Kim Hill gets a big international plaudit, Colenso gets greedy, Geoff Devereux goes indie, New Zealand Blood goes digital with Young & Shand, MediaWorks swipes another TVNZer, TVNZ’s new 7pm show gets going, Hayley Holt heads to More FM and Jason Willis lights his Fuse.
Back in 2007, Radio New Zealand kicked off the Sounds Like Us campaign, which entailed creating ten radios in the style of iconic New Zealand cultural expressions, from wool sheds to gumboots to pavlovas (2007 was also the year its funding was frozen). Another five models were added in subsequent design contests in following years, constructed by the sharp tacks at Weta Workshop, and then exhibited at galleries around the country. It was a nice branding exercise on the part of the public service broadcaster, and it won an Axis Award last year, and now the concept is being extended into the wearable arts, with RNZ selling t-shirts at its new online store for $34.95.
Supporters of publicly-funded media in New Zealand are feeling fairly tormented at present, with the National Government’s apparent ‘nice to have’ stance manifesting itself in a five year funding freeze for Radio New Zealand and the imminent switch-off of TVNZ7. But Nielsen’s Year That Was report, which includes info on New Zealand media trends, has provided more proof of the importance—and popularity—of Radio New Zealand National by showing it was the top ranking radio station in New Zealand in 2011 with a market share of 11.1 percent.
…as TBWA\ makes a couple more significant hires; Radio New Zealand splits up its Morning Report hosts; Clemenger Group continues to nurture youngsters after its inaugural Graduate Programme proved a success; Carat hunts for a new general manager; another old hand joins The Pond’s freelance ranks; Mango adds a trio to its events team; and the Ministry of Economic Development signs up an event advisor.
…as the Marketing Association ramps up its, er, marketing with a new human in a newly created role; Martine Jager returns from Australia to join Westpac New Zealand’s marketing team; Radio New Zealand announces its new board; TrinityP3 downsizes and St John Craner moves to the country; Syro Communications announces a staffing coup; International Rescue adds a generous photographer to its ranks; and a Kiwi expat gets a plum Asia Pacific posting with Interpublic’s Mediabrands.
2011 is the anniversary of 100 years of radio in New Zealand and to mark this auspicious occasion Clemenger BBDO and Radio New Zealand launched the ‘Sounds Like Us’ campaign, which asked Kiwis to create a radio design that captured any aspect of New Zealand culture from the past 100 years. But to inspire the masses, it came up with a few radio designs of its own and these outstanding sonic/visual creations were good enough to take home a gold Axis in Design.
For months the New Zealand tech retailers have been displaying a range of iPad paraphernalia for sale in their stores and, as of today, they actually get to sell the object all that paraphernalia is associated with. But after all the hype, all the talk of publishing revolutions and all the feverish Tweetbooking about Jobs Almighty and his newest hero product, there seems to be a surprising dearth of local applications available on the day of the iPad’s release in New Zealand.
The Save Radio New Zealand Facebook group has just reached 10,000 members. But that’s not the only good news for the public service broadcaster, who on Friday picked up two awards at the inaugural ONYA awards.