10AM: New Zealand On Air and TVNZ are understood to have selected a proposal for a new LGBT-themed programme to be broadcast on TVNZ later this year. No further details can be confirmed until the next NZ On Air funding decision meeting on 19th February, when the $350,000 set aside to make ten episodes of the new television show will be officially released. Several television production companies who entered their proposals in January received polite rejection letters from TVNZ this week. TVNZ's Commissioner of Documentaries Jude Callen said last December that TVNZ wanted a ‘fly-on-the-wall' style programme, designed to revitalise the gay programme genre and show ‘real lives' of LGBT New Zealanders. Meanwhile, Maori Television's Takataapui programme is preparing for their fifth season, scheduled to begin on 6th March 2007, and are currently looking for stories about unsolved hate crimes. Takataapui researchers want to hear from or about people who have been assaulted, beaten up, or even murdered just because they are homosexual. If you can help, please contact Ramon Te Wake on email at: rtewake@frontofthebox.co.nz Ref: GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 10th February 2007 - 12:00pm