Comedians put TV3 ties on hold

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 3

Comedians put TV3 ties on hold

The comedy duo of David McPhail and Jon Gadsby would put aside their active association with TV3 until next year, the pair said yesterday. “We understand that it is incompatible for us to be working for what is, in effect, the opposition while we are under contract to TVNZ,” Mr McPhail said. Messrs McPhail and Gadsby hold shares in the successful applicant for the South Island’s priv-ately-owned television service.

TVNZ’s director of programmes and production, Mr Des Monaghan, said that the issue had been raised after a report suggested that Mr McPhail had also taken a senior management position with TV3.

Mr McPhail said that the prospect of working with TV3 in a management position was a possibility but his role with the privately-owned system would not be resolved until some time early next

year. “In the meantime we are both happy to confirm that our professional television efforts will be directed solely to the success of the ‘McPhail and Gadsby Show’ on TVNZ,” the comedy team said. Mr Monaghan said the issue had been immediately recognised as a potential problem by both TVNZ and the duo. “We’ve been aware of their position as minority investors in privatelyowned television but we all recognised that the prospect of active involvement in the management of a competitor’s business was a clear and unacceptable conflict of interest.

"I’m delighted that we’ve resolved the problem and we’re able to proceed with the new series,” Mr Monaghan said. The new series of the “McPhail and Gadsby Show” will screen on Mondays at 9 p.m. on TVI from October 12 to November 23.