NZ On Air 01 Foreword For two decades now, diversity has The authors were free to range where they liked and to form their own views. As with all such studies, not been NZ On Air’s mantra. We assess everything can be covered and we hope that further what the broadcast sector can provide studies will be undertaken over time. Meantime we thank the authors for their interest in broadcasting commercially, then add content and policy and practice, the interviewees for sharing their services to broaden the menu. experiences and of course former and current Board members and staff of the agency. When Paul Norris and Brian Pauling approached us with their proposal to conduct a study of NZ On Air The study confirms that broadcasters, content creators and its work over two decades, we saw this as an and NZ On Air personnel have all played an important opportunity to create a document that would provide part in ensuring that New Zealanders have access to a valuable record and combine history with critical quality content for and about themselves. We thank all evaluation. The two authors have a notable reputation who have been involved. in the research field. Now that the authors have finished rummaging through the archives, you can read the result. They present the story of the creation and development of a Crown entity Neil Walter Jane Wrightson given a simple, clear mandate: to ensure New Zealand Chair Chief Executive stories, songs and perspectives are not crowded out of a media landscape where excellent foreign content is NZ On Air easily and cheaply acquired. December 2011 No single person will like everything we support, but it’s pretty difficult not to find something to appeal. From Shortland Street to Nothing Trivial, Outrageous Fortune and Bliss; Country Calendar to Inside New Zealand to Praise Be; What Now? to Tagata Pasifika to What’s Really In Our Food?; The New Zealand Wars to Q+A and The Nation; from Radio New Zealand to small community access radio stations; access services for hearing and visually impaired audiences; music from pop anthems to classical recordings; website NZ On Screen to online drama Reservoir Hill – the common thread is that all have been nurtured to serve New Zealanders of all shapes and sizes. 02 AN EvAluativE STudy FROM 1989- 2011 Contents Foreword 01 Chapter 6: Television – Changes under National 35 List of Figures and Tables 05 The end of the TVNZ Charter 35 The Platinum Fund 35 Authors’ Note on the Structure of this Report 06 TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7 36 Chapter 1: Introduction 07 The issue of political independence 36 What is NZ On Air? 07 Chapter 7: The Funding of Television Programmes 38 Range of activities 07 Grants, subsidies or investments 38 The benefits of this study 08 Broadcaster contributions 38 Methodology 09 Rights issues 40 Chapter 2: Environment and Origins 10 The allocation of funding between genres 41 The mediascape in the mid-eighties 10 Chapter 8: Deregulation of broadcasting 11 The Threatened Genres – Drama and Comedy 43 Origins of the NZ On Air model 12 Introduction 43 The Broadcasting Act 1989 14 The general context for local TV drama and comedy 43 Conclusion 14 Local drama and comedy as categories and forms 44 Chapter 3: Local drama, comedy and New Zealand Television – the Tensions of the Early Years 16 TV’s meta-schedule 46 Different interpretations 16 Drama, comedy, and the inception of NZ On Air 46 Funding Policy 19 Production trends in local comedy: the 1990s 48 Chapter 4: Comedy after 2000 and the rise Television – The Crusade for Local Content 20 of alternative sitcoms 48 Comedy after 2000 and non-fictional forms 50 The road to Shortland Street 20 Comedy today 50 Funding philosophy – the drive for local content 22 Production trends in local drama: the 1990s 50 Negotiation and horse-trading 24 Drama after 2000 51 Political change – National’s agenda 24 Drama since 2005: series and serials 51 The abolition of the Broadcasting Fee 25 Drama and the Platinum Fund: telefeatures 52 Maori broadcasting 25 Changing cost differentials between imported The legacy of Ruth Harley and Merv Norrish 28 and local product 53 Chapter 5: Television – The Labour Years 29 Advertiser imperatives and the ‘opportunity cost’ A change of policy 29 of local drama and comedy 53 The TVNZ Charter: funding 29 Existing and potential commercial investments The TVNZ Charter: content 30 in local drama and comedy 54 The review of broadcasting 31 NZ On Air strategies for local drama and comedy 55 Digital initiatives 32 Key strengths and weaknesses of the NZ On Air model 57 Maori broadcasting after 2000 32 NZ On Air 03 Chapter 9: Chapter 12: Radio 98 The Threatened Genres - Documentaries 59 Introduction 98 Introduction 59 Radio New Zealand 99 The growth of popular documentary 60 Community Radio 104 The independent production sector 61 Maori Radio 107 Attitude of the broadcasters 62 Pacific Radio 113 Doubts and concerns 62 Commercial radio programme funding 114 NZ On Air strategy 64 Conclusion 115 Dissent remains 65 Chapter 13: Broadcast Archiving 117 The Platinum Fund 66 Introduction 117 Conclusion 67 Background 117 Chapter 10: The Threatened Genres – Children’s 68 Early years 118 Introduction 68 The Barr Report 120 Provision for children under Outcomes of the Barr Report 121 the Broadcasting Act 1989 69 The Horrocks/Pauling Report 122 The early years 70 Archive symposium 123 The impact of broadcasting competition 71 Symposium outcomes 124 Funding strategy: the dedicated children’s fund 72 The SA/NTK tender 124 The first decade: wins and losses 76 NZ On Screen 125 The first decade: endangered genres 78 The Horrocks, Labrum and Hopkins Review 126 Rautaki Maori and children’s content 79 Conclusion 127 2000: a proposed review of children’s funding policy 79 Chapter 14: Music 128 New commercial arrangements 80 Background 128 2003: The ‘Space for the New’ children’s funding strategy 81 The Beginnings (Phase One) 129 The 2008 review of ‘Space for the New’ 83 Phase Two 129 Funding: The early childhood audience 84 Phase Three 131 Multi-media initiatives 86 The Youth Radio Network 132 The 2008 Digital Content Partnership Fund 86 Phase Four 132 Conclusion 87 Television initiatives 133 The Voluntary Music Quota 134 Chapter 11: Special Interests and Minorities 91 Phase Five 135 Introduction 91 Criticism 136 The core programmes 91 The Caddick Reports 137 Ethnic diversity 94 The future 139 Arts, culture and performance 94 Conclusion 97 Chapter 15: Remote Area Coverage 141 Television 141 Radio 142 04 AN EvAluativE STudy FROM 1989- 2011 Chapter 16: Future Challenges and Conclusions 145 Record of success 145 In thrall to the networks? 146 The non-commercial programmes 147 The audience 148 Quality, diversity and innovation 149 Funding constraints 150 The digital future 150 Conclusion 151 References 153 20 years of NZ On Air 160 Appendix: Interviewees for this study 164 NZ On Air 05 List oF Figures and tabLes Figure 1: Range of activities 1991 compared to 2011 08 Figure 2: local content as proportion of the schedule 1988-2000 23 Figure 3: Genre Allocation 1991 and 2011 41 Figure 4: drama and comedy funding and hours 1990-2011 47 Figure 5: documentary funding and hours 1990-2011 60 Figure 6: Children’s Programmes funding and hours 1990-2011 69 Figure 7: NZ Music content 1997-2005 134 Table 1: Funding components for television programmes 39 Table 2: Access Radio outcomes per week 2009 106 06 AN EvAluativE STudy FROM 1989- 2011 authors’ note on the Structure of thiS report Most of this report has been written dr Pauling has written the chapters on Radio, Music and Archiving, and the radio section by Paul Norris and dr Brian Pauling. of Remote Coverage. He has been a consultant Two specialists were commissioned to NZ On Air on archiving matters at various times. to contribute the genre chapters on The remaining chapters have been written drama and comedy, and children’s by Paul Norris, who was also the overall editor of the project. during his time as an executive programmes. The chapter on drama at TvNZ, he was responsible for dealing with and comedy was written by dr Trisha NZ On Air on remote coverage issues. He has dunleavy, from victoria university, an also been an occasional consultant to NZ On Air. acknowledged expert who has written All the writers have tried to be as accurate as possible, acknowledging the scope of this study and the large extensively in this field. The chapter amount of documentation available. Wherever possible on children’s was written by dr Ruth they have supported their arguments with evidence. Any opinions expressed are entirely their own. Zanker, from the Broadcasting School At the end of this report we have added NZ On Air’s at CPiT, also an acknowledged expert own summary of the history of the first twenty years, and prolific contributor in her field. published in the Annual Report in 2009. She was a founder member of the The authors are grateful to Christine Westwood and Children’s Television Foundation, Anita Roberts of NZ On Air for their assistance in tracking down a number of documents. They would and she has advised NZ On Air on also like to thank two colleagues at CPiT, Karen children’s programme issues at Thomas who did the graphs, and Christina Evans who various stages. masterminded the format of the document. Finally they acknowledge the work of Rebecca Mudgway and david Hughes of Audience Graphic design limited in the creation of the hard copy version. NZ On Air 07 chapter 1 introduCtion What iS nZ on air? Although it was conceived as an institution for the delivery of public broadcasting, it soon became clear NZ On Air is a remarkable institution.