Two questions occurred to me when I was thinking about the TVNZ Charter. If so many people want to see local programmes how come they don’t actually pull in the ratings when they are screened? And is our population big enough and is our economy strong enough to allow the production of  a lot of high quality locally produced drama and current affairs and documentaries?

Could it be that most New Zealanders actually want to watch infotainment instead of news and cooking competitions rather that political commentary?  If so sell of the state owned free to air channels and focus the subsidies on Maori TV and TVNZ 7 and to a lesser extent, TVNZ 6, which seem to be making a reasonable job of providing content that a minority of the population  enjoys; programmes that reflects our national character and concerns and provide us with some in depth interviews, arts and current affairs programmes and quality local and international documentaries.

Is there enough of us and do we have the money to provide enough local content?  I suspect it depends on what we expect. Last week I watched a drama that was shot in my home suburb. It was enthralled to see it all happening on the local beach, and outside my sister house as well as other familiar local landmarks.  It was however clearly made on a shoestring budget. The actors were in general young and inexperienced; the acting was OK but unlikely to earn any academy awards. According to the reviewer the story was shot in the actual sequence that it was screened, and it improved as it went along. The question I am left with, is am I happy with this lack of sophistication and professionalism or have I become addicted to the big budget glitz of the blockbusters?  If I can no longer enjoy the simple things done simply have I been seduced?

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