Larry Williams Drive

Reluctantly, I think saving Shortland Street was the right thing for now.  The news on Shorty today is that it’s been saved, but it will go down to three episodes a week.  What's saved it is taxpayer money: $3 million from NZ On Air and then be eligible for a rebate from the Screen Production Grant which must be about $6 or $7 million.  Which means we’re pumping in around about $10 million in taxpayer money to save a soap opera.  I'm reluctant about this because I generally don't think we should prop up failing businesses. If they can’t make a buck it’s because not enough people like the product,  in which case it should be allowed to die.  But... I think there’s an exception this time.  Because it might just be possible that Shorty may be able to pay its own way again... maybe.  The reason I say that is because it’s not that Shorty is unpopular, it actually has a lot of people watching.   The last figures that I can find are from last year, 79K people in their key demographic watched it on TV2, which doesn’t