NZME has cut 200 jobs and requested all staff on a salary of more than $50,000 per year take a 15% pay cut for 12 weeks. This comes as New Zealand media continues to struggle with the impact of Covid-19 on the advertising market. The company has also requested staff to take annual leave before July, temporarily stopped the production of some products, and ceased broadcasting Radio Sport. The most significant blow to New Zealand media so far has been in the magazine industry, which saw Bauer pull the plug on the local market earlier this month. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed concern about the state of New Zealand media and confirmed at the weekend that discussions were under way at cabinet level for added assistance for New Zealand media companies that seen a big drop in advertising revenue.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 13, 2020 22:41 UTC