Entertainer slams TVNZ

Press, 29 May 1985, Page 16

Entertainer slams TVNZ

PA Wellington On the eve of television’s silver jubilee, the entertainer. Howard Morrison, has called for incisive evaluation of the executive structure of Television New Zealand. The former Broadcasting Corporation board member launched an attack on Television New Zealand executives, accusing them of hierarchical arrogance and closed-door strategies, the “New Zealand Herald” said. Mr Morrison said such tactics had permeated the television industry in New Zealand for 25 years and had produced a legacy of bankrupt forward planning. The entertainer said Television New Zealand was now about to reap the results of its arrogant dealings with talented people inside and outside industry. “The Young Turks of television — the very best of people trained but not looked after by Television New Zealand - are just waiting in the wings for private television to start,” he said. Mr Morrison said his three years on the board of the Broadcasting Corporation had opened his eyes to a host of television anomalies.

Executive power games K played out in Auckland and g Wellington were costing the S country dearly in duplica- K tion of resources and expen- N diture. || Mr Morrison said he was |i particlarly concerned at g| what seemed to him a pre- ® judiced direction of funds by Eg Television New Zealand ex- » ecutives. He said he had seen no evidence that consumers M were getting a chance to m determine what they might m want to see. “They (TVNZ’s execu- S| tives) do things they call pilots, have an in-house appraisal of them, find a bud- g| get, and away they go.” The results were often Bpoor when compared to §3 shows such as the award- Q winning "Inside Straight” g series, funded, but not cons- M trained, by Television New ■ Zealand. I “The fact that 'lnside I Straight’ was free of the ■ constraints of the Television ■ New Zealand system re- ■ fleeted in the energy and ■ success of the series,” he ■ said. ■ Mr Morrison was a H National Government ap- ■ pointee to the Broadcasting ■ Corporation in 1982. His ■ term was not renewed when ] it expired this year.