This is a casualty of Bauer Media NZ closing its doors permanently due to "the severe economic impact of Covid-19" or so they said a few weeks back. I reckon that Bauer were in trouble and are using the Covid-19 lockdown as an excuse.
The government says Bauer didn’t seek help through its business assistance initiatives. Bauer NZ publications are were The New Zealand Listener, North & South, Metro, Home NZ, Your Home & Garden, NZ Woman’s Day, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, The Australian Women’s Weekly NZ, Fashion Quarterly and Kia Ora magazine.
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In March the government ruled that non-daily print media were not permitted to publish through the level four lockdown. Kris Faafoi, minister for broadcasting, communications and digital media, said that Bauer NZ had not sought financial assistance from the government:
So, I guess the full story will come out later but it seems that some damned good and long-established New Zealand magazines have expired from being caught in the crossfire from the government and a corporate.
The NZ Listener has been published since 1939
It really pisses me off that an 80 year old publication gets trashed by the megalomaniacal greed of an overseas company. I hope that when the dust settles and they are out of it that they are never allowed to come in and fuck up any more New Zealand 'institutions'.
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In March the government ruled that non-daily print media were not permitted to publish through the level four lockdown. Kris Faafoi, minister for broadcasting, communications and digital media, said that Bauer NZ had not sought financial assistance from the government:
“I need to make clear that in conversations I’ve had with Bauer recently they indicated that they were not interested in looking at what assistance they might be able to call on from the government’s Covid assistance initiatives and that is entirely their commercial decision.
I note that Bauer is looking for buyers for its New Zealand assets and I don’t want to interfere in that process,” he continued. “I also note that Bauer had indicated for some time that they were facing challenges around viability of their operations here in New Zealand.
The media environment was facing serious challenges even before the Covid pandemic, which has only compounded those difficulties and I appreciate that Bauer’s decision today reflects that. Government is looking at the overall state of New Zealand media’s health and sustainability in light of Covid-19.”
So, I guess the full story will come out later but it seems that some damned good and long-established New Zealand magazines have expired from being caught in the crossfire from the government and a corporate.
The NZ Listener has been published since 1939
The Woman’s Weekly since 1932.
Bauer Media is a family-owned German business that controls 600 magazines worldwide, with an annual turnover of about NZ $4 billion. It is believed it had been seeking to sell some or all of its New Zealand titles for some time. It’s understood staff were told that Bauer NZ put a case to the government to be classed “essential” and therefore be allowed to remain publishing from March 30 but the decision to close was made by the global owner.
For me I'm really sad to see the NZ Listener go down the drain. I've been a continual reader of this all of my adult life and have read many, many well constructed, non-partisan and informative essays, columns and editorials (no matter what Robert thinks).
Bauer Media is a family-owned German business that controls 600 magazines worldwide, with an annual turnover of about NZ $4 billion. It is believed it had been seeking to sell some or all of its New Zealand titles for some time. It’s understood staff were told that Bauer NZ put a case to the government to be classed “essential” and therefore be allowed to remain publishing from March 30 but the decision to close was made by the global owner.
For me I'm really sad to see the NZ Listener go down the drain. I've been a continual reader of this all of my adult life and have read many, many well constructed, non-partisan and informative essays, columns and editorials (no matter what Robert thinks).
I've looked forward to the weekly delivery of NZ Listener on Mondays and it's been a Monday afternoon habit to read the articles, do the cryptic crossword and enter the Caption and the Wordsworth competitions (I've been winner and runner-up on these a couple of times). I need my weekly fix.
It really pisses me off that an 80 year old publication gets trashed by the megalomaniacal greed of an overseas company. I hope that when the dust settles and they are out of it that they are never allowed to come in and fuck up any more New Zealand 'institutions'.
11 comments:
The Listener was crap. Tiny little articles that never look at any issue in depth. It just towed the party line.
I have a client that gives us old copies of the listener and I couldn't give them away!
Well everyone is entitled to an opinion but I really don't have any confidence in yours, based on past experience.
I too looked forward to the listener every week.
To TC and this post,
"Well done, that man!"
Did you really subscribe to the Listener?
Yes.
I could have posted you my copies that no one wanted!
My subscription meant that I received the publication before it went on sale in shops and wasn't touched by others' grubby hands.
Thanks, anyway.
Why do you believe that? Robert says in a voice like Hannibal Lector.
Because I've seen people in supermarkets thumbing through pages og magazines with their filtyy, unwashed hands.
And this is before Covid-19 days
I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I have always wiped down the handles of trolleys with an antiseptic wipe before using it especially in Pak 'n' Save (you get a better class of germ in the other supermarkets).
"thumbing through pages og magazines with their filtyy, unwashed hands."
This of course should have been written as "thumbing through pages of magazines with their filthy, unwashed hands."
Mea Culpa (or, for those in the 'G' classes - I'm sorry).
I can't blame it on Lynn's takeover of the study as I've set myself up in the lounge with the Apple Air laptop which is more reliable for typing than the iPad.
I blame the glass of vodka and tonic I downed before checking and answering posts.
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