Best of 2024: Paddy Gower hits out at 'Facebook keyboard warriors'

Paddy Gower has slammed “keyboard warriors” claiming the media is getting what it deserves for going “woke” amid mass job losses.  

TV3 journalist and TV host Patrick Gower spoke to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning following yesterday’s Newshub meeting where the closure of Newshub was confirmed. 

Hosking asked Gower what he would say to those who say “you go woke, you go broke” and claim the media was bribed by the former Labour government. 

“Get stuffed, and actually go away and, to use the term they use, do your own research,” Gower fired back. 

Gower agreed the Public Interest Journalism fund had “branding issues” for media organisations because the public didn’t understand where the money was going. 

“But at the end of the day, I’m not going to sit here and listen to sort of people like that say that kind of thing after I’ve slaved away my bloody life alongside my colleagues, 25 years in my case, putting damn good news out there. 

“While we’ve got a trust problem, we need to address it and explain things that we’re doing properly. 

“When it comes to the sort of Facebook keyboard warriors, I ain’t got no time for that, Mike. 

“I’m about the 250 people who lost a job yesterday and actually the millions of other Kiwis that I know that trust me and trust my colleagues.” 

Patrick Gower and colleagues on their way to learn Newshub's fate. Photo / Alex Burton 

Gower told Hosking he didn’t know how many of the up to 300 people losing their jobs would remain in media. 

“Who knows? 

“I mean, even for myself, I’ve got no bloody idea what I’ll do next.” 

Gower said he hoped a lot of his colleagues would remain in the field, but recognised it was a difficult time for the industry in New Zealand. 

“It’s that simple, mate, not everybody can survive. 

“But we’ve got to be optimistic, we can’t kind of give in. 

“I can say for myself, I’m determined to get back out there.” 

Hosking asked Gower how many of the employees likely saw the closure coming. 

“It was always a possibility when we came in under the big company, particularly Warner Brothers Discovery when they’d merged ... some sort of shutdown was always possible. 

“I’ve survived a couple myself in the last 14 years or we’ve been very, very close. 

“So it was always on the cards.” 

The state of the economy and the recession have had a huge impact on the media industry, Gower admitted. 

“We often talk about the big structural problems that are behind all of this, but, hey, let’s face it, the economy has absolutely tanked, every single dollar virtually has dropped out of the advertising market. 

“People are really struggling, [advertising] is the first thing that goes when a business is struggling, everybody knows that. 

“That has just put insane pressure on all media companies.” 

Gower said he hadn’t seen “anything” broadcasting minister Melissa Lee had done so far for the industry. 

“I haven’t seen anything they’ve done, but at the same time, the media doesn’t need a bailout. 

“So if anyone’s talking about some sort of cash bailout, we don’t need that. 

“The media does need to be able to survive commercially. There are ways that we can do that.” 

Gower said there are issues that both Governments, current and former, have not addressed that could have helped the media. 

“There are massive structural problems out there that I just don’t think the Government’s got their head around. 

“Paying these Kordia fees, television companies, paying fees to another government organisation for something that we don’t really need anymore is just plain nuts. 

“It is crazy, that is literally jobs going out the door every time they pay those fees.” 

Gower confirmed his show Paddy Gower Has Issues was not funded by NZ on Air, so wouldn’t be funded by TV3′s new model. 

“There’s got to be other ways to do television programmes ... we’ve got to find commercially successful ways of doing this stuff. Stuff where things get paid for by viewers again. We’ve got to find a way back to that.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So it's over for the news department of TV three.
Warner Brothers Discovery can't take the bleeding any longer and
have pulled the pin. Meantime, at the State TV operation,
they confirmed the closure of the Sunday program, having chopped
a couple of news bulletins and fair go on Tuesday.
So that's well over three hundred media players hitting the
job market. TV three journalist Patrick Gowes with this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
What's your vibe of those who have lost their job,
both at your place and TV and Z. How many
do you reckon we'll stay in the media?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Who knows? I mean, even for myself, I've got no
bloody idea what I'll do next. But my hope is
that a hell of all of us can not everybody,
It's a simple mate. Not everybody can survive. But we've
got to be optimistic. We can't kind of give in.
And I could say for myself, I'm determined to get
back out there.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay. TV three has always been ropey around ownership and
revenue and ratings and success and stuff like that. How
many of you guys there saw this coming in some way,
shape or form.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Do you think it was always a possibility when we
came in under the big company, but particularly Warner Brothers
Discovery when merged. You know, some sort of shutdown was
always possible. I've survived a couple myself in the last
fourteen years or we've been very very close, Mic, so
it was always on the cards. You know, this is
something there's been some rumors people who heard it was coming.

(01:13):
That doesn't make it ease any easier when they actually
do it. And including yesterday, even though people knew that
was coming as well, we had six weeks notice of that,
it doesn't make it any easier, Mike. I can tell
you that.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
How much is the economy do you think? In other words,
if we hadn't buggered the economy, then a lot more
jobs would have survived. All of this.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Absolutely huge, Mike, and really overlooked. We often talk about
the big structural problems that are behind all of this,
but hey, let's face it, the economy has absolutely tanked.
Every single dollar virtually has dropped out of the advertising market.
People are really really struggling. It's the first thing that
goes and a business is struggling. Everybody knows that, and
that has just put insane pressure on all media companies

(01:53):
that actually it's it's in crucial This actual economic banking
has incrusible.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
What's your the role of Melissa and the Broadcasting Minister
and the government in general. Are they in the business
of saving media or helping media?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
It's got to be one part of their role. Look,
I actually haven't really seen anything that they've done. To
be honest, I haven't seen anything they've done. But at
the same time, the media doesn't need to bailout, So
if anyone's talking about some sort of cash bailert, we
don't need that. The media does need to be able
to survive commercially. There are ways that we can do that. Look,
I'm talking to a successful radio host on a commercially

(02:27):
successful program right now. It can be done in New Zealand.
We shouldn't look to the government rely on them to
sort of bail us out. But in terms of that,
there are massive structural problems out there that I just
don't think the government's got their head around. Paying these
Cordier fees. Television companies paying fees to another government organization
for something that we don't really need anymore. Is just

(02:47):
playing nats. It is crazy. That is literally jobs going
out the door every time they pay those fees. But
the government doesn't seem to want to do it. And
I say that it's not a SISC government, it's the
last one as well. Mate. They've actually been pretty useless.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
What happens to a show like yours, for example, that
I think had New Zealand on are funding? Correct me?
If I'm wrong? That's still available? Don't you get to
turn up somewhere.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Patty Gower has issues The show that I did last
year didn't have New Zealand on their funding. That's gone
at the stage.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
So if you've got New Zealand on a funding, our
Television three in the business of still showing those sort
of programs, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
If I can get them Full of safor instance by
Patrick Nower on Documentaries, which is slightly different from my
show last year. Yes, that is the way that you
can get a show on TV three. So that's that's
the art of you. They want fully fund, they want
fully fund shows. That's the way to get still how
to get back on there. But there's got to be
other ways to do television programs than that. Might We've
got to find commercially successful ways of doing this stuff.

(03:43):
Stuff stuff where they where things get paidalled by advertising
the game. We've got to find a way back to that.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
What do you say to the people who text this program,
and there is a lot of them. You go woke,
you go broke. They bribed you with their fifty five
million dollars. You're sucked up to the labor government. You
deserve everything you get.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Well, I tell them pretty much listening, get stuffed and
actually go away, and to use the term they use
through your own research. Yes, there was some money flipped
around by the government. I think most people would agree
now that that had a branding problem for all of us.
But at the end of the day, I'm not going
to sit here and listen to sort of people like

(04:21):
that say that kind of thing for our slaved. My
bloody gaps out alongside of my colleagues twenty five years
in my case, putting damn good news out there. So
while we've got a trust problem, we need to address
it and explain things that we're doing properly. When it
comes to the sort of Facebook keyboard warriors, I ain't
got no time for the mic about the two hundred
and fifty people who've lost a job yesterday and actually

(04:43):
the millions of other key weeks that I know that
trust me and trust my colleagues, all right.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Appreciate Tim Patrick Garup TB three Journalists.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
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