The New Zealand studios of Warner Bros Discovery. (Photo via Google Street View)
Nearly 300 journalists and other workers at New Zealand’s television news program Newshub are set to lose their jobs over the next few months after parent company Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) decided to pull the plug on the operation.
The layoffs were announced during Newshub’s 6 p.m. broadcast on Thursday (1 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time), during which presenters at the program said they were devastated to learn about the operation’s impending closure.
“We’ve had cuts and survived cuts in the past, but to lose the whole news operation — an entity so entwined in the fabric of our society here in Aotearoa — it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Mike McRoberts, a news anchor on the program, said during the broadcast.
Newshub journalist Michael Morrah said the announcement came “completely out of the blue,” characterizing it as...
Nearly 300 journalists and other workers at New Zealand’s television news program Newshub are set to lose their jobs over the next few months after parent company Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) decided to pull the plug on the operation.
The layoffs were announced during Newshub’s 6 p.m. broadcast on Thursday (1 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time), during which presenters at the program said they were devastated to learn about the operation’s impending closure.
“We’ve had cuts and survived cuts in the past, but to lose the whole news operation — an entity so entwined in the fabric of our society here in Aotearoa — it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Mike McRoberts, a news anchor on the program, said during the broadcast.
Newshub journalist Michael Morrah said the announcement came “completely out of the blue,” characterizing it as...
- 2/28/2024
- by Matthew Keys
- The Desk
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- TVNZ's controversial news and current affairs boss, Bill Ralston, resigned Tuesday as the pubcaster prepares for an expected management overhaul before implementing its new digital strategy.
Media reports predict it will be a radical restructuring, but TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis denied this in an interview. "It's not radical. It's just a sensible re-look at the way we do things and the way we need to organize ourselves," he said.
In a statement to staff, Ellis said Ralston had led news and current affairs "during a very challenging three-year period and leaves with our best wishes."
Over that period, the flagship news bulletin's ratings nosedived amid a barrage of bad press about TVNZ management, including Ralston, and a presentation shake-up that axed top newsreaders.
Ralston's exit after three-and-a-half years follows an exodus of senior executives since Ellis was appointed last year, including programming chief Annemarie Duff and program commissioning chief Tony Holden.
In an e-mail to staff, Ralston said: "... with the current reorganization review of TVNZ, and plans to launch new digital services next year, it has become obvious that the changes in TVNZ news and current affairs requires a substantially longer period of commitment (at least another three years) and, sadly, I am unable to devote that amount of time to the task."...
Media reports predict it will be a radical restructuring, but TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis denied this in an interview. "It's not radical. It's just a sensible re-look at the way we do things and the way we need to organize ourselves," he said.
In a statement to staff, Ellis said Ralston had led news and current affairs "during a very challenging three-year period and leaves with our best wishes."
Over that period, the flagship news bulletin's ratings nosedived amid a barrage of bad press about TVNZ management, including Ralston, and a presentation shake-up that axed top newsreaders.
Ralston's exit after three-and-a-half years follows an exodus of senior executives since Ellis was appointed last year, including programming chief Annemarie Duff and program commissioning chief Tony Holden.
In an e-mail to staff, Ralston said: "... with the current reorganization review of TVNZ, and plans to launch new digital services next year, it has become obvious that the changes in TVNZ news and current affairs requires a substantially longer period of commitment (at least another three years) and, sadly, I am unable to devote that amount of time to the task."...
- 1/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.