NZ TV Smalley Talk

TV3 presenter Rachel Smalley is jumping ship from brekkie TV to a rival radio network.
NewstalkZB (Radio Network) has signed Smalley for a new pre-breakfast programme called Early Edition, which'll air between 5-6am. Her show will lead into the 6-8.30am breakfast programme hosted by Mike Hosking.
Currently Rach presents Firstline Mon-Fri 6-9am on MediaWorks' TV3. When she moves to radio, she'll continue to present the weekly political debate show The Nation on TV3, for the rest of the season...no decision's been made beyond that.
Across the road, MediaWorks' moneylenders are closer to taking control, two months after kicking it into receivership.
The receivers've signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement, which'll settle Sept.30. Then the broadcaster's assets will transfer to a new company chaired by Aussie businessman Rod McGeoch, and including former Eyeworks Touchdown boss Julie Christie, best known in NZ for a string of naff reality TV series.
The insolvency has meant MediaWorks' $172million in programme rights commitments over the coming five years are open to termination. TVNZ and Prime TV have been in like gannets, fighting to take shows away from MediaWorks' TV3 and Four. MediaWorks has owned rights for shows like Modern Family, The Simpsons and Family Guy for several years, but ownership and programming deals with these and other Fox TV and NBC shows are in limbo.
Industry goss says the receivers assumed studios were willing to keep MediaWorks strong, but they may have underestimated the willingness of Sky and TVNZ to poach shows.
MediaWorks receivers will be hoping that the loss of the soap opera Home and Away is the first and last biggie lost: that show began on TV2 this week.