Your Daily Ten@10 - 2026/049

This is edition 2026/049 of the Ten@10 newsletter.

Hi all,

This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.

Enjoy!

1. The Strange (And Sad) Demise of Radio New Zealand.

Chris Trotter

• 📻 A nostalgic reflection on a Philips portable radio highlights how New Zealand’s public broadcaster once provided comfort, companionship, music, and trustworthy news, even in isolation.
• 📚 The author compares radio to books, noting radio’s unique ability to deliver music and real-time news , making it an indispensable companion.
• 🏛️ Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is portrayed as historically reliable, authoritative, and central to national life—trusted to deliver the closest approximation of truth.
• 📉 The author argues RNZ has declined significantly in quality , now only marginally better than other broadcasters, with its distinctiveness eroding.
• ⚠️ RNZ’s leadership is accused of deliberately reshaping the network , abandoning traditions, sidelining experienced voices, and homogenising content.
• 👥 Management justifies changes by pointing to an ageing audience and the need to attract younger generations, though the author disputes their approach.
• 🛣️ A key tension is identified: whether RNZ should follow younger audiences’ tastes or lead them toward more enriching, original content.
• 🎶 The attempted overhaul of RNZ Concert into a youth-focused station is cited as evidence of a shift toward “dumbing down” content.
• 🧠 The decline is attributed to Generation X leaders shaped by Rogernomics , who allegedly distrust public institutions and devalue public broadcasting traditions.
• 🎙️ Earlier broadcasters like Joe Coté and Geoff Robinson are praised for setting high journalistic standards that current hosts struggle to meet.
• 🧭 RNZ is criticised for abandoning a balanced “middle way” , instead promoting a narrow ideological perspective influenced by identity politics.
• 🚫 Alternative viewpoints, especially those critical of prevailing orthodoxies, are said to be filtered out or “de-platformed.”
• 🗣️ Programmes like Jessie Mulligan’s show and The Panel (now hosted by Wallace Chapman) are criticised for being overly ideological and lacking robust debate.
• 🔥 Once known for lively discussion, RNZ programming is now described as inoffensive, politically correct, and intellectually dull.
• 🤝 The broadcaster is accused of failing to engage meaningfully with diverse generational and working-class perspectives in New Zealand society.
• 🏠 The author calls for RNZ to reflect a truly pluralistic society , embracing multiple viewpoints and cultural narratives.
• ⚡ A warning is issued: if RNZ continues down its current path, it risks becoming isolated and vulnerable , losing public support when it most needs defending.
• ❤️ Ultimately, the piece argues that public broadcasting must remain a trusted “friend and comforter” to retain the loyalty and protection of its audience.

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