BATTLE of THE BBC
New Zealand Listener|March 19 - 25, 2022
It may be touted as the public broadcasting model for New Zealand to follow, but the UK’s favourite media outlet is facing an “existential threat”.
ANDREW ANTHONY
BATTLE of THE BBC

Last year, the advisory group set up to look into the future of New Zealand broadcasting recommended that TVNZ and RNZ should be disestablished and merged. In their place the group recommended a new “globally recognised public media entity”.

At the time of writing, it appeared the Labour government had finally approved the plan. While there is still much work to do before the merger happens, it is almost inevitable that the BCC will come up in public discussions.

And indeed, in the Listener, industry stalwarts including Geoffrey Whitehead, the former chief executive of RNZ and Australia’s ABC, and broadcaster Tom Frewen, have already cited the BBC and its original mission to “inform, educate and entertain” as the prototype on which a merged public broadcaster should be founded in New Zealand.

The BBC is a truly global brand. It has more than 22,000 staff and boasts four TV channels, 40 local radio stations, the World Service, a streaming service, and a website that reaches 38 million people in the UK alone.

It has produced so many radio and TV programmes that no one knows the total figure, though it’s estimated to be somewhere between 10 and 20 million. That number includes, in this century alone, Fleabag, The Office, The Thick of It, Happy Valley, Planet Earth, Normal People and I May Destroy You. Throw in Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, The Singing Detective, Life on Earth and countless other classics from the 20th century, and you have an impressive roll call of some of the finest TV ever made.

This story is from the March 19 - 25, 2022 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 19 - 25, 2022 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView All
The big dry
New Zealand Listener

The big dry

All we know is that here at Lush Places, our pasture and gardens are gasping. The pasture is the worry. The garden is a luxury but if you move to the country to buy a garden, the lack of rain is distressing.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Digital disruption or disaster?
New Zealand Listener

Digital disruption or disaster?

If the news media is left to sink or swim, who will hold the powerful to account?

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Fair's fair
New Zealand Listener

Fair's fair

Are we kidding ourselves that the world is a fair and just place?

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Fortify yourself
New Zealand Listener

Fortify yourself

Iodine is an essential mineral for our metabolism but opt for bread and milk rather than salt to get an adequate dose.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Flautist’s flight
New Zealand Listener

Flautist’s flight

A United Nations of styles mark Tessa Brinckman’s collection of flute pieces.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Characters with a back story
New Zealand Listener

Characters with a back story

A new local comedy drama set in a spinal unit is based on the lives of two of its writers, one of whom stars in the show.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
On the slopes of whakapapa
New Zealand Listener

On the slopes of whakapapa

Kids go bush in Taranaki in a family flick with some familiar touches.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Southern belles
New Zealand Listener

Southern belles

Kaylee Bell embraces Nashville, while Amiria Grenell heads to Americana.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Flying colours
New Zealand Listener

Flying colours

Look Blue Go Purple, a group which stood out among the many in 1980s Dunedin, is being honoured at the Taite Music Prize. RUSSELL BROWN tracked down the op shop-raiding politest band in rock'n'roll”.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024
Critters for life's jitters
New Zealand Listener

Critters for life's jitters

A talking fox offers solace to a struggling man in this moving story about the redemptive power of nature.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 30 - April 5, 2024