New Zealand Listener
The New Zealand Listener was a weekly New Zealand magazine that covered the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, food, culture and entertainment.
 | |
| Editor | Pamela Stirling |
|---|---|
| Categories | Current events |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Circulation | 45,262 (April 2017 – March 2018) |
| Year founded | June 1939 |
| Final issue | April 2020 |
| Company | Bauer Media Group |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Based in | Auckland |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0110-5787 |
The ceasing of its publication was announced on 2 April 2020.
History
The Listener was first published in June 1939 as a weekly broadcasting guide for radio listeners, and the first issue was distributed free to 380,000 households.[1] First edited by Oliver Duff[2] then from June 1949 M. H. Holcroft, it originally had a monopoly on the publication of upcoming television and radio programmes.[3] In the 1980s it lost that monopoly, but despite the increase in competition since that time, it was still one of the top selling magazines in the country. It was privatised in 1990 and was published by Bauer Media Group until the magazine's closure in early 2020.
Pamela Stirling was the editor since 2004,[4] and by 2018 readership was 197,000 with a circulation of 45,262.[5]
From 2004–2009, the Listener produced an annual New Zealand Listener Power List of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand. It also published the Best 100 Books, Best 50 Kids Books, and Best Cookbooks, every November/December.
Notable writers to have had their work published in the Listener include James K. Baxter, Janet Frame and Maurice Shadbolt.[3]
Closure
On 2 April 2020, the Bauer Media Group announced the closing of many of its New Zealand and Australian publications including The Listener due to the continued loss of advertising revenue, hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7][8][9] Prior to that, the weekly current affairs printed magazine was billed as 'New Zealand's best-selling current affairs magazine with a per capita circulation higher than Time, the New Yorker and Spectator'.[10][11]
Editors
- Oliver Duff (1939–1949) [2][12]
- M. H. Holcroft (1949–1967; 1972–1973)[12][13]
- Alexander McLeod (1967–1972)[12][13]
- Ian Cross (1973–1977)[12][14][15][16][17]
- Tony Reid (1977–1980)[12][18]
- Peter Stewart (1980–1983; 1987–1989)[12]
- David Beatson (1984–1989)[12]
- Geoff Baylis (1989–1995)[19][20]
- Jenny Wheeler (1995–1997)[21]
- Terry Snow
- Paul Little
- Finlay Macdonald (1998–2003)[22][15]
- Pamela Stirling (2004–2020)
Regular writers/journalists
- Diana Wichtel
- Donna Chisholm
- Bill Ralston
- Nicky Pellegrino
- Sally Blundell
- Paul Thomas
- Jane Clifton
- Russell Baillie, Books & Culture Editor[23][24]
- Fiona Rae
- Michael Cooper
- Clare de Lore
- Peter Griffin
- Lauraine Jacobs
- Michael Larsen
- Marc Wilson, psychology columnist[25]
- Paul Thomas, sports columnist[26][27]
- Joanne Black
- Jennifer Bowden
See also
- Media in New Zealand
- List of print media in New Zealand
References
- "The "New Zealand Listener." – New Radio Magazine". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 14 (4). 1 July 1939. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- "Duff, Oliver – Biography". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- "Today in History First issue of NZ Listener published". NZ History. 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- John Drinnan (18 April 2008). "Listener at centre of climate storm". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- "Listener Media Kit" (PDF).
- Edmunds, Susan; Nadkarni, Anuja; Cookes, Henry (2 April 2020). "Govt 'could have given half-a-million' to help Bauer but publisher didn't want it, Faafoi says". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Covid 19 coronavirus: Bauer Media closing - publisher of the Listener, Woman's Day, North & South". The New Zealand Herald. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Covid-19: Major magazine publisher Bauer Media closing down". Radio New Zealand. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Publisher of NZ Listener, Woman's Weekly, North & South to shut down". The Spinoff. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "New Zealand Listener". Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "New Zealand Listener Magazine Subscription". Magshop. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Holcroft, Monte (1 July 1989). "As I Remember It". New Zealand Listener.
- Hamilton, Stephen (2008). "Montague Harry Holcroft, 1902 – 1993". Kōtare. 2. ISSN 1174-6955.
- "O'Connor, Rev. Canon (Brian) Michael (Mcdougal), (born 20 June 1942), Dean of Auckland, New Zealand, 1997–2000", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2007, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.28719
- "A farewell to Ian Cross". Newsroom. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- "Journalist and author Ian Cross dies aged 93". RNZ. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- Noted. "Ian Cross, celebrated Listener editor, 1925–2019". www.noted.co.nz. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- Noted. "Tony Reid: 1943–2020". www.noted.co.nz. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- Zealand, Massey University, New. "Champion of press freedom honoured – Massey University". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- Black, Joanne (2 June 2006). "News man". The Listener. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- de Lore, Clare (10 March 2019). "Jenny Wheeler: the first woman to be appointed Listener editor". New Zealand Listener.
- "Finlay Macdonald, RNZ National Presenter". RNZ. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- New Zealand Listener on Twitter
- "Russell Baillie". Noted. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- "Marc Wilson, School of Psychology". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- "About – Paul Thomas – NZ Writer Author Novelist". Paul Thomas. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- "Paul Thomas". Noted. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
