TVNZ to reveal to staff where proposed job cuts will come from, popular shows under threat

Staff at TVNZ will today find out what the company's proposal to cut jobs entails.

The state-owned broadcaster revealed on Thursday it was proposing to lose 68 jobs across its 700-strong workforce, with a new structure in place by "early April".

Newshub understands 35 of those jobs will come from the News and Current Affairs department, with shows like Fair Go, Sunday, One News Tonight and the digital news platform Re: News all facing change.

An all-hands staff meeting within the department has been called for Friday at 1pm, but it is believed meetings will be taking place across the morning prior to the scheduled meeting.

In total, 9 percent of the company's workforce would be lost if the proposal were to be put in place.

In a leaked internal email, TVNZ's head of news Phil O'Sullivan said the proposed cuts were "devastating", the New Zealand Herald reported.

"We are giving 24 hours notice prior to meetings with those whose roles may potentially be impacted.

"This is happening across all departments at TVNZ. This is devastating for those people invited to meetings and very tough for everyone else."

On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon weighed in on the news of the TVNZ proposals, saying it was "a tough day for people at TVNZ".

"What I want to say on TVNZ is it's incredibly unsettling and I do genuinely feel for the staff, and all media companies here and around the world are wrestling with a changing media environment.

TVNZ said it would consult with staff on Friday, giving them 24 hours notice so those impacted by the planned changes would have time to get a support person if needed.

The job cuts come after TVNZ flagged further cost-cutting as it posted a first-half-year loss linked to reduced revenue and asset write-offs. Its interim financial results show its total revenue has fallen 13.5 percent from last year to $155.9 million.

Its net loss for the six months ended December was $16.8 million. That compared with a profit of $4.8 million the year before.

In a statement, TVNZ Chief Executive Jodi O'Donnell said there were "no easy answers" as tough economic conditions continued to hit the media industry.

"TVNZ's executive team has focused on reducing operating costs over the last 12 months. Unfortunately, we're now at the point where we need to reduce the size of our team to bring our costs more in line with our revenue," said O'Donnell.

"Changes like the ones we're proposing are incredibly hard, but we need to ensure we're in a stronger position to transform the business to meet the needs of our viewers in a digital world.

"There are no easy answers, and media organisations locally and globally are grappling with the same issues."

But the E tū union, which represents media in New Zealand, said it was concerned over how the company was handling the announcements, with one member claiming that the "uncertainty" was the hardest thing given workers did not yet know their fate.

Newshub asked TVNZ how much the proposed cuts would save the company, but it refused to answer, citing the information as "being commercially sensitive".

The news of proposed job cuts at the state broadcaster came just over a week after Warner Bros. Discovery presented a proposal to cut around 300 jobs across its New Zealand operation, signalling the Newshub newsroom would be shut down. 

Staff at TVNZ will today find out what the company's proposal to cut jobs entails.

The state-owned broadcaster revealed on Thursday it was proposing to lose 68 jobs across its 700-strong workforce, with a new structure in place by "early April".

Newshub understands 35 of those jobs will come from the News and Current Affairs department, with shows like Fair Go, Sunday, One News Tonight and the digital news platform Re: News all facing change.

An all-hands staff meeting within the department has been called for Friday at 1pm, but it is believed meetings will be taking place across the morning prior to the scheduled meeting.

In total, 9 percent of the company's workforce would be lost if the proposal were to be put in place.

In a leaked internal email, TVNZ's head of news Phil O'Sullivan said the proposed cuts were "devastating", the New Zealand Herald reported.

"We are giving 24 hours notice prior to meetings with those whose roles may potentially be impacted.

"This is happening across all departments at TVNZ. This is devastating for those people invited to meetings and very tough for everyone else."

On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon weighed in on the news of the TVNZ proposals, saying it was "a tough day for people at TVNZ".

"What I want to say on TVNZ is it's incredibly unsettling and I do genuinely feel for the staff, and all media companies here and around the world are wrestling with a changing media environment.

TVNZ said it would consult with staff on Friday, giving them 24 hours notice so those impacted by the planned changes would have time to get a support person if needed.

The job cuts come after TVNZ flagged further cost-cutting as it posted a first-half-year loss linked to reduced revenue and asset write-offs. Its interim financial results show its total revenue has fallen 13.5 percent from last year to $155.9 million.

Its net loss for the six months ended December was $16.8 million. That compared with a profit of $4.8 million the year before.

In a statement, TVNZ Chief Executive Jodi O'Donnell said there were "no easy answers" as tough economic conditions continued to hit the media industry.

"TVNZ's executive team has focused on reducing operating costs over the last 12 months. Unfortunately, we're now at the point where we need to reduce the size of our team to bring our costs more in line with our revenue," said O'Donnell.

"Changes like the ones we're proposing are incredibly hard, but we need to ensure we're in a stronger position to transform the business to meet the needs of our viewers in a digital world.

"There are no easy answers, and media organisations locally and globally are grappling with the same issues."

But the E tū union, which represents media in New Zealand, said it was concerned over how the company was handling the announcements, with one member claiming that the "uncertainty" was the hardest thing given workers did not yet know their fate.

Newshub asked TVNZ how much the proposed cuts would save the company, but it refused to answer, citing the information as "being commercially sensitive".

The news of proposed job cuts at the state broadcaster came just over a week after Warner Bros. Discovery presented a proposal to cut around 300 jobs across its New Zealand operation, signalling the Newshub newsroom would be shut down. 

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.