I don’t think individual bulletins were ever guaranteed. Quote from joint NEC/SCA ASX release back in 2016:
The agreement provides for a substantial expansion of news services broadcast by SCA. Nine’s market leading News bulletins featuring international, national and locally produced news will be broadcast to regional markets across Queensland, Southern NSW and Victoria.
I can’t work out how Southern Cross will be able to meet the local content requirements for Darling Downs without any local news. From what has been posted so far, they will have even less news now than before the Nine-produced bulletins when they at least provided ‘noodle’ updates.
How is this possibly going to work? Unlike some other areas, the QLD bulletin generally does a really good job at keeping the local windows, very local.
If the ratings in Mackay are bad, and that’s the reason for the cull, they’ll allienate whatever viewers they have left if they show a bunch of Townsville or Rockhampton stories during the local windows. Truly bizarre!
It can’t be forgotten that the Mackay broadcast region also covers the Whitsundays. Given that staff are being removed from the area, Nine will no longer have anyone available for a live cross in future should something happen in the Whitsundays like previously with the Cid Harbour shark attacks.
So Mackay is receiving some kind of new mystery production that Nine hasn’t said boo about, but Toowoomba/Darling Downs is now receiving the metro Brisbane/SEQ bulletin, correct?
Also why wouldn’t they inform viewers of the changes at the end of each area’s respective local bulletin? Pre-record it as part of a local closer played out only in their local region. Even advertising the change on their Facebook pages would be kinder than nothing at all.
And before we leave you tonight we would like to say a brief farewell to our viewers in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, from next Monday you will be receiving your weeknight news in our South East Queensland bulletin presented by Andrew and Melissa. On behalf of the Nine News Regional team thank your for choosing us as your nightly news bulletin, goodnight.
And before we leave you tonight we would like to say a brief farewell to our viewers in Mackay and the Whitsundays, from next Monday you will be receiving [describe mystery product that we know nothing about]. On behalf of the Nine News Regional team thank your for choosing us as your nightly news bulletin, goodnight.
It’s never been in a networks best interest to say that a program is being axed and being replaced with something that EVERYONE (including the network) knows is inferior.
Nine/SCA didn’t even properly transition viewers to the regional bulletins when they started (even though IMO, they really should’ve), so why are we all shocked they didn’t farewell viewers from the axed services?
Southern Cross (and WIN and Seven QLD) are only legally to service 5 of the 7 Queensland sub-markets. They’ve picked two of their sub-markets which would be their lowest rating. There’s no legal obligation to any local news bulletins or updates. Same as how WIN broadcasts across Mackay.
Presumedly it would be a combination of neighbouring Townsville and Rockhampton stories which would be slightly or fully relevant to Mackay audiences, but possibly a Toowoomba or a Cairns story thrown in to fill time.
Nine/SCA didn’t even properly transition viewers to the regional bulletins when they started (even though IMO, they really should’ve
That’s not true, I saw plenty of fancy promo ads in Townsville showing that local news was coming, and it was going to be a hybrid bulletin with a new presenter.
Yeah, but we didn’t see handover segments this (even though we should’ve) in the transition process:
You get the general idea. Promos aside it was very much “plug and play” without the support of the metropolitan Nine News services/presenters to guide viewers during the transition!