A former TVNZ employee has queried the broadcaster’s decision to spend $30,000 sending three senior staff to an industry event in Los Angeles, days after the final episodes of Sunday and Fair Go aired.
Travel itineraries and budget breakdowns provided to Stuff under the Official Information Act show TVNZ’s CEO, Jodi O’Donnell, chief content officer Nevak Rogers and GM commercial, Josh Wolfe, attended the LA Screenings event in May this year.
All three flew Air New Zealand Premium Economy direct to LA, with flight costs totalling a hair under $12,000.
Rogers and Wolfe flew out on Thursday, May 16, the documents show, and O’Donnell followed on May 17. Sunday’s final episode had run on May 12, and Fair Go’s on May 13.
They stayed at the 4-star Sofitel Beverly Hills hotel, located a stone’s throw from iconic LA restaurant The Ivy, costing TVNZ over $13,000.
TVNZ chief content officer Nevak Rogers posted a photo of herself, front left, CEO Jodi O’Donnell, front right, and GM commercial Josh Wolfe, back right, at the Chateau Marmont during their $30,000 week in LA.
SUPPLIED / (NO SOURCE)
From there, the executives spent nearly $1000 each taking Ubers around the city over the course of the week.
Overall, TVNZ paid $29,800 for the trip, which includes drinks at trendy Sunset Strip hotel Pendry and an UberEats dinner with a group of Kiwi producers.
The previous month it had confirmed a proposal to cancel Sunday, Fair Go and the midday and late night news bulletins, and to scale back youth-focused strand Re: News, making 68 people redundant, in the wake of a $16.7 million loss in six months.
Stuff
Read more here. Discuss it on The BFD.
