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Media Munchies: Matt McLean

TVNZ’s news department has been basking in impressive ratings in recent months. And Matt McLean has been part of the reporting and presenting team for around seven years, moving between Close Up, Breakfast and One News. The 28-year-old shares his love of Buzzfeed quizzes, pop music and TJ Perenara. 

What media do you wake up to? 

One News Now, TVNZ’s brilliant app (and I don’t even get paid extra to say that). It’s super digestible, which I like, because my attention span is miniscule. Oh, and my bestie Jack Tame has a show on Newstalk ZB on Saturday mornings (he is paying me to say that).

What TV shows are you watching at the moment? And how are you watching them? 

One News, of course. And Pretty Little Liars. It is technically a show aimed at 16-year-old girls, but it has managed to trap a 28-year-old man in its tangled web and I cannot get out. Shonda Rhimes is a genius, so How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal are must-sees. Oh, and I was lucky enough to watch the (as-yet unaired) pilot for an up-coming show called Quantico. Watch it when it starts. Trust me. I died. Literally. RIP me. TVNZ OnDemand is my best friend for watching shows.

What music are you listening to at the moment? And how are you listening to it? 

I’m straight up pop. Tori Kelly I adore. Sam Smith is phenomenal. Taylor Swift is my religion. I’m still finding my feet with Spotify, so mostly I just do the good ol’ iTunes download. 

What’s your favoured social media platform? Is it a blessing or a curse? 

Twitter. Simple. I’ve discovered I’m only funny if I have a 140 character limit. Plus one of the actresses on Pretty Little Liars tweeted me the other day, so I would say it’s a legit blessing.

What’s your favourite website? 

Buzzfeed. Give me a ‘Which Disney princess are you?’ quiz and I’m sold.

Where do you get your news?

I still find it really satisfying to sit down and watch our 6pm bulletin. I’m a visual learner by nature. But obviously online is huge these days. I have an array of news apps on my phone to get the latest info at the touch of a button. Again, I’ve gotta give props to our One News Now app. It actually, genuinely, is brilliant.

What are you reading at the moment? And how are you reading it? 

I just finished Lena Dunham’s memoir Not That Kind of Girl. I find her incredibly engaging and her writing skills are amazing. And I read it as an actual book. Printed pages and everything. They still exist. I refuse to use technology to read. 

What’s your favourite magazine? 

I’m not a huge connoisseur of magazines, but I’ll admit I don’t mind a read of Who. There’s a good balance of trashy celeb goss, real-life features about crazy serial killers and a fantastic soduku/crossword section.

What’s your favourite app?

Run Pee. You know when you’re sitting in the movies and you need to pee but you’re afraid to go in case you miss a crucial plot point? Yeah, Run Pee will tell you the best point in the movie to leave without missing anything good, and will even give you a brief synopsis of what you did miss. Game changer.

What’s your favourite radio station and/or podcast?

My buddies over at ZM are absolutely smashing it at the moment. Such good content and side-splittingly funny. Shout out to my friends Fletch, Vaughan and Megan who work their asses off every day. Plus sometimes they have me on their show to talk about sports, which usually just winds up with me talking about how cute TJ Perenara is.

 

What’s your guilty media pleasure?

There is a podcast show called Rob Has a Podcast that dissects reality TV shows. As someone who knows for a fact I would win The Amazing Race if I was given the chance, I find a lot of (guilty) pleasure from tuning in.

What media do you go to sleep with? 

Last night the dulcet tones of Ariana Grande sung me to sleep.

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