Saturday, June 18, 2011

Big Day Out moving?

On May 23, The Corner music blog posted a story on industry rumours that the Big Day Out was not being held at Mt Smart Stadium  in 2012. This got picked up and mentioned in the NZ Herald's Time Out section.

On Thursday, TV One News reporter Joanna Hunkin had a piece listed as an exclusive, saying "Big Day Out organisers contacted North Harbour management just over a week ago to check availability, ONE News has learned." When the  story was first posted on TVNZ's website, it also listed the story as exclusive, though that was later removed. Is it really an exclusive when it's already been reported in two other media sources that the BDO is moving?

The TVNZ story also features comment from Australian promoter Andrew McManus, who said "it is a tight schedule, even for the most experienced promoters, and it could see the BDO cancelled here. Just doing a normal concert, you'd think six months is okay, but for a festival, you'd be starting to get worried. Most definitely," McManus said.

This is the same promoter who is currently facing liquidation of his NZ operation over the Raggamuffin Festival. Hunkin says in the story "Bands come and go, but one thing has been constant; Mt Smart has been the home of the BDO since 1994". Not true - they skipped a year in 1998.

The NZ Herald also reported (May 29) that Mt Smart Stadium was in need of $2.3 million in repairs. No mention of that in TV One's item. Today's NZ Herald has a follow-up on the BDO hoopla, noting that "... It is understood Mt Smart Stadium, run by Auckland Council-owned Regional Facilities Auckland, wants more from venue hire and bar profit from the Big Day Out."

"We are in continuing discussions with venue operators to ensure the event stays there," said BDO's Auckland promoters, CRS Management. "Leaving New Zealand or Auckland is the last thing Big Day Out wants to do." Patrons could be confident the BDO would return in January.

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