Dr Brian Edwards on Rachel Glucina.
Campbell Gibson and Nick Grant talk about the implications of Rachel Glucina leaving the NZ Herald for MediaWorks on NBR Radio and on demand via MyNBR Radio.
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The departure of “gossip columnist” Rachel Glucina from the pages of the New Zealand Herald will be warmly greeted by lovers of quality journalism across the country. Had Glucina’s role been restricted to showbiz gossip and the back pages of the paper, traditionally reserved for this sort of material, her influence on the general tone of the Herald might have been less malign. But the volume, scope and placement of her material over the past year or so have led to an exponential increase in that influence. Glucina has been a major player in the “tabloidisation” of the Herald.
Her departure to join the ranks of MediaWorks, whose stable includes TV3, TV4 and a raft of radio stations across the country, was announced by Glucina herself on Twitter:
“I’ve resigned. MediaWorks has headhunted me for a joint-venture partnership to create, run and co-own a new digital entertainment platform.”
Mediaworks CEO Mark Weldon, helpfully explained:
“Digital entertainment brands featuring snackable, shareable content [especially video] are the fastest growing part of the media landscape, and there is a gap in the New Zealand market in this area.”
“Snackable, shareable content” – interesting! A quarter of a century ago media guru Dr Joe Atkinson coined the term “morselisation” to describe what was happening in the field of television news and current affairs in New Zealand. The term referred to the view of television executives at the time (and ever since) that the viewing public was not interested in watching lengthy news or current affairs items or interviews. They wanted their information served up in “bite-sized chunks”. He could equally have said, “snackable, shareable content”.
I rang my friend Joe this morning to inform him of Glucina’s departure from the Herald.
“The trouble with this,” he said, “is that these people don’t realise that there’s no room left for them at the bottom of the barrel. TVNZ’s already taken the entire space!”
My personal view is that, with determined digging, New Zealand television executives will always be able to find more room at the bottom of the barrel.
Watch this space.
Media trainer and commentator Dr Brian Edwards posts at Brian Edwards Media.
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