Media merger looks terrible

Stuff reports:

RNZ has also been told the amended proposal puts a specific emphasis on the fact the new company will be primarily a public service media outlet, and to ensure that is made crystal clear in any legislation, and through a charter.

That would also help to alleviate some of the strongly expressed concerns some ministers had about a “culture clash” – namely the risk the public broadcasting ethos could be subsumed by an aggressive commercial imperative once the new company was established and operating in the media marketplace.

As in the original proposal, the company would still have the ability to fund some of its operations through commercial or advertising revenue.

It seems the Government has decided in principle to merge TVNZ and Radio NZ.

One is a commercial broadcaster one is a public broadcaster. If the merger was to create one unified public broadcaster or one unified commercial broadcaster it could work.

But what the Government is doing as absolutely the worst possible option. A hybrid broadcaster.

If the broadcaster is dependent on commercial and advertising revenue to cover its expenses, then that will dominate. There is no way it won’t.

So what you will have is a taxpayer subsidised commercial broadcaster that will decimate private sector rivals.