One Plus One Equals Three

Edition Twenty Two

This year’s chilly winter season has brought along rain, sickness and not to mention – big changes in the local and global media landscape.

To learn about talent shortages in the journalism sector, new partnerships (and some failed ones) between media entities and more, read on for a snackable summary of things that have been happening in and around our industry over the past few months.

Stuff and The Spinoff team up

A promising partnership between two of our biggest news sites, Stuff and the Spinoff was announced late last month. This joining of forces marks the end of the Spinoff’s relationship with the NZ Herald, which has been syndicating its content since 2015.

While Stuff and The Spinoff remain two separate entities, Spinoff CEO, Duncan Grieve has said it’s more important than ever for those in the thinning private sector to support one another.

Some shocking stats revealed that in 2006 there was one journalist for every 976 New Zealanders. Now there is one for every 2,377.

With both entities left out of the TVNZ RNZ merger, Grieve has said that “While we compete every day for scoops and to have the best analysis, we also need to find ways to collaborate to survive.”

Major shortage of reporters in NZ

Countless industries have fallen victim to the tight labour market, and journalism is no different. The industry has done a complete 180 and is now in dire need of more journalists. With over 35 positions listed on Seek in the last few weeks, major newsrooms like RNZ and Stuff are urgently looking for new and experienced journalists alike.

This has opened doors for aspiring journalists, with AUT’s head of journalism, Greg Treadwell, saying he has never seen so many opportunities for young graduates.  

A large reason behind this is the increase of Kiwi talent leaving for Covid-delayed OE’s, and with the ever increasing cost of living, many journalists have jumped ship to other industries, chasing larger salaries. As a result, the industry is feeling the pressure to keep more experienced talent here at home, since many journalists are finding higher pay and standard of living across the ditch.

To combat the holes popping up in the industry, outlets such as RNZ are “hiring proactively” – picking up journalists even if there is no vacancy for them, just to get ahead of the demand.

Sky and MediaWorks acquisition falls through

In case you missed it, a significant merger between Sky and MediaWorks was announced in early June. With promise of being one of the largest media mergers our country has seen in recent years, the deal was quickly called off just weeks later in a statement from Sky.

The initial announcement came during a big time of change for our media industry, following the TVNZ RNZ merger earlier this year, and had the potential to change the media sphere in NZ as we know it. MediaWorks’ ability to extend into traditional television was just one of these reasons.

So why did the deal abruptly break down? The grounds aren’t entirely clear, however pushback from shareholders and the general state of the economy can’t be ignored.

Changes to the face of NZ’s public media

Big changes for NZ’s media landscape are underway with new Broadcasting minister Willie Jackson’s introduction of the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill. If the bill passes, RNZ and TVNZ will be replaced by the government’s new public media entity – with the government already committing over $300 million in funding.

In an op-ed penned by Jackson, he says the face of NZ’s media is changing and the bill brings opportunities for more diversity.

“Māori are still very much an afterthought in New Zealand mainstream media, and I know we can do better,” says Jackson.

“The new entity will serve all New Zealanders, including groups who are currently under-served and under-represented in our media. So it’s not just Māori who I think should be prioritised, Pasifika must be, Asian and other ethnic people, and particularly our youth,” he adds.

NZME reaches 100,000 subscribers for paid content

After making a vow to focus on its digital growth and transformation, NZME has reached a major milestone, with over 100,000 kiwis now paying for a NZ Herald Premium or BusinessDesk subscription.

This substantial growth is in addition to the existing 50,000 NZ Herald customers paying for print, and is a huge win following NZME’s purchase of BusinessDesk late last year.

Moving forward, NZME Managing Editor, Shayne Currie has said “We will continue with our focus of keeping Kiwis in the know, producing the quality, trusted news that Kiwis know and expect.” The real question is, how long will it take for this balance between print and digital subscribers to shift?

Twitter takes on Elon

Beyond NZ borders, tensions have risen between Elon Musk and Twitter in what seems like an endless saga between the billionaire and social media giant. Well the latest news is that Twitter is suing Musk for US$44bn for pulling out of his deal to purchase the platform.

The self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” had pledged to ease up on Twitter’s content moderation rules once the company was under his ownership, however backed out of the deal saying that Twitter failed to provide enough info about the number of spam or fake accounts on the site.

Despite the change of heart, Musk is legally obligated to move forward with the acquisition, and is bracing himself for a long battle in court. We’re eager to see how the social platform will change under Musk’s reign.

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