9 News Regional has redone there weather segment for Victoria. Central Vic Now splitting Mallee and Northern Country but all up the focus certainly moving east before they covered a number of towns in the Wimmera (Western Victoria) now they have gone far into Border North East territory and covering as far east as Yarrawonga
1 Like
Let hope we hear more stuff about Bendigo which is just over an hour from Shepparton than hearing what happening to stuff in Albury/ Wondonga which is 2 hours away.
Given the flooding in Townsville tonight, I decided to watch 9 News Brisbane on 9Now tonight to see how the news was being covered on the metro bulletin.
While iâm a viewer of 9 News NQ, after watching both the local and metro bulletins tonight, I really wish theyâd just gone ahead and aired the metro bulletin here in Townsville. The metro bulletin had far better coverage of what was happening here than our own bulletin did!
5 Likes
Let me guess: None of the Nine News Regional presenters are on location even though Melissa Downes has been covering the floods up North for SEQ viewers at least the last two nights?!
Although Iâm not overly surprised remembering the past form of Nine Newsâ regional bulletins when it comes to major news events in their viewing area (such as Peter Overton travelling to Tathra for the bushfires & Canberra for the spill, while Vanessa OâHanlon was nowhere to be seen), thatâs extremely poor IMO.
If the major local papers (which up in North Queensland, arenât Nine/ex-Fairfax unlike the most notable print publications which cover Tathra & Canberra) arenât running âMelissa up North, but where was our local Nine Newsreader?â type stories/editorials, Iâll be extremely disappointed in them.
1 Like
Here are the idents used on 104.1 Territory FM for Nine News Darwin promotion.
The one that stood out was the last ident that mentions âFrom the Darwin studios of Channel 9â even though they are under the regional format.
2 Likes
At the moment Sam Heathwood is on her christmas holidays as she basically presented the Queensland bulletin for almost 4 weeks straight.
5 Likes
Territory FM probably produced their âNine News simulcastâ stings a while ago when Nine News Darwin was still produced locally and simply havenât bothered to update them? 
Yes, however they still check in with Nine News during the day to find out what the headlines are for the Territory which is good.
NTD provides TFM with a blank feed of the bulletin so they can slot their own ads in without going under or overtime.
1 Like
Correct. As well, the metro bulletin had more live crosses to 9 News reporters who were in various Townsville suburbs, that werenât seen on the local bulletin. The local bulletin had a cross to one of the local reporters, but the location named at the top was simply âTownsvilleâ, not particularly helpful to locals watching flooding behind him. Meanwhile, the metro bulletin had multiple people and they actually used the suburb names, the live crosses had âHermit Parkâ, âHeatleyâ at the top. Garry Youngberry presented a some detailed weather info for this area from the Weather Wall.
The first 10-15 minutes of the metro bulletin was as if it was a proper live local bulletin⌠but it wasnât even shown here!
By comparison, the regional bulletin did have some good reports on the flood, donât get me wrong, but it didnât have that same sense of urgency. Sophie Ryan presented a weather update, and while Townsville was mentioned, it was more focussed on what was happening throughout the rest of QLD and into the NT. Once the local window started we had one extra story on the flooding, then random fluff pieces that seemed as though they were there to pad out the rest of the local window, then the flooding situation here wasnât mentioned again, while meanwhile the metro bulletin was still here live.
Watching both bulletins, the difference was really clearâŚ
6 Likes
That is the of double headers- the bulletin is still in capable and familar hands while the other is on location.
So are you saying that if she wasnât, Sam would be on location and co-anchor the regional bulletin from Townsville? I doubt it.
Whilst I agree with everything you say - you have to remember the budget and resources and talents of people working own the two bulletins are worlds apart.
I would say the Brisbane bulletin has a budget double to trip that of the QLD one.
The resources similar - and talent of EPs and producers the same.
Yes, would be great if when major news happens they can go all out. But they have allocated budgets, resources and levels of talent.
The ad revenue that the Brisbane bulletin brings in (100% income kept) v the QLD bulletin shared with SCA 50%) means Nine are ALWAYS going to allocate the money, staff and resources to the Brisbane bulletin - even when the news is âlocalâ tp Townsville not Brissy
It is a shame that for one night the Townsville station couldnât opt out of local news and get QTQ instead.
Or even just take the Brisbane report for the floods. The NSW bulletin in the past has gone live to the Sydney bulletin for the first item in the past for significant stories - and while itâs not an ideal solution and was bagged out here at the time, it did mean that viewers got the very best information available at the time.
1 Like
@KICK-IT
I understand what youâre saying about not having as much funding and not being able to go all out, etc.
But the thing is, the metro bulletin did go all out with detailed and informative local information, while the regional bulletin (which actually aired here) covered the story from more of an âoutside perspectiveâ, if that makes sense.
As others have suggested, QTQâs news should have been shown in Townsville last night, or at least up until the first ad break.
When the metro bulletin is being presented live from the city, and providing detailed information about what is happening in the city, that bulletin should be the one airing here.
1 Like
Although some decent points have been made, I personally think for the few major news events in regional Australia each year which warrant a larger coverage investment by Nine News, both the metro & regional teams should be working side by side so the quality of the coverage is at a high standard regardless of whether youâre in the viewing area or the major capital city.
If a story is important enough for Melissa Downes to be sent up North for coverage of a flood or cyclone, then Samantha (or whichever regional presenter is available at that time, of course) should also be sent up North. Likewise if there was a major Federal Politics story (Budget, Leadership Crisis, etc.) which the TCN newsroom deems important enough for Peter Overton to be travelling to Canberra for the benefit of coverage in the Sydney market, then Vanessa OâHanlon needs to be there too.
Others may feel differently but having the capital city presenter of Nine News on-location really wouldnât mean that much if I lived in a regional area and rarely/never got to see them on TV at 6pm.
Times of crisis in regional areas should be the perfect opportunity for Nine to prove not only that their regional newsreaders arenât just chained to a distant studio but perhaps most importantly, show to viewers that Nineâs local news offerings for regional Australia actually are bigger and better than those provided by WIN, Seven QLD and Prime7. If they want to become the #1 news source for regional Australia (and I donât see why either party wouldnât have that as an eventual goal), Nine and SCA need to do things with their services that the others canât/wonât for various reasons!
4 Likes
Right on point. Local reporters or regional bulletin presenters must have experience beyond their comfort zone, i.e. their respective broadcast region. From promos to coverage matters, Nine should polish even further. No matter why Nineâs composite regional news editions âallegedlyâ fared lower than the competition.
Good to see some of the 9 News regional reporters being used for live crosses on the 9 News QLD bulletin tonight
2 Likes
So doubling up for NSW/ACT? With Nine being super efficient with costs it seems difficult to believe that would ever happen.
The other thing to remember is Nine is not going to invest any more in these bulletins without Southern Cross paying more for it, and thereâs Buckleyâs and None of that happening.
2 Likes
The first 20 minutes of 9 News in Townsville last night, showing the flood coverage
