Hay to the fore

Press, 7 February 1985, Page 18

Hay to the fore

By

NEVIN TOPP

Karyn Hay is disappointed that Television New Zealand does not take advantage of the big following that rock ’n’ roll has in this country.

Hay, the frontwoman for the rock television programme, “Radio With Pictures,” says that the show has to fight for studio time and equipment and is usually last in the queue behind sport and current affairs to be able to produce the video clips.

At the same time there is the cost-cutting which means a reduced budget. “It’s just about standard procedure (every year) now. Perhaps I should not be saying these things, it sounds as though I’m biting the hand that feeds me.”

“Radio With Pictures” has an audience of about 400,000, which Hay says is surprising, considering the small population, and the current affairs programme on the opposite channel has about the same number of viewers.

“Ready To Roll” carries an audience of about one million and Hay believes that TVNZ should be taking advantage of the figures for the rock programmes. “It is unfortunate, but for some people in the hierarchy of television, rock has become associated with ‘sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll’,” and so they do not want to have anything to with it.

“But, look at this concert (at the Addington Showgrounds on Sunday), people have come out to enjoy themselves in the fine weather and listen to the music,” Hay says, before continuing on to a theme of the individual rather than music being the cause of

misbehaviour. Without any prompting Hay raises the matter of her private life, expressing her annoyance about the media’s intrusion into it.

“I think that my personal life is my own affair. I mean, writing that I giggled in answer to a question about my love life makes it sound like something out of ‘True Confessions’.” “Radio With Pictures” starts again on February 17, and Hay says that the programme will retain the same format that it had last year, being in “Karyn’s lounge” where “about 60 per cent of New Zealanders

were raised in rooms just like it.”

The programme will again be featuring interviews, possibly one a week, depending on the availability, and Brent Hansen, “who has a few new ideas up his sleeve,” will be producing all the shows, she says. During the summer months Hay has been working on Radio 2XX, on the Kapiti coast, “just to keep my hand in,” and again expects to twiddle the knobs at Radio Active, the Victoria University student FM station in Wellington, while “Radio With Pictures” is running.