In episode two of The Spinoff’s newish media podcast The Fold, host Duncan Greive conducts an exit interview with Hal Crawford, the departing head of Newshub. Hal Crawford landed into a TV3 newsroom in crisis in 2016. Campbell Live had been axed. Hilary Barry had resigned. He had been hired by Mark Weldon, the much-reviled … Read more
The kid from Milton has established herself as a journalist to be reckoned with, but much will depend on the Sam-and-Mike chemistry, writes Mark Jennings, former long serving TV3 news chief. Samantha Hayes’ appointment as Hilary Barry’s replacement is big news – in Milton. Hayes hails from the South Otago town of 2,000 people, best … Read more
The Spinoff has been accused of being anti-Mark Weldon and his work from time to time, so we thought we’d get one of his defenders to make the case for him as a misunderstood visionary. Here is ZenithOptimedia’s Stuart Rutherford, arguing Weldon reshaped MediaWorks for commercial success at a time of great upheaval in the sector. Seven hundred … Read more
In January, TV3 newsreader Carolyn Robinson read her last bulletin, her job yet another casualty of Mediaworks CEO Mark Weldon’s cuts. She looks back at the “wondrous” newsroom he gutted. I wore white that last time. When it was done I pushed back from the desk. I took off my jacket – my favourite one … Read more
Mark Weldon misrepresented Hilary Barry in a company-wide email before his resignation, writes Hayden Donnell. On Monday night Mark Weldon sent an email to all MediaWorks staff. It was mostly a defence of his tumultuous tenure as the company’s CEO: assertions its finances were in good order, potshots at “spurious” speculation over its ability to survive. There was … Read more
Duncan Greive looks back at the brief and blighted Mark Weldon era. Last night I watched Mark Weldon complete what would turn out to be his final act as CEO of MediaWorks from the back of a refurbished warehouse in Mt Eden. He stood on stage alongside NBC’s Chris Taylor to announce the replacement of … Read more
A MediaWorks source has supplied company Chair Rod McGeoch’s full statement announcing the resignation of CEO Mark Weldon (Click here to read The Spinoff’s report on the ultimately successful plot to oust him): THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM ROD MCGEOCH Dear all, Today we are announcing that Mark Weldon has resigned from his position as … Read more
A year of chaos and controversy may end today, as Mark Weldon fronts the new-look MediaWorks board with his most important star on her way out and senior staff close to revolt. UPDATE: Newshub has confirmed that Mark Weldon resigned this morning; Wednesday 4 May – more to follow. In the aftermath of news of … Read more
The shock resignation of Hilary Barry from Mediaworks represents a bigger blow than any of the other high profile TV3 newsroom departures, says Duncan Greive. Last night, just before 9pm, news broke that Hilary Barry had become the latest and biggest casualty of the Mark Weldon era at Mediaworks. It’s a cataclysmic event for the organisation, … Read more
How well do you know your New Zealand media? Take this difficult quiz to find out! On Wednesday NZME CEO Jane Hastings announced her resignation – an event sharply predicted by Scout in what was a legit scoop and probably the finest piece of journalism in the site’s short history. The moment is noteworthy for a … Read more
With MediaWorks continuing to spiral down a strange rabbit hole full of new shubs, Joanna McLeod calls upon a hero that could help CEO Mark Weldon rediscover his path to greatness: 30 Rock‘s fictional network boss Jack Donaghy. As Mark Weldon continues to make a series of more and more…interesting choices for MediaWorks, it’s become clear … Read more
TV3’s current affairs show 3D, which has existed in various guises since the channel’s founding in 1989, was shut down today. UPDATE: scroll down for statements from MediaWorks and the 3D team. The Spinoff has learned that staff at TV3’s flagship current affairs show 3D were today told that the show was officially cancelled and will not return … Read more
MediaWorks launched gossip site Scout amid much fanfare just two months ago, yet today it appears to be hanging by a thread amid resignations and troubling news stories. Duncan Greive spoke with a number of former Scout staff members and MediaWorks employees, and was given access to a large cache of correspondence, recordings, data and other documentation to create … Read more
The recently-announced proposal not to renew TV3’s flagship current affairs show 3D is now subject to fierce resistance from the show’s journalists, who have assembled a legal team to work on a challenge to the way employment process was conducted. The Spinoff can reveal that 3D‘s journalists have called on lawyers, forensic accountants and employment experts to help build a case … Read more