That\u2019s no slight on Dann \u2013 he has constantly shown his class as a broadcaster, including in a recent interview with NZ First leader Winston Peters, who took exception to Dann\u2019s line of questioning and even raised the prospect of reducing RNZ\u2019s public funding.<\/p>\n
Morning Report hosts Corin Dann and Ingrid Hipkiss. Photos \/ RNZ<\/p>\n
But the overall presentation, packaging and even location of Morning Report have been in the spotlight and were the subject of some pointed comments in a recent independent review by Richard Sutherland.<\/p>\n
Dann is Wellington-based, along with most of the Morning Report production team, while co-host Ingrid Hipkiss is based in Auckland.<\/p>\n
Sutherland\u2019s review had already recommended at least one new high-profile hire \u201cto signal ambition\u201d \u2013 he did not refer to any particular show, but the opportunity is now there for the flagship 6am-9am slot.<\/p>\n
His report did say Morning Report should be fully relocated to Auckland, to \u201ccounter perceptions of Wellington bias\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cProducing the programme from Wellington creates editorial distance from the wider audience and reinforces the feeling of political insulation and dependence on government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Possible candidates<\/p>\n
So who are the frontrunners to replace Dann?<\/p>\n
Given Newstalk ZB\u2019s biggest news broadcasters \u2013 Mike Hosking, Heather Du Plessis-Allan, Ryan Bridge and Jack Tame \u2013 are locked away in what are believed to be multi-year deals, RNZ will have to look further afield than its main commercial radio competitor.<\/p>\n
TVNZ chief correspondent John Campbell. Photo \/ Greg Bowker<\/p>\n
Top of the list, surely, are two of the biggest personalities in New Zealand media \u2013 John Campbell and Patrick Gower.<\/p>\n
Poaching Campbell from TVNZ would be a good story arc \u2013 Keane was Campbell\u2019s executive producer on TV3\u2019s Campbell Live and then RNZ\u2019s Checkpoint show for many years; the pair have a strong rapport and working relationship.<\/p>\n
As a former host of Checkpoint, Campbell knows RNZ reasonably intimately \u2013 he also started his broadcasting career there in 1989. <\/p>\n
Like Campbell, Gower has also had RNZ experience \u2013 he filled in alongside Alexa Cook as Morning Report host for two weeks last summer, and he\u2019s appeared during holiday weekends.<\/p>\n
Broadcasters Jack Tame, Rebecca Wright, Patrick Gower and Tova O’Brien. Photos \/ Michael Craig, Dean Purcell, Greg Bowker, VMANZ<\/p>\n
Gower appeals to a potentially entirely new listening audience for RNZ \u2013 the biggest challenge would be luring him away from his current portfolio of broadcasting roles, which he clearly loves and thrives upon.<\/p>\n
Also near the top of the list, in my view, are current RNZ Checkpoint host Lisa Owen and former TV3 political editor Tova O\u2019Brien, now at Stuff.<\/p>\n
Both are brilliant interviewers and would be especially strong candidates ahead of the 2026 general election.<\/p>\n
Rachel Smalley and Andrew Dickens have shown their smarts at Newstalk ZB \u2013 while Smalley is now working in the corporate world, she appears to have lost none of her passion for media. <\/p>\n
Dickens is in a versatile role at ZB, showcasing his skills as a broadcaster and interviewer on both news and talk shows.<\/p>\n
RNZ Nights host Emile Donovan is likely to be considered very closely by the public broadcaster\u2019s bosses \u2013 he is a superstar in the making.<\/p>\n
Emile Donovan presents RNZ Nights. Photo \/ RNZ<\/p>\n
Duncan Garner, Lloyd Burr and Mark Richardson would all bring more personality to RNZ, and perhaps balance up the perception, in some quarters, that the station has a good many left-of-centre hosts.<\/p>\n
Rebecca Wright and Stacey Morrison are two more highly experienced and talented broadcasters with strong personalities, and should not be ruled out.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, whoever wins the race for the Morning Report microphone will need to bring pace and a stronger sense of urgency, according to multiple sources.<\/p>\n
As one experienced broadcaster said to me after the release of the Sutherland review: \u201cRichard has just suggested basic radio philosophy that RNZ forgot in its desire to social engineer rather than reflect the population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to get faster and more relatable with more content. All their bits are far too long and often disappear up the reporter\u2019s arse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The broadcaster said Hosking\u2019s great advantage was the sheer volume of information he conveyed each morning. \u201cThe editorials help, but it\u2019s the feeling that if you give Mike 30 minutes, he\u2019ll give you the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dann\u2019s departure<\/p>\n
In a statement provided by RNZ today, Dann said leaving Morning Report was a difficult decision.<\/p>\n
He will take over as business editor from Gyles Beckford, who is becoming a part-time economics correspondent.<\/p>\n
\u201cA substantial amount of my career has been spent reporting on our economy and it feels like a very important time to get this right with the pressure that everyone is feeling, businesses and employees alike,\u201d said Dann.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always said that Morning Report is the best broadcasting gig in the country and I\u2019ve felt privileged to have this role, but you do have to seize opportunities when they arise and business reporting is something I\u2019m passionate about.”<\/p>\n
RNZ chief news officer Mark Stevens said: \u201cCorin\u2019s maturity in broadcasting has really shone through in Morning Report. But, at the same time, he\u2019s also embraced modern multimedia storytelling, filming content for social media, developing podcasts and delivering video series.\u201d <\/p>\n
Stevens said he was grateful for Dann\u2019s commitment to the show while a replacement was found. Recruitment for a new presenter would start immediately. <\/p>\n
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand\u2019s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"That\u2019s no slight on Dann \u2013 he has constantly shown his class as a broadcaster, including in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7054,21323,55800,124,40922,20833,42,2936,1073,1304,43,4482,1560,45,205,1305,223,40,38,41,39,1299,1533],"class_list":["post-70066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-breakfast","tag-candidates","tag-corin","tag-could","tag-dann","tag-fill","tag-headlines","tag-insider","tag-media","tag-morning","tag-news","tag-replace","tag-report","tag-rnz","tag-role","tag-show","tag-the","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-who","tag-will"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}