We have now had two classes on NZ television culture, the first a history, the second, an effective outlining of contemporary issues and decline of public broadcasting.
New Zealand on Air has been an important ingredient in television and music culture in New Zealand. It emerged after the the economic reforms of the 1980s.
Explain its original purpose as outlined by Dunleavy?
How does it fit into the mediascape today? What are the range of things funded? How do they fit in in the spectrum from broad audience to minority interest?
Have you seen anything funding by NZOA?
How does it work in relation to private and "public" broadcasting?
Can you devise a way that NZOA could assist in the conumdrum facing NZ broadcast culture?
See you Monday. Glenn comes at noon so we will have two hours to go over the last few weeks.
I've watched a NZoA funded telefeature on TV One during our mid-semester break. It was a Saturday night, I jumped from one channel to another looking for interesting shows, until accidentally switched to TV One. The film just began and I saw the logo of NZoA on screen. I immediately realised that this programme was funded by NZ on Air and highly likely had some local content. So I stopped to watch with great interest. Local programmes always cheer me up. I mean, I came all the way to NZ, I don't like so many foreign programmes on TV. I want local ones which exclusively or mainly screened in NZ and I may not get the chance to watch them elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteLet's get back to the film. It's called Spies & Lies. Adapted from the book "The Plot to Subvert Wartime New Zealand", it tells a story about a con man who successfully convinced the Prime Minister and the Security Intelligence Bureau that NZ was facing invasion during the Second World War. With money, car, and new identity given by the government to help him "find out the enemy's plot", the con man really had a good time. This interesting and ironic telefeature is about how he "brilliantly" convinced others with his lies and how the government finally found out the truth. It's crafted nicely and I really enjoyed it.
It's the first NZ telefeature I've watched and definitely quite an interesting experience for me. It is said that the film is based on a true story. It's really amazing and I strongly want to find out more about it and even to learn more about NZ history during the wartime.
According to the data which could be found on NZoA website, Spies & Lies was funded with $1,423,881 in 2009. Thanks to NZoA which brings the film to us and funds this kind of programme. If it doesn't, I don't think those commercial TV networks are interested in high-cost production of indigenous telefeatures. I hope NZoA will continue to support local content and there will be more local films we could watch on TV.
The Dunleavy article was quite helpful as it re-iterated many points that Thompson made in his presentation and thus made the basics of NZOA more familiar. As Dunleavy expounds and I understand, NZOA was created following the deregulation of the broadcasting system in 1989. Its aim was to use public funds to support programs that reflected NZ identity and culture in the categories of drama, comedy, documentary, information, children, youth and special interest programs in accordance with its PSTV objectives.
ReplyDeleteIn todays mediascape following the abolishing of the Charter, which absolves TVNZ of all its public service obligations, the onus has fallen onto NZOA to invest the public funding into those programs which have cultural and social significance and carry on the legacy of public service broadcasting. However, the real challenge is to combine these afore-mentioned public service imperatives with that of commercial viability. In all fairness to NZOA, a perfect balance has to be struck and as Dunleavy explains, the funding body's possible influence in the public service sector has always been hampered by lack of funds, which curtails its funding range and impacts significantly on its decision to fund one program and decline another. In this respect I find it useful to consider NZOA as operating on an "opportunity cost" model - there is always a program that they have to let go due to lack of funds and there is always an opportunity cost that they have to navigate. And there's always occasion to wonder whether they have made the right funding decision or not keeping in accordance with its statutory mission.
I have watched bro'town and a few episodes of Outrageous Fortune. I think Shortland Street also used to receive NZOA funding, I was hooked to that while I was in Fiji but never followed it up once I arrived here. I loved bro'Town for its subversive humor and I have been a fan of the genre for a long time.
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ReplyDeleteActually， I seldom wathch TV after I got a computer, but In my family, there is TV1,2,3,4, so sometimes when I have supper in the dinning room ,I will watch some programme.On 4，there are a lot of Children programmes, such as the Simpsons and family guys in every evening .I think in this small country (the media industry is not so strong) ,NZOA palys an important role to promote the develoment of media industriues.
ReplyDeleteGo back to the origin, NZOA called NZBC initilally, in that case, I guess the function of NZOA is just similiar with NZFC ,which focus on sponse film.
I think NZOA should assist media in NZ more focuse on global.In week7 ,I heard that in NZ, a lot of programme is import ,so the news and own programe will focus on local, I think the programe can focus on local but the news should do that because if the news focus only on local ,it will make local audiences lack of view. People should not only focus on local but also look around the world. What is more ,in my current research about Chinese-language media in NZ, I found that there is no relationship between NZOA and Chinese-language media,I think it is not so good. As an important part of NZ media ,Chinese media is so weak in the country, after I have read so many articles，I think NZOA should also try to assist some main Chinese-language media in NZ.
The original purpose of NZoA is to facilitate the public service television (PSTV) in New Zealand, and it is done through funding local television productions and programs that reflect 'kiwi-ness' to certain extent. Things that NZoA funded includes drama, comedy, documentaries and information, on the ground that they have to portray New Zealand culture and identity.
ReplyDeleteas pointed out by Dunleavy, although NZoA has been tasked with supporting mainstream TV rather than focusing excessively on minorities content, it is countered and governed by two provisions, which NZoA will have to provide a 'balanced range of programs' as well as providing programs for minorities.
I have seen a few shows funded by NZoA, and i have to say they were all good and enjoyable to watch. Although i am not too sure (most of the time) on the reflecting New Zealand identity and culture part. Most of the time (especially drama and comedy) i think these shows are more of constraining and restricting Kiwi identity, constructing on screen Kiwi-ness to be somehow narrow and stereotypical.
I agreed with what Aalia has mentioned above, that NZoA's biggest support that they can offer now to the deregulated NZ broadcast culture is to provide funding to programs that reflect our culture and heritage, to combat the increased overseas contents. It is a very tough role to play, since they have to balance between a few important elements such as the content itself (between mainstream and minorities); the commercial viability of their funding decision on a particular show and et cetera.
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ReplyDeleteNZoA was created as part of the neoliberal-styled restructuring and deregulation of New Zealand broadcasting in 1988-9. Its statutory mission was to disburse public funding to broadcasting projects deemed able to ‘reflect and develop New Zealand identity and culture’.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the demise of the TVNZ Charter, NZoA has more of a reliability to invest public funding into local programming which reflect cultural and social significance as mentioned by Aalia.
NZoA provides funding for television, radio, community broadcasting, music and new media. According to the NZoA website, NZoA annually allocate over $80M of contestable funding towards New Zealand television programmes. They also support both popular and specialist programmes to increase programme range and viewer choice.
Recent television programmes funded by NZoA that I’ve seen are I Am TV (TVNZ) and Rocked the Nation 3: 100 NZ Sporting Moments (TV3). I Am TV is a prime example of a local and popular Saturday morning show which presents Kiwi(Maori and Pacific Island) culture and identity.
As mentioned by both Joe and Aalia, NZoA was created to distribute funds to broadcasting projects which could accurately portray New Zealand and its people's cultural identity, dedicating 2/3rds of its annual grant to television programming and focusing on a wide variety of programme categories (drama, comedy, documentary, etc.).
ReplyDeleteI've watched Shortland Street a few times. It didn't hold my attention for long. Back in the states as a child, I watched a variety of American soaps (All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital) with my mother. The episodes I saw of Shortland Street seemed to follow a similar format. Different accents and locations, but essentially the same personal dramas playing themselves out. It makes me consider what actually constitutes authentic kiwi identity and culture, in the eyes of New Zealand on Air.