Article updated:
- Produced “interstate” Monday to Friday (still to be determined)
- Produced in Brisbane on weekends (airing of the Queensland bulletin?)
2 Likes
So it sounds like they will be doing something similar to the regional nine news bulletins then. They could possibly join the brisbane regional bulletins, presented by Samantha Heathwood (?), or get Jonathan Upton to present from interstate.
So the revamped Darwin bulletin will look similar to the format as the Illawarra, far North Queensland bulletin, etc? It looks like a backward step to me.
At least Darwin will get the new set on weekends
Disappointing to hear that this is happening but it was probably inevitable since Darwin is a regional market and Nine now have a substantial regional news operation which operates under a specific model that differs from the present Darwin news operation.
Viewers of the Darwin bulletin now will no doubt get an inferior product after these changes. The set change alone would be bad enough 
I take it the Nine Darwin operation would be downsized and the existing studios sold off?
5 Likes
The station will run on a skeleton staff of four reporters, a chief-of-staff, and three cameramen.
The weeknight bulletins will produced on the Sunshine Coast, but it remains unclear whether popular newsreader Jonathan Uptin will continue to present from Queensland.
2 Likes
My guess is that Top End viewers will most likely be seeing Darren & Alison on weekends in the near future.
I suppose the cutbacks at Nine Darwin are a side effect of the regional news launch on the East Coast and probably also due to the costs of upgrading to HD but overall, it’s a pretty sad day for local TV in Darwin and the Northern Territory (especially since most of the largely East Coast-based media probably doesn’t care much about what happens up there). If it counts for anything at all, at least Darwin & the NT will still have a live & locally produced edition of ABC News.
3 Likes
You are correct!
The ABC article states this will be the case, so keeping in line with all other markets with 5 day a week ‘local’ bulletins and the nearest capital city bulletin on weekends.
1 Like
I’m guessing the reference in the ABC article to the bulletin being produced on the Sunshine Coast is probably not correct and that Darwin will get another version of the Qld regional news from Mt Coot-tha…
2 Likes
1 Like
This article probably explains the whole situation a bit better since its coming from Nine
“Nine News Darwin will now be broadcast using the same set up as Nine’s new regional bulletins”
5 Likes
Wow what have I just been reading? In a time when jobs are harder to come by, this is not a good thing for the Territory. Let alone reducing their on air talent. To be fair though, I do hope Jonathan is reassigned somewhere good. I don’t think him fronting this new incarnation of Nine News Darwin would be a suitable option, it would almost be a demotion in favour of sub par quality broadcasting. And like one of the above articles states: deadlines moved to 5.30pm EST and 4.30 EDST will make it pretty much impossible for certain live crosses
1 Like
“Insisting that the people of Darwin would continue to get strong local content from Nine.”
Hopefully for Darwin viewers that means more than 5 minutes of local news instead of what Canberra and other regional bulletins currently get!
3 Likes
The article doesn’t mention production on the Sunshine Coast anymore.
I don’t know where the ABC got that from.
Interesting that the Jonathan Uptin screenshot in that article is from Imparja.
1 Like
So the size of ATV News then…
The Nine News Darwin report stated the changes will occour from September. Samantha Heathwood was in the images so I’m going by that she will be presenting the bulletin.
4 Likes
I woule be surprised if she does the Darwin bulletin.
It would be a big ask to do 6 prerecorded windows and 2 one hour bulletins.
I would be even more surprised if Nine try and make Darwin a window within the regional QLD bulletin.
3 Likes
Might get Jonathan Uptin to co-present with Samantha? Maybe stop some of the flack to counter the perceived “Queensland-centricness” of the new bulletin.
3 Likes
I know it won’t happen but they should move Jonathan to Sydney and pre-record the bulletin on the Sydney set during the afternoon.
2 Likes
That would be difficult, if not impossible. Why not let the current Darwin newsreader, Jonathan Uptin read the Darwin news?