Radio New Zealand receives $4.5 million in extra government funding

New Zealand’s May Budget saw an additional $15 million allocated for public media, and it’s now been announced that $4.5 million of the funding will go to Radio New Zealand.

Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran says the additional funding will help to extend current services and move the public media broadcaster towards becoming a fully digital multi-platform.

But as stuff.co.nz suggests, some see the splitting of the funding a retaliation to Radio New Zealand’s refusal to take up the idea of running a full-scale television service.

The $15 million allocation will now be split between a new Innovation Fund, RNZ and NZ On Air.

The television service is part of a vision that Minister Curran still has for the broadcaster.

“This is the beginning of a process, the plan has not changed it can’t all be done in one Budget and there’s more work to be done … my vision remains the same.”

RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson says the broadcaster will revisit the idea of a television service in the future.

“Obviously hearing clearly that it remains long-term aspiration of the government and as such there’s no concrete detail…and I can only deal with things as they become more real,” he said.

All the same, Thompson says any new funding is good for RNZ.

“It’s like a dose of steroids, it’s going to allow us to go faster and stronger with our current planning and the things we want to do.”