Save TVNZ 7
For immediate release

29 May 2012

Reaction to Coleman admitting he got it wrong

Dr Jonathan Coleman has admitted quoting incorrect figures to explain the closure of TVNZ 7, on the Stuff website this morning. In April 2011 Coleman announced funding for TVNZ 7 would end partly because it had only 207,000 viewers each week. This figure was later found to be factually incorrect and the real numbers around 600,000 to 800,000. The viewership of TVNZ 7 has since risen to 1.4 million per month equating to around 1 million weekly viewers.

Coleman based his claim of 207,0000 on something he was told by an official or someone in his office. “I can't remember exactly but at some point we decided it was 200,000 per week. That formula was not correct but at the end of the day that was not central to the argument."

“The decision to close TVNZ 7 is a bad one and should be reversed” says Myles Thomas of Save TVNZ 7. Save TVNZ 7 is a group setup to keep TVNZ 7 going and lobby government for public service TV in NZ. “TVNZ 7 would only cost $16m per year which is a drop in the bucket compared to other government spending. And when you consider the real number of people affected will be 1.4 million, a third of New Zealand, it’s just crazy.”

“Dr Coleman has admitted that the figures he used were wrong. We believe the whole decision to stop funding TVNZ 7 is founded on a falsehood and should be reconsidered. Save TVNZ 7 urges the government to reconsider the cost of $16million in light of the huge support for Public Service TV as seen at our recent public meetings around the country and the online petition at www.savetvnz7.co.nz which is now at 27,000 and climbing”

“Dr Coleman’s misinformation lead to news stories and comments which mislead the public to believe that TVNZ 7 has a small audience and created an impression that has continued to this day. Some might see this as standard political behaviour, but it also dishonest and should be investigated. One wonders if anyone can believe Coleman’s figures in future”

While we’re at it - DEBUNKING ANOTHER COLEMAN MYTH

Another reason Dr Coleman gave for the closure of TVNZ 7 is that funding should go towards programme production instead of the channel infrastructure. Craig Foss, Minister of Broadcasting has repeated this claim saying that new technologies will carry non-commercial TV programmes.
This ignores the fact that most TVNZ 7 funding goes toward production of TV programmes. Back Benches, Media 7, News At 8 and all the various shows made for TVNZ 7 are funded from the meager $16m government funding each year. After screening on TVNZ 7 they are available on the internet which includes all the new technologies that the government claims to be targetting. Without that TVNZ 7 funding these shows will not be made. No amount of ultrafast broadband will actually produce the non-commercial TV shows that so many people are currently enjoying.

ENDS

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