

11: He’s the man of whom blogger Cactus Kate (business lawyer and commentator Cathy Odgers) noted “Mediaworks currently does not employ anyone on your television or radio with a larger ego than Weldon, even Willie Jackson, Sean Plunket and Duncan Garner combined can’t compete” and that “NZX was the greatest reality soap opera in town under Weldon’s leadership, the casting couch of characters was enormous as disgruntled staff left and new bright eyed disciples were employed”(11)

12: He’s the man Odgers also described (in a blog post now deleted by referenced by another, also right wing, blogger) as a “weasel word corporate-welfared CEO…” and a “shallow self-promoting tool”(12)

13: He’s the man who said there was no conflict of interest in allowing the NZX to be the provider of NZX services, the supervisor of its members, a listed participant on its own exchange and the market regulator… a statement one broker described as “utter balderdash”(13)

This is a CEO who is Key’s best corporate friend and this is a foreign owned media company who have been given sweet heart deals from this Government. 

The lax regulation has allowed MediaWorks to gain a dominant market position so claims that they are a private company who can do what they like is bullshit. They have done well from NZ, they owe us fourth estate obligations more than they owe their vulture fund shareholders.

All we have left to hold the powerful to account is Native Affairs on Maori TV.

The less we are told about what Government do, the weaker our democracy – killing Campbell Live is a sad day for broadcasting & sadder day for NZ.