Media Matters: Judging Newshub
After a “year [spent] unpacking a Russian doll of disaster,” MediaWorks has a lot riding on Newshub's launch. With special audio feature.
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Hawke’s Bay
The big story of the week in New Zealand media has, inevitably, been the launch of Newshub, MediaWorks’ integrated, multi-platform TV, radio and digital news service.
After what pop culture website The Spinoff has (semi-satirically) referred to as a “year [spent] unpacking a Russian doll of disaster,” MediaWorks had a lot riding on the launch of what chief executive Mark Weldon has talked up as “a power news brand,” complete with a brand spanking new newsroom that reportedly came with a $5 million price tag.
The big question was, having enthused – with reference to the flagship 6pm TV bulletin –that “it’s about a different level of depth, it’s about the news behind the news, it’s about the personalities in the news,” whether Mr Weldon, group news head Mark Jennings and co could actually deliver on that promise.
The widespread mocking of the “New Shub” brand suggested that expectations of them achieving this were low, a tenor typified by this Twitter exchange:
Hope @duncangreive’s optimistic take on New Shub = right, tho "1 of MW's best decisions in ages" is low bar 2 clear: https://t.co/lse0KUaMU2
— Nick Grant (@Nof_Grant) January 22, 2016
@duncangreive No, thought it was perfectly phrased. Gives asshats like me the opportunity to point that out ;)
— Nick Grant (@Nof_Grant) January 22, 2016
So what’s the verdict of NBR’s Chelsea Armitage, Nick Grant and Andrew Patterson (who recently left MediaWorks after more than a decade with the company) on this brave new news brand?
To find out, simply click on the special audio file at the top of the page.
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Thu, 04 Feb 2016
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Media Matters: Judging Newshub
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