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Newsroom
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
The secret diary of .. Ryan Bridge
MONDAY Good morning to everybody in New Zealand especially the estimated 17 viewers who have tuned into the brand new morning show Herald Now. It's great to be back on TV and talking to you once again from a TV studio although I suppose it isn't really TV, it's a video livestream on the NZME website, and it's not really a TV studio, it's a desk someone knocked up in the weekend and chucked in a corner of the Herald newsroom. The paint's still a bit wet and I had to borrow a chair. They will probably want it back. That's the beauty of live TV. You just don't know what's going to happen next. Or if anything is going to happen. It could go either way. But it's exciting to work out of the Herald offices, where morale is at an all-time high. Look, there goes a newspaper journalist behind me, probably on his way to breaking a major news story. He's walking past with a cup of tea. He's sitting down at his desk. He's looking into the middle distance with what appears to be a look of utmost despair. It's that sense of excitement I'm hoping to channel as the host of Herald Now. TUESDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially our two new viewers. Many of you have been asking after the health of that journalist we saw yesterday. Well, he's back, and right now he's banging his head on the desk. Well, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. You may remember me as the presenter of a morning TV news programme on Newshub until the whole network went belly-up. It was a failed business model. I'll be joined on Herald Now sometimes by Herald reporter Michael Morrah, who worked with me at Newshub, and I'll also be talking with Garth Bray, who used to work at Fair Go until it went belly-up over at TVNZ, which declared programmes like Fair Go and Sunday were failed business models. It's all just part of the exciting new direction of Herald Now. WEDNESDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who is my guest today. He's looking great, isn't he. He's looking every inch the leader of a centre-right coalition government which is holding firm against the dire threat of a communist take-over by the Labour Party, aided and abetted by the loonies from the Green Party. They want to release violent criminals. They want us to take the bus to work. They want to take your hard-earned money, and spend it on hospitals and schools. We must never allow this to happen. We must fight evil in all its manifest left-wing forms. Thank you Prime Minister for taking the time to appear on Herald Now. I understand you went to see the new Mission Impossible last week. Did you enjoy it? THURSDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially Steven Joyce, who takes up his new position as head of NZME next Tuesday. Steven, if you're watching, I want you to know that Herald Now is set to transform the way Kiwis get their news—in record numbers. The audience has grown to over two dozen this week and the feedback we're getting is that many viewers are wondering whether the paint on my desk has dried yet. I think I'm just going to keep that a bit of a mystery. FRIDAY Good morning New Zealand, and no, do not adjust your set. I'm not sitting behind a desk. I'm standing behind it. The person whose chair I borrowed has taken it back. I asked that journalist you saw earlier this week if I could borrow his chair but he bared his teeth, picked up the chair, threw it through a window—and then jumped out after it. He must really have valued that chair. Have a great King's Birthday Weekend, everyone!
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
The secret diary of . . . Ryan Bridge
MONDAY Good morning to everybody in New Zealand especially the estimated 17 viewers who have tuned into the brand new morning show Herald Now . It's great to be back on TV and talking to you once again from a TV studio although I suppose it isn't really TV, it's a video livestream on the NZME website, and it's not really a TV studio, it's a desk someone knocked up in the weekend and chucked in a corner of the Herald newsroom. The paint's still a bit wet and I had to borrow a chair. They will probably want it back. That's the beauty of live TV. You just don't know what's going to happen next. Or if anything is going to happen. It could go either way. But it's exciting to work out of the Herald offices, where morale is at an all-time high. Look, there goes a newspaper journalist behind me, probably on his way to breaking a major news story. He's walking past with a cup of tea. He's sitting down at his desk. He's looking into the middle distance with what appears to be a look of utmost despair. It's that sense of excitement I'm hoping to channel as the host of Herald Now . TUESDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially our two new viewers. Many of you have been asking after the health of that journalist we saw yesterday. Well, he's back, and right now he's banging his head on the desk. Well, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. You may remember me as the presenter of a morning TV news programme on Newshub until the whole network went belly-up. It was a failed business model. I'll be joined on Herald Now sometimes by Herald reporter Michael Morrah, who worked with me at Newshub, and Ill also be talking with Garth Bray, who used to work at Fair Go until it went belly-up over at TVNZ, which declared programmes like Fair Go and Sunday were failed business models. It's all just part of the exciting new direction of Herald Now . WEDNESDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who is my guest today. He's looking great, isnt he? He's looking every inch the leader of a centre-right coalition government which is holding firm against the dire threat of a communist take-over by the Labour Party, aided and abetted by the loonies from the Green Party. They want to release violent criminals. They want us to take the bus to work. They want to take your hard-earned money, and spend it on hospitals and schools. We must never allow this to happen. We must fight evil in all its manifest left-wing forms. Thank you Prime Minister for taking the time to appear on Herald Now . I understand you went to see the new Mission Impossible last week. Did you enjoy it? THURSDAY Good morning New Zealand, especially Steven Joyce, who takes up his new position as head of NZME next Tuesday. Steven, if you're watching, I want you to know that Herald Now is set to transform the way Kiwis get their news in record numbers. The audience has grown to over two dozen this week and the feedback we're getting is that many viewers are wondering whether the paint on my desk has dried yet. I think I'm just going to keep that a bit of a mystery. FRIDAY Good morning New Zealand, and no, do not adjust your set. I'm not sitting behind a desk. I'm standing behind it. The person whose chair I borrowed has taken it back. I asked that journalist you saw earlier this week if I could borrow his chair but he bared his teeth, picked up the chair, threw it through a window and then jumped out after it. He must really have valued that chair. Have a great King's Birthday Weekend, everyone! By Steve Braunias
Newsroom
26-05-2025
- Business
- Newsroom
Ryan Bridge channels Paul Henry
Comment: When he was at TV3 Ryan Bridge had many of the hallmarks of a young Paul Henry. He was a good interviewer, agile thinker, flaunted his own brand of humour, and held the same disdain for political correctness that Henry is known for. Bridge was in line for his own 7pm show until TV3's owners, Warner Bros. Discovery, pulled the pin on the network's own news operation, Newshub. He ended up on early morning radio at Newstalk ZB – part of the long chain of hosts who will eventually move to better slots when Mike Hosking retires. NZME's decision to go all out on video put Bridge back on a faster career path. His old boss at Newshub, Sarah Bristow, now NZME managing editor, multimedia content, convinced her new employer that a free-to-view streaming channel with a breakfast show as its spearhead was the way of the future. It is likely that Stuff's strong move into video also played a part in NZME's decision. The show, Herald NOW, went to air on Monday morning and Bridge gave glimpses of being the disruptor that Henry was. One of his first interviews was with Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Willis appeared to be wearing the same blue dress that she delivered the Budget in the previous Thursday. The Herald had run a story quoting a local fashionista criticising the fact that Willis' dress was from a British designer. The Herald copped plenty of criticism for a rather pathetic piece. Bridge couldn't resist asking Willis if she was wearing the same dress. The finance minister was waiting for him and hit with a Mike Tyson-like uppercut, 'Ryan the '50s called and they want their question back'. In a later segment, a somewhat chastened Bridge said 'I know I shouldn't have talked about the dress. I enjoy a woman's dress as much as any gay man.' It was the sort of tepid apology Henry would never have given. Maybe Bridge will harden up in the next few weeks. He allowed Willis to weave around his well-pitched question on the changes to KiwiSaver: 'Is it going to lower wages?' When Willis answered with 'I've got a question for Labour – would they reverse this?' Bridge showed his humour and speed with a snappy 'We've all got questions for Labour' but he could have been firmer. Given his centre-right leanings Bridge was also surprisingly easy on the Salvation Army officer who was interviewed about the impact of Budget changes on young beneficiaries. Henry would not have spared either of them. If Bridge goes with his gut instinct of taking no prisoners the show has a chance of succeeding, even if it can't live up to NZME's marketing hype of 'transforming the way Kiwis can watch news'. The show is streamed to various platforms – The NZ Herald's home page and YouTube – but is otherwise very similar to a traditional TV breakfast show. That said, the first episode was already more interesting than TVNZ's bland breakfast programme. Bristow, who was breakfast TV producer before she became head of news at TV3, made sure the show had the two things all first episodes need – a scoop (Michael Morrah's story on an overwhelmed and under-resourced Middlemore Hospital) and no serious technical hitches. Bristow may accidentally have found a star panellist. Dame Julie Christie was on the show to talk about her production company's new documentary on Auckland FC. This was standard fare until Bridge got her to comment on two other topics: national politics and her weekend visit to Costco. Her answers were highly entertaining. Christie needs to be a regular guest. There are some things that could be improved. The theme music is terrible and the half-hourly news bulletins, which are pre-recorded versions of a motionless Niva Retimanu from Newstalk ZB reading off a screen, looked very odd and out of sync with the rest of the show. The new show also featured an interview (about dental health) lifted from Mike Hosking's radio show. If it was an attempt at cross-promotion it didn't work and if it was there for content reasons it wasn't needed. By 9am videos of two of the show's interviews were posted as standalone clips on the Herald's website. This 'clipping up' will be an important part of the show's monetisation strategy. The show, and NZME's wider video strategy under Bristow, has cost the company millions. Journalists without video expertise have been shown the door while many former TV3 employees have been ushered in. The changes have caused some bitterness and division in the wider Herald newsroom. This first episode had a reasonable number of video adverts, including 2degrees, Noel Leeming and Dilmah. It will need to sustain the advertising demand through strong audience numbers given that likely new NZME board members Steven Joyce and Jim Grenon will not feel bound to the new video strategy. Grenon has already questioned it and Joyce, being a firm believer in radio, will not be happy if it starts cannibalising Newstalk ZB. Wresting audience away from other media is a tough task. Only a few hosts can do it. Henry was one, Bridge has the makings of another.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Fashion designer Tanya Carlson to close Ponsonby shop after 21 years
While preparing to farewell her long-term retail location, which also houses her workroom, the Otago-raised designer offered a note of thanks to her loyal customers. 'We've had 21 amazing years in this location and have been reflecting with gratitude on the thousands of incredible women we've had the pleasure of meeting and dressing over the years,' she wrote. 'It's been a joy to share our love of crafted, considered design in this beautiful space. Most of all, it's been a privilege to be part of your working life, special occasions, celebrations, weddings, and anniversaries.' The designer, who is a long-time selector and head judge for the iD International Emerging Designer Awards, pointed to shifts in retail as driving the change. Over the next fortnight, the brand will hold an end-of-lease sale with discounted items, sample and archival pieces available for purchase. For more than 25 years, Carlson has dressed celebrities, athletes, broadcasters, and, of course, the women who form her everyday clientele. By 2019, she had created more than 200 custom wedding gowns over her career, bringing her fashion designer's eye to the process for each lucky bride-to-be. When former Newshub presenter Melissa Chan-Green walked down the aisle, she wore a Carlson creation. Another happy client was Bronwyn Illingworth, who married All Black great Josh Kronfeld in 2015. Carlson's other high-profile brides included Newstalk ZB's Mornings host Kerre Woodham and Olympian Lisa Carrington. In an interview with the Herald in 2020, Carlson spoke of how population changes and the coronavirus pandemic had made an impact in the Ponsonby area. The retail store that carries Carlson's name had by that stage been on Ponsonby Rd for 15 years, opening in 2005 after she made the move from Dunedin. Back then, Carlson had to pay $25,000 in key money to take over a lease in the sought-after area. But in recent years, and since physical shopping opened up post-lockdown, the strip known for its eclectic mix of shops and its dining scene appeared to be losing its sparkle. 'It is the rise of skin clinics, physios, eyeglass shops, hearing [specialists] – it's an ageing demographic definitely,' Carlson said. 'Yes, there's lots of amazing young people here ... but anyone with money is older.' At the time, Carlson said more business owners – including fashion designers – weren't able to afford the average $8000-$10,000 monthly rental on a Ponsonby Rd store. 'The rents aren't coming down any time soon, even though the strip is now filled with empty stores,' says Carlson, adding that this is also partly due to construction work. In the interview, Carlson said she also believed the opening of Westfield Newmarket and Commercial Bay in downtown Auckland had an effect on the vacancies and the changing types of stores in the area. Carlson entered the fashion realm at age 17, moving from Dunedin to Sydney to study painting and printmaking at the National Art School, then gaining a Diploma in Fashion Design from East Sydney TAFE. In 1997, she returned home, establishing a custom design studio before launching an eponymous label. Carlson designs are characterised by draping, a use of rich fabrics and romantic detailing. She traces these details back to childhood dress-ups with vintage satin ball gowns and the dramatic windswept Otago landscape she grew up in. The fashion retail landscape continues to prove challenging for New Zealand designers. Kate Sylvester shut the doors on her stores at the end of March, after announcing plans to close her business in 2024. And this month Wellington-based womenswear brand Twenty Seven Names announced it would close its store in Auckland's Commercial Bay shopping precinct. . 'Our vision of Sylvester is not completely new, it's an evolution.' . What do you wear to a runway show? iD Dunedin Fashion Show 2025 attendees showcased their best ensembles for a celebration of fashion in Ōtepoti.
