Duncan Greive: Spinoff founder on Steven Joyce being nominated as an NZME board candidate

NZME’s likely new chairman Steven Joyce says he hopes to unify the media company’s shareholders as much as possible, following two months of heated debate over the company’s performance and editorial endeavour.

Joyce, a National Party Cabinet minister for three terms from 2008 and an experienced commercial media businessman, was today confirmed as a board nominee for NZME.

Spinoff founder Duncan Greive says this is a smart manoeuvre. 

"If you were going to pick anyone out of this country to tie a bow on this...maybe it's not what everyone wanted, but everyone can live with it - Joyce would be your guy."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now looks like Stephen Joyce, the former National Party minister,
is set to be the new chair of enz Me,
which is the company that owns Newstalk zb. He's been
nominated as a compromise to settle a month's long boardroom
stash that's been going on. Duncan Greeb is the founder
of the spin off as a media commentator and with us. Now, Hey, Duncan, Heather,
does it look too like a done deal?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I would never say this saga as long as it's
run as a dune deal. But it looks like a
really smart, adroit bit of maneuvering that should be a
done deal. Why Well, because I guess as a compromise candidate,
it would be very hard for the insurgents Grennan and
Balka and those kind of shareholders who've been grumpy about

(00:46):
the you know, the sort of both the governance and
particularly the journalism of ended ME to kind of have
an issue with Joyce given his background both politically but
also in media, but also he's such a known quantity
to New Zealand through his role in the previous national government,

(01:11):
which is a much more popular one than the current one,
and so you know it just looks like if you're
going to pick anyone out of this country to kind
of tie a bow on this thing away, that maybe
it's not what everyone wanted, but everyone can live with it.
Joyce would be your guy.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah, And you could do worse, couldn't you? Because I
mean the man knows radio.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Through and through, he really does. I know, he was
basically the architect of what became media works and did
that from the ground up, so really really sharp visionary,
really media mind. But also I think because he was
part of the sort of kitchen cabinet of that government

(01:53):
for so long, understands the relationship between politics and media,
which is so central to this dispute and where you
have to hold and where you have to give. You know,
I think there's a sort of an underlying pragmatism to
the key government that should be you know, acceptable to everyone.
Because the big fear that people had was that that

(02:14):
Grennan's people were going to kind of push it beyond
what you know, has to be a broad mainstream brand.
They're going to push it beyond what was acceptable to that.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
So Chris Hopkins has said today it will draw into
question their editorial stance. If Stephen Joyce was to become
the chair. Do you think it will?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
I think that's a bit of a fascical comment, just
given the sort of history of political appointees to boards,
you know all. You know, obviously media is a specific thing,
but but you know, there is so much of you know,

(02:57):
whether it's government boards or the sort of post politics
life or politicians where are political elements that they have
to navigate far more complex scenarios than this, So you know,
it doesn't seem like a particularly plausible statement.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, I don't think so either. Hey, Duncan, it's good
to talk to you. I really appreciate it. As always,
It's Dunk and Grieves, the spin off founder and also
media commentator. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen
live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.