A solo reflection dives into the shifting media landscape in New Zealand, contrasting vibrant past industry gatherings with today's challenges. It highlights the troubling decline of traditional media amid corporate changes and layoffs. The rise of digital platforms raises concerns over local journalism's integrity. Urgent calls for legislative reforms stress the need to protect journalism. The impact of social media on news is explored, emphasizing the importance of engaging listeners in shaping the future of media.
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Quick takeaways
The podcast highlights the severe crisis in New Zealand's media landscape, with major outlets closing and local storytelling diminishing.
It calls attention to the pressing need for regulatory frameworks to ensure the survival of local journalism against powerful tech companies.
Deep dives
The Decline of Institutional Media
The current landscape of media in New Zealand is facing a significant crisis, with traditional outlets struggling to maintain their relevance and sustainability. The episode highlights the fact that major companies are shutting down news operations, notably the closure of News Hub, which exacerbates the challenges in both news coverage and cultural representation. As television networks and media companies taper off their local programming, audiences are losing a tangible connection to their national culture, which historically has been fostered through local productions. The conversation reflects a broader concern about the 'twilight' of institutional media, questioning the future of journalism and entertainment as traditional platforms continue to diminish.
Impacts of Advertising Budget Shifts
A noticeable trend in the podcast is the dramatic shift in advertising budgets moving away from television and traditional media toward online platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With decreased ad spending on local shows, the economic viability of producing homegrown content is being jeopardized, leading to a significant drop in local productions. This shift is not just financial; it carries cultural implications as well, as the richness of diverse local narratives risks being replaced by a homogenized, user-generated content dominated by algorithms. As a result, the ecosystem that supported local stories and journalism finds itself eroded, posing existential questions about culture and identity in New Zealand.
Regulatory Challenges and Future Solutions
The podcast addresses the urgent need for regulatory measures to combat the pervasive influence of technology companies on local media and advertising. Citing examples from Australia and Singapore, the discussion points to potential frameworks that could hold these platforms accountable for their business practices, including substantial fines for enabling scams and fostering a harmful digital environment. However, concerns are raised about the current lack of regulatory action in New Zealand, where local industries are rapidly declining without any firm recovery strategy in place. With a pressing need to protect local journalism and culture, the podcast calls for more decisive government action to ensure the survival of the nation’s media integrity.
It’s a throwback monopod today – Duncan Greive goes solo in a pretty raw episode, reflecting on a wonderful event with a very sobering reflection on the present and likely future of institutional media in Aotearoa. It’s a look at what’s driving the cataclysmic events of this year, and whether they’re likely to be temporary, or are baked in. And finally, why it is that the political response here seems so softly softly, when other countries are making serious attempts to defend their culture, media and journalism.