MEDIA RELEASE: ActionStation
25 May
2017
Today’s budget announcement of an extra $2.85m per year in funding for Radio New Zealand has been welcomed by public media campaigners ActionStation who delivered a petition alongside the Coalition for Better Broadcasting and citizen campaigner Jo Bond to unfreeze the public radio station’s funding earlier this year.
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Jo Bond (Fund RNZ, Peter Thompson (Coalition for Better Broadcasting), Clare Curran (Labour Spokesperson for Broadcasting), Grant Robertson (Labour MP), Julie Anne-Genter (Green MP) and Laura O’Connell Rapira deliver petition on Parliament lawn.
“After eight years of frozen funding, our community of public media defenders are grateful to see a boost. However it doesn’t go far enough.” says ActionStation Campaign Director Laura O’Connell Rapira.
RNZ’s $35 million budget hasn’t changed much since 2007 when a KPMG report found the state-owned broadcaster was underfunded by $6m to $7m.
Dr Peter Thompson, senior lecturer in media studies at Victoria University, recently calculated that if inflation were included it would mean RNZ is now underfunded by $14m a year.
“Quality independent journalism is crucial for our democracy and RNZ demonstrates their value every single day. When you compare this boost to the $60 million per year the Government has committed to attracting Hollywood Producers, it does make you wonder about priorities.” says Ms O’Connell Rapira.
RNZ will receive an additional $11.4 million of operating funding over the next four years to allow for investment in new modern technology and improved capability.
“Like many New Zealanders, I was acutely aware of the importance of RNZ during the 2016 earthquakes. In times of pressure and emergency we look to certain organisations to help us through – RNZ is one of those organisations.’’ says National Party MP Maggie Barry.
The funding increase follows half a year of campaigning which concluded in April when a 32,337 strong joint petition, between ActionStation, the Coalition for Better Broadcasting and RNZ campaigner Jo Bond, was presented to Parliament in a giant block of ice calling for RNZ’s funding to be unfrozen.
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Funding for RNZ had been frozen at the same level since 2008
ENDS