The down grading of National Radio NZ would be horrific in relation to current affairs investigatory journalism in this country. In my opinion it is the one media for in-depth intelligent and readily accessible coverage of issues that should be exposed and debated in what is an increasingly dumbed down journalism sector. Even the more entertainment based aspects of Radio NZ is informative and expansive of the mind! Don't you dare go there Nats!

In my 73 years of life I have seen Governments come and go and over the years, noted that Tory Governments tend to wave a big stick at Public Radio whenever they get a chance just as they did with the old NZBC, both TV and Radio. One government flogged off the commercial arm of Radio NZ, (now the Radio Network or TRN), so as to downgrade the non commercial National and Concert programmes.

Without the profits of the Commercial side to help pay for the non commercial side, it was then up to the Government to pay for non commercial radio. This gave them much more control of public radio as whenever RNZ displease the incumbent government, all that government has to do, (and boy do they know it and use the method of control) is to cry poor and threaten to cut RNZ's funding at worst, or not increase it in accordance with inflation which the government seem inept to control in the first place.

I fear for our good public service radio. I suspect that the Government are currently miffed at them over some programme that perhaps shows the government in a poor but true light and so out comes the old 'cut your money' trick to punish them and dumb them down a bit more. It is time governments stopped interfering with public radio and other areas of public service that are supposed to be non political and instead, mind the business of the country where they are supposed to.

The government can afford to give their rich mates a huge tax break it seems but it is at the expense of our good public service including our Radio, all of which serves all New Zealanders. But as usual Pensioners and other folk on low incomes have to foot the bill for the government's proposed TAX breaks for the Rich and their other excesses.

Bash Broadcasting used to be the catch cry of National Party governments in the days before private radio and TV as it was something that the public could see and hear as being the government taking some action. Yeah Right!. We New Zealanders can see right through your old and tired attempts to fool us. The Cost of Radio NZ doesn't seem to me to be very high at all for what they give us. For Goodness sake leave RNZ alone and fund it properly! I have to say, the Labour Party also messed about with a perfectly good radio and Television service in this country. The minister at the time, one Roger Douglas split the one NZBC into four different organizations all with their separate boards and expense accounts etc. That in my view was a very Stupid ACT!

In our justifiable anger at Coleman and his moronic thinking, do not forget Labour wasn't exactly RNZ's biggest friend.

Labour consistently underfunded RNZ and when Minister Maharey got sick of the RNZ board telling him that, he hired KPMG in 2007 to investigate.

KPMG's findings? Exactly what RNZ board had said - funding was 20 percent short of what was necessary to meet statutory obligations. Labour did nothing. So take their current outrage with a grain of salt.

Coleman's on a loser here. Even arch right wingers value the RNZ news service and don't want it diluted. Coleman's managed to get up noses right across the political spectrum.

The only thing that keeps road rage at bay whilst stuck in Auckland traffic on our joke of a motorway system is the debate and information and news that comes from RNZ. Leave it alone. It is the only balancing force against the jarring advertising, head-banger music and inane talkback which is all you get on the other stations. If you take it away all I'll have left is the BBC and that has no local content.

RNZ is part of our culture. It is as important to this Pakeha as some things are to Maori.

The idea of closing down at midnight (or whatever) is touchingly quaint - I do remember Commercial stations closing down at night. I was young then. I thought we had evolved from that.

National take note: You will lose votes unless you curb vandal Coleman.

Pragnum

For $35M (I think that is the figure that is being used right?) RNZ could stay alive and prosper.
The Board needs to think about creating work flows more aligned to the 21st Century.
There're valid points in the Gov's requests about the location of RNZ's offices , the tax payer's money should be spent diligently and if there's mileage from 'soft-sponsorship' why not?
As an media executive in Asia, I would love to get my hands on that sort of money to make a public radio service.

Radio New Zealand could help save itself if it didn't spend so much on Maori broadcsting. Morning Report's constant hectoring us in the Maori language and spending money on staff having pronunciation lessons is a good example. There are, after all, many Maori broadcsting stations.

never listen to it, but I have to pay for it.

Typical. If it has no audience, and can't pay its way, who cares. close it

That's a message on behalf of all us kiwis below 50 who can't understand why it's the only radio network to get special treatment.

"Don't give me culture" all over again eh ?

And since I like the "endless yap and bray of commercial radio" my opinion is meaningless. Ever wonder why young people can't be bothered with forums like this? It's you attitude of superiority. The same attitude that makes me not listen to national radio, or Concert FM, even though I am a Graded musician who you possibly have paid to hear me play.

The fact is I like a very broad spectrum of music, and hate people who talk down to me. RNZ needs to get real, or die. Get over it, Life is hard.

Air of superiority comes from my experience of listening to national radio. Its was supposed to be a reference to the attitude I hear from national radio, a slip up at my end, even though some of the posts to this blog could have come directly from the afore mentioned station.

Morning report is a clasic example. They take themselves far to seriously, and think that their opinion actually matters. I'd rather here from those making the news, to those commenting on them. Unfortunately music doesn't pay my way so I work, and I think that's been a godsend for me as it's made me see a whole different view of the world; that of hard working small business people. The very sort who can't listen to radio NZ for very long before breaking into abusive ranting about people who need to experience the real world.

Having to pay the bills might actually be good for some of these people, It did wonders for Mike Hosking.

It's great to learn that this government is making an effort to return our Radio New Zealand broadcasting to the standard that we enjoyed many years ago. Remember Peter Drummond?