From L-R: Deputy Chair of the PCBL Board Caren Rangi, Chair of the Board Brent Impey and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Rt Hon Winston Peters at the Pasifika TV 10 Years on Air celebration.
By Michelle Curran
Executive Communications Manager, Pasifika TV/PCBL
As Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL) undergoes an exciting chapter of transformation, Board Chair Brent Impey is once again proudly driving the changes – more than a decade after he helped the organisation get off the ground.
Having governed bodies such as the New Zealand Rugby Union – SANZAAR, and currently the Fijian Drua Board, and possessing an extensive knowledge of the media industry, Brent’s experience, along with his heart for the Pacific and the survival of local voice, is invaluable in his role at PCBL.
In 2015, Brent was part of a scoping mission to the Pacific with Tony O’Brien, funded by the New Zealand Government, to explore the desire and need for Pacific media to be supported, and for more content to be produced and shared.
“We then recognised that in order to make this work, we needed to get the New Zealand broadcasters and producers to provide their content for nothing and we did that…it increased the reach and there was no cost to them,” Brent says.
Coming full circle
After recommending PCBL be set up and Natasha Meleisea be appointed as Chief Executive, Brent stepped away to focus on other projects.
He had met Natasha previously when he was the CE of Mediaworks, and felt she was exactly the right fit for the role.
When Gary Monk resigned from the PCBL Board Chair position three years ago, Brent came full circle to lead the Board, working back alongside Natasha.
Brent says it has been a terrific journey to date, and he has a huge amount of respect for his CE.
“I always think the key relationship in governance is between the Chair and the CE…she’s a terrific operator.
“I think we’ve made significant progress, and as far as the Board is concerned, I think we’ve got a good balance.”
Navigating the digital landscape
To better support Pacific media in the region, PCBL has adapted to the fast-changing digital landscape and expanded its capability building programmes, to help ensure the survival of Pacific storytelling by Pacific, in the region.
Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), PCBL is launching a digital streaming service, as well as a raft of initiatives, to develop and mentor media professionals across the news, sports and film genres.
This is where it gets interesting, Brent says.
“Now we’re going into this digital realm where our role is to help facilitate the broadcasters and governments in the Pacific with structures they haven’t had to put together before, whether it be in the form of content, aggregation or sharing costs with content, or generating revenue as content gets distributed amongst digital channels.”
Currently PCBL partners with 30 Pacific broadcasters in 15 Pacific countries, and there are similar challenges they all share.
To overcome these challenges, Brent says facilitation and partnerships are essential.
He gives the example of content sharing, and if a programme is being produced, it will be produced with the region – and world – audiences in mind, not just local audiences.
“We can help facilitate that.
“In the case of revenue, the need is here, as digital content is growing, is not to lose sight of the fact that there could be revenue gains for these specific broadcasters.
He says whether it is content or revenue, PCBL is aware it is dealing with giants in the digital space, such as Amazon, Google, and the like.
“We’ve got to be able to find ways of generating revenue from that, and that is where we can help.
“It can be a combination of things…through advertising, it can be through sponsorship within content…eventually we could develop some sort of subscription model or pay-as-you-go model.”
Pacific media first
As PCBL ventures ahead with its hefty goals in mind, Brent says paramount for him is to manoeuvre broadcast partners into a position, so they have the confidence and the capability of going forward on this digital path.
“From PCBL’s perspective, I think it’s reinforcing our role as the partner and the leader – a welcome leader, because partnership, to my mind, is the key critical thing here.
“We cannot be seen to be dictating, and we cannot be seen to be colonialist in our view – that’s where I see it.”