Sunday 15 April 2012

Current Affairs on TV a thing of the past.



What’s happening to our so-called current affairs programmes on TV?

Firstly TV, The Nation on TV 3 funded by NZ on Air shows at 9.30 on a Saturday and repeats on Sunday at 8am. This is certainly not prime time viewing, would you put off your Saturday shopping or taking your kids to their Saturday morning sports events just to watch The Nation, or would you give up your Sunday morning lie in, I think not. Well you are not missing much because the programme has become nothing more than soft centred interviews that are not much more than political broadcasts, justifing government behaviour. They are certainly not debates or hard hitting interviews.

Rachel Smalley’s interview with Cedric Allan and Mark Unsworth on lobbying was a clear example of just this. She failed in all respects to get these two lobbyists to accept that there is a huge divide and difference between seeking help from and influencing politicians; basically lobbyists are paid massive bucks to influence.

If you can get TV7 [the government is about to give it the chop] you can watch Right-Wing Paul Holmes if you make it out of bed on a Sunday by nine, you can watch TV One’s Q & A. show as you munch your corn flakes and toast. You should eat your breakfast first otherwise you could be put off your food by the anti Maori and women ramblings of Paul Holmes as he attempts to copy talkback radio ex-host Paul Henry now residing in Australia [Thank God] in a bias based discussion with a guest panel of strange individuals one of which is often Dr. Claire Robinson of Massey, some of her views are so far from reality that I get the weird feeling that she lives on a different planet to the rest of us. But when she is matched with Phil O’Reilly you get a strange mix that sounds just like Steven Joyce, the government lobbyist for MediaWorks and the Road Construction industry with Talley’s tossed in for good measure. No it sad to have to say it but current affairs is a dieing art, and we must thank God that Maori Television has become NZ’s only real public broadcasting TV station.

No comments: