Mike's Minute: How did RNZ not know about this already?

You may have read a report commissioned by Radio NZ to look into why their operation has become such a dumpster fire.

It said a bunch of stuff that was obvious. One thing that surprised and saddened me though was that most people within that organisation thought radio was dying and audiences were bailing.

That's not true. In fact it’s the opposite. Radio is robust and, comparatively speaking, thriving.

So my question is, how is it you can have a company of people who don’t understand their own industry?
 
Where did they get their view from? Why has no one corrected the view? Where is management in that process?

Their audience has shrunk, but it hasn’t vanished. It's gone to, well mainly, here to Newstalk ZB.

The customer is still spending, they’ve just changed shops.

The fact they don't know that I would have thought should set off alarm bells, most ironically because the place is full of journalists who once upon a time had inquiring minds. They asked questions and they wanted to know things.

If you have such a mind you would have quickly discovered what was actually happening and what the reality of your medium was.

How can you be a journalist and be that bewildered? And if you are that bewildered on your own doorstep, how bewildered are you about the rest of life and the world?

Also of concern was management's response to the report. By the way the report basically says the place is shot, it needs a bomb and some genuine talent.

The response suggests what Radio NZ management do quite well is commission reports, then ignore them.

So the exercise as a whole appears a waste. They got told some obvious stuff they should have known, an alarming thing about their staff they should also have known, but now they do know they need to fix and the rest seems a bit tricky.

For me, they can do what they like. But what I care about is that this industry is actually successful. Some of us are having the time of our lives.

Some of us know what's going on and understand proceedings. Some of us still ask a few questions.

The future is bright and it's there for anyone who wants it.

But to want it you've got to be keen and you've got to be awake.

That might be their biggest problem of all.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.