WIN seemingly has enough trouble competing against a Melbourne news service over on Nine. Imagine if another local service entered the Tassie market. WIN would never allow that to happen in a million years, even if SCA wanted to down the track (which I highly doubt they would to be honest as they probably know they couldn’t sustain another one in a smaller market).
I know television in Australia started out on a state by state basis until all the various mergers and acquisitions led to the structure we’re familar with now, but it is surprising that they’ve all kept the all-in-one local, national and international bulletins rather than doing what the UK, US and most European countries do and having separate bulletins for the local news. It would be far less messy in the regional areas at least to have a 30 minute national/international bulletin and then a 30 minute local bulletin (or vice versa), with perhaps opts in the local bulletin for the more local areas.
I doubt that would really work here. There’s an expectation at 6pm, that you get a round up of the days news with a mix of local, national and international stories. To me, it’s a bit bizarre to break that up (it’s less efficient and I know no different). Plus, we’re such a small nation population-wise, that there would barely be enough happening to justify 30 minutes of national news. And most national news of relevancy is local news.
Had Australian TV developed differently, maybe it would’ve been viable. But there were attempts made decades ago at 6pm for a Melbourne-Sydney joint news bulletin (which one day could’ve become something more national), and these trials flopped with viewers as they sought strictly local news.
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In the US at least the 30 minute “local news” at 6 features local, state, national and international news too.
Local news tends to dominate, but if a big story of the day happens it will lead even if it’s national or international.
Then at 630 the “national news” tends to be a bit magazine like - 60 minutes or Sunday night type features - but shorter
Australia could easily do a national news at 630 - I just don’t think that type of broadcasts suits Aussies or would work. It tends to be less tabloidy and more in deapth
I think it’s pretty safe to assume that SCA wouldn’t want to compete with themselves in Tasmania, especially considering that they’re the dominant news service there.
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If you were a network about to launch 2 brand new local news services with a massive 110 staff investment In just 4 weeks - wouldn’t you have some promos on the air by now?
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Seven News in Regional shall learn from this.
$80 mil???
Where did this figure come from?
I wouldn’t have thought it would be that much, in most cases I would have thought they would be using current SCA radio journos, existing Nine facilities in Syd/Melb/Bris. They would need some new equipment, establish facilities in major non-SCA radio markets like Ballarat, but not $80 mil worth??
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Have there been any reporters announced/hired for these new bulletins yet? Or Sport and/or Weather Presenters?
If not, I can’t imagine any promos airing for these new services airing until Nine has more of the team to promote than just the newsreaders we already know.
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I notice those new Nine News ads for Peter Overton’s return are getting plenty of air time on regional SCA Nine stations. Can’t quite understand the logic of promoting him and the Sydney service when they plan to yank it off air in a few weeks.
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Perhaps they are using a dirty feed?
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Sorry my bad - I was remembering 80 million in my head for4 some reason - I think the only number provided was 110 staff. Still a massive investment though.
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Yeah, that is really bad. Any promo time for 6pm news should be given to running new local news promos - not Overton who will be yanked soon.
@SydneyCityTV - I don’t think you need to promote / market reporters to be promoting a new news service 4 weeks out. They can promote and market the team in time. At this point they should be saturating the air with promos saying a new local news is coming - and selling the concept, the newsreaders, the new local investment and commitment and what they plan to offer at 6.
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Shit I totally forgot, we won’t get to experience the new set for long 
It has been mentioned that Brisbane will need new facilities to manage the new bulletins.
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I would have thought all those jobs adds advertising for new journos means they’ll be using those new journos.
SCA Radio journos would have their hands full already.
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I was wondering about the Nine News Sydney promo I saw yesterday, looked and didn’t find a specific date from SCA or Nine, just February, so the 1st bulletin of Nine News Canberra could be 6 or 7 weeks away?
It was reported in November that the Canberra bulletin would launch the first week of February followed by Wollongong in the second week. That would make the launch date for Canberra February 6 (first Monday in Feb.), if all is going to plan.
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I remember hearing something similar but couldn’t find it in writing but now I see it; sorry it looks like I skimmed to quickly over that Fairfax story (and Mike Dalton, head of Nine News Regional, was quote stating those dates).
So absolutely SC9 shouldn’t be showing the Peter Overton returns promos in the ACT and should’ve started promoting Nine News Canberra.
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While I agree that the concept of the new bulletins needs to be sold, personally I also think that SCA Nine should be promoting and marketing their new presenters (of news, sport and weather) as well as reporters.
Really…the presenters and reporters are faces and voices which represent our news services and to some extent, the network as a whole. Look at what Seven and Nine have been doing here in Sydney lately: a heavy emphasis on the presenting/reporting team in the promos. That’s what SCA Nine need to be doing in the lead-up to the launch of the new bulletins IMO, familiarising viewers with their new local news team before the very first bulletin goes to air.
I’m sure (or at least hope) that SCA Nine will promote the launch of their new regional news services at a time that is appropriate.
And yes, I agree that SCA Nine really shouldn’t be showing the “First & Best in Sydney” promos. But you have to remember that we’re talking about the same regional network that ran irrelevant 2RPH tickers during Carols By Candlelight…
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