Audio: Scoop Tackles Rodney Hide Regarding TVNZ
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Listen to the interview with Rodney Hide (18 mins approx)
ACT leader Rodney Hide's, call for an inquiry into Television New Zealand, was successful this week when the powerful
finance and expenditure committee voted to give TVNZ some extra public scrutiny. Scoop caught up with Mr Hide following this decision and engaged in a robust and vigorous debate on the merits of the inquiry
and whether or not TVNZ should be owned by the public.
During the verbal sparring it emerged that Mr Hide is actually a huge fan of TVNZ's main rival TV3, particularly their
news programs. Mr Hide also jokingly "hoped" that the TVNZ board would be "scared" of him and presumably his potential
for probing questioning of their affairs.
Questions asked of Mr Hide included:
What is so wrong with TVNZ that an 'Inquiry' is needed rather than an extra vigorous 'Financial review'?
Are you concerned and inquiry regarding TVNZ may expose it to more media criticism from its competitors and run the risk
of devaluing it?
What is the difference between the board being hauled in over Judy Bailey's salary and you hauling the board in over an
emloyment contract?
You have said recently that:
"TVNZ should be taken out of the political arena and privatised. That would put viewers in charge, like they are at TV3,
which has out- performed TVNZ without the benefit of the millions of dollars in subsidy that TVNZ has enjoyed.
- How exactly has TVNZ out performed TVNZ?
- Where are the Maori, Pacific Island and minority interest programs on TV3?
Taxpayer dollars – where are the millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted – can you pinpoint please?
1n 1999 TVNZ sold its Sky shares for a very low price – today these shares would be worth hundreds of millions of
dollars – isn't this the sort of decision that would be worth getting concerned about rather than the odd rogue
employment contract?
ENDS