TV news to lose six staff in Chch

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 3

TV news to lose six staff in Chch

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

Television’s New Zealand’s editor of daily news programmes, Mr Shaun Brown, has confirmed that TVNZ’s Christchurch newsroom staff will be trimmed by six.

Mainly reporters, but also some “news support” staff would be affected, he said. Mr Brown, who spent yesterday in the Christchurch newsroom discussing the changes with staff, said early indications were that there would be no need for forced redundancies, although staff still had the week-end to decide on options such as voluntary severance and early retirement. Individuals will be told by letter on Tuesday whether they have to go, and the cuts would take effect about the end of March. The changes arise from a trimming of the regional programmes — “The Mainland Touch” and its Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin counterparts — and their move to a new slot on Network Two. Mr Brown said that “it’s not going to be ‘The Mainland Touch’ as it used to be,” but the new programme would not necessarily be much different. “I haven’t finally concluded we should abandon the title, for instance.”

Mr Brown said that viewers were comfortable with “The Mainland Touch,” and loyal to it. Early speculation was that the new regional news bulletins would be only seven minutes long, but Mr Brown said he thought the final duration might now be &y 2 minutes — a cut of only 2 l / 2 minutes on their present duration. The regional programmes had already been cut to 11 minutes, from 13 minutes last year. The other main change is a new current affairs programme to be fronted by an Auckland radio announcer, Paul Holmes. The half-hour “Holmes Show,” as it is now known, although a final title has not been decided, will follow the Network News on Television One. Providing South Island stories to the Holmes Show would be an important element in the Christchurch line-up, said Mr Brown. At least one reporter and one news producer would be based in Christchurch “dedicated” to the show, he said.