Browsing: RNZ

News
The best of StopPress 2017
By

Before we shut down our computers and leave the StopPress comment section unattended (to a degree) over the Christmas/New Year break, we take a look at the highs and lows from the last 365 days with the top 10 StopPress stories.

News
The difference between a nutritious meal and a takeaway: A look at how RNZ’s Checkpoint made it to 50 years
By

Radio New Zealand has blown out 50 candles this week to mark Checkpoint reaching half a century of current affairs reporting. It’s now the longest-running news and current affairs programme on local radio and television with no sign of stopping. We talk to head of content Carol Hirschfeld about maintaining its remit as a serious news programme, radio with pictures and Checkpoint with John Campbell.

News
Drop it like it’s hot: Paul Thompson on why RNZ is selling its Auckland building
By

In a very challenging environment, media companies have had to get increasingly creative to increase their revenue or decrease their costs. Fairfax has started selling fibre. Sky is looking to shack up with Vodafone. And in a recent staff email, the RNZ executive team announced that it was looking for potential buyers to take over ownership of its central Auckland building. We talk to CEO Paul Thompson about why it’s selling the asset.

News
RNZ scraps its online comment section
By

After 18 months of having its comment section switched on, RNZ has announced it will no longer allow comments on its website and it will phase out the capability on its site by the end of the week, instead encouraging comments on its social media channels, we chat to RNZ’s Megan Whelan about why it made the decision and what it means for its audience. PLUS: how technology might improve comment sections in the future, and Fairfax’s approach to its comment sections.

News
RNZ adapts its charter, clarifies the commercial aspects of its multimedia vision
By

Over the past few years the country’s main media companies have spent millions creating the integrated newsrooms of the future to keep up with the demands of a fragmented audience. RNZ has made similar multi-media moves (and even changed its name recently to mark its cross-platform aspirations), but as a government-funded, non-commercial broadcaster it has had to make these changes within its existing budget, which hasn’t changed for eight years. But last week the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill was passed after being under consideration for ten years, finally providing clarification for RNZ’s commercial capacity as well as its values, new and old, as New Zealand’s national broadcaster.

News
Protestors, F-bombs and vox pops: TPPA coverage shows the ups and downs of live streaming
By

On 4 February, thousands of TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) protestors filed onto Auckland’s city streets carrying signs, chanting and blocking off access to motorway access points to mark their objection to the agreement as our government was putting pen to paper. And among all the chaos were the nation’s media outlets, all competing to get the best coverage of the event and live-streaming it directly to thousands of online viewers. Here’s a rundown of how the media used live-streaming to create a more immersive experience for viewers, and a look at what the dangers are of live-streaming events like these.

News
Checkpoint with John Campbell kicks off with ‘good problems’
By

RNZ’s long-awaited multi-platform Checkpoint with John Campbell debuted last night, and the show caused so much buzz that RNZ’s website crashed from all the traffic. We chat to RNZ head of content Carol Hirschfield about the teething issues, the benefits of multimedia broadcasting and the overall response of the show.

News
Paul Thompson on how RNZ grew its weekly audience by 60,000 listeners
By

Nielsen’s All National Radio survey showed that the weekly cumulative radio audience for RNZ National and Concert was 564,000 people aged 15 and over, a decent year-on-year lift when compared to the 503, 000 listeners recorded in the previous survey. We talk to Paul Thompson some of the moves that led to this uptick in weekly listener numbers.

News
Are Tweets news? The growing trend of journalists using social media in stories
By

Over the past few years, social media has become an enormous part of the lives of many. Studies show we spend hours online per day, and much of this time is spent perusing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like. And apart from stalking old school friends who have become more successful than you, or (for some) discovering what Kim K’s latest move is, these have also become platforms for people to openly share their views, exercise their right to free speech, and learn what others think about relevant and important issues. This activity on social media has led to many news publishers embedding tweets in their online stories, or further, basing an entire story around a strong public reaction to a tweet. So, we decided to ask ‘why?’

News
From the newspaper to the computer screen: what are the benefits of online comics?
By

The rise of the digital has disrupted many aspects of life: from the way we research, to the way we contact one another, to the way we lock our houses. The disruption of newspapers and magazines is common knowledge, and this in turn has affected the way cartoonists work. Over the years the Sunday funnies page has had less space allocated to the funny and often thought-provoking illustrations and many cartoonists have headed over to the digital realm. One of these is Toby Morris, a cartoonist for RNZ and The Wireless. He tells us how his craft has changed, and how this isn’t such a bad thing. We also chat to fellow cartoonists award-winning Anna Crichton and long time cartoonist Brendon Boughen for their perspective.