Radio New Zealand’s Head of Content Megan Whelan has resigned from the national broadcaster.
Whelan is known for her strong advocacy of editorial independence and her leadership during a challenging period for public media in New Zealand.
Whelan has worked for the NZ public broadcaster for over nine years, beginning as an engagement editor, moving to the role of digital editor, then taking up the role of Head of Content in 2019.
Why doesn’t RNZ relaunch the old Kiwi or even resurrect Channel Z on the available 102.2 frequency in Auckland, and then roll it out nationally?
As an alternative music format it would be able to push the boundaries and give NZers a government run alternative station like the ABC has in Australia, with Triple J and Double J.
MediaWorks do have Channel X, but this format is mostly alt-rock as well as middle of the road hits (with some edgier tracks thrown in) from the 90s and 2000s, so it wouldn’t impact them a great deal.
And Richard Sutherland (former head of RNZ News & Newshub) has been brought in to review RNZ’s live radio operation and content. He has finished and submitted his report with the findings to be shared in the coming weeks.
RNZ, which once led the market based on cumulative audience, is now eighth, behind commercial news rival Newstalk ZB and six music stations (Breeze, More FM, ZM, The Edge, The Rock and Mai FM).
MediaWorks today announced a significant expansion of its New Zealand portfolio, securing a new long-term agreement with Auckland Transport for its four prized Out of Home concessions: street furniture, vehicular based (transit) media, transport hubs and billboards.
@Horomono With Kara Rickard taking over as host of Music 101 on RNZ National with effect from this coming Saturday (19 July), I have a question to ask. What happened to former Music 101 host, Charlotte Ryan?
Bit of a fall from grace (although I don’t know if he ever had much “grace”?) I do remember him being quite a talented host back in the day though.
By a strange coincidence I used to work with the guy he punched (the brother of his then-partner in 2010).
Reading David Farrier’s newsletter this morning, it appears that Plunket’s mega-rich backer for The Platform (Wayne Wright) stopped funding him back in March.
I wonder how he’s still keeping the lights on then? Or is this another RCR situation (lol) where he’s going to start asking for donations soon? Or maybe someone else is funding him? Would he make enough in ongoing donations to keep the place going as is?
I think I’ve listened to it three times in my life, and they were just snippets of interviews, so I can’t speak to that never had the interest to listen to it uninterrupted/non-stop for any great period of time - but back when it was started it was 100% funded by Wright, as per his interview with The Spinoff:
The hard commercial realities involved in Plunket’s downfall, and that of Magic Talk, just aren’t in play here. Wright has vague ideas to pitch for advertising from what he calls “cancelled companies” – those that violate current norms around emissions, for example – but the business plan isn’t there yet, or really the point. If the Wrights wanted to, they could run this forever without ever noticing the cost.
So if he really could run it forever, I dunno why he stopped funding it.
PS: if you don’t subscribe to Farrier’s newsletter, the online version is here:
never had the interest to listen to it uninterrupted/non-stop for any great period of time - but back when it was started it was 100% funded by Wright, as per his interview with The Spinoff: