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Fair Go,��one of New Zealand’s best-known and longest-running TV series, is joining�����ܲԻ岹����and two of���ճձ���’s��daily news bulletins in��being dumped from local screens��within months.��

Consumer affairs show��Fair Go��has been showing on TVNZ since 1977.��

Over 47 years, its lineup of hosts is a who’s who of famous broadcasters including Brian Edwards, Philip Alpers,��Kerre Woodham, Carol Hirschfeld, Gordon Harcourt and its longest-serving host, Kevin Milne.��

The show’s investigative reporting has been famed for exposing countless “rip-off” merchants and dodgy businesses over its years on air.��

The�����ܲԻ岹����current affairs show is also understood to be winding up by May, while the��Midday��and��Tonight��news bulletins are also reportedly being axed.��

The cancellations are part of��widespread job cuts as TVNZ battles a big drop in traditional TV advertising revenue��as audiences move to digital platforms.��

Up to 68 jobs, including about 35 in news and current affairs, are being axed.��

��һ�ǿ�����room editor Tim Murphy tweeted that about 20 jobs would be lost once�����ܲԻ岹����closed in May, while seven to eight jobs would be lost at��Fair Go.��

After a meeting with�����ܲԻ岹����staff on Friday morning, TVNZ confirmed “a proposal has been presented which could result in the cancellation of��Sunday”.��

The news has left TVNZ staff in tears at its Auckland offices this morning.��

• ‘Last of its kind’ - TVNZ staff ‘deeply concerned’ as flagship shows face axe
• Broadcasting Minister told last week about TVNZ mass job cuts, staff distraught
• 'Tragic': Former Prime Minister disapproves of TVNZ trimming down news

An all-staff meeting is scheduled for 1pm today to hear plans for the future of its news coverage.��

Sunday,��with current host Miriama Kamo, has been airing at 7.30pm every Sunday since 2014.��

Before that, it screened from 2002 under the name��60 Minutes.��

Its focus has been delving into news subjects “that matter to you”, according to its tagline.��

TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell is presiding over the closure of iconic news programmes at the broadcaster. Photo / Dean Purcell��

Speaking to RNZ on Thursday, Kamo said the planned cuts were “devastating”.��

”It’s devastating not just for our business, it’s devastating for ... what it means for our wider society. Of course, we saw ��һ�ǿ�����hub go and that has really, I believe, dire implications for our democracy.��

”When we start cutting into news programmes at our state broadcaster then that really speaks to how dire things are and I am very, very concerned about what the landscape looks like going forward.”��

��һ�ǿ�����hub Wellington bureau chief Caitlyn Cherry has tweeted: “RIP Television news and current affairs”.��

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has called the cuts “disgraceful”.��

“Disgraceful that the premier #NZ Sunday night current affairs show is being canned by TVNZ along with the long-running��Fair Go��consumer affairs programme,” Clark tweeted.��

“Is this like serving up the Washington Monument for sacrifice hoping for rescue? How about management costs? Large building?”��

A TVNZ spokeswoman responded to Clark’s comments saying �ճձ���’s cost base is higher than its revenue, forcing it to make challenging decisions.��

“We’ve exhausted all opportunities to reduce costs without impacting what we deliver for viewers,” the spokesperson said.��

“We have already reduced �ճձ���’s executive team by a third and general management by a similar proportion.��

“We’ve reduced our entertainment content and marketing budgets and removed discretionary spend.”��

The spokesperson said TVNZ still aims to screen the country’s most watched news and current affairs as it looks to shift to a digital-first model.��