this is a thread about Prime Media Group the company, let’s not get into mock schedules territory here
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Sorry just illustrating giving possible timeslots to avoid misunderstandings…
I would be interested how these saving would be achieved and whether they are net savings or savings from not producing Prime National News, separate ads and graphics for the regions.
Also I wonder if they are looking at revenue losses should they discontinue Prime7/GWN infomercial inserts of up to 35 hours a week
Removing backend duplication will make some savings as well as centralizing some functions
As well as synergies there is the simplification for national brands in advertising nationwide. Plus the potential for advertisers to reach the regional audience that they might have ignored before. So potentially increased sales.
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i am more wondering if it is just those factors you have listed are being considered or whether they have considered other factors in these saving such as lower affiliation fees being paid, possibly less income from advertorials and additional interest for loans made to fund the Prime purchase.
Tonnes of staff and department duplication. Traffic could be outsourced to the Phillipines. Graphics, promos, other production functions could go to Everleigh or Maroochydore. Programming to Sydney. Engineering and Presentation already outsourced.
The only thing left in Canberra would be News, Sales, Marketing and a GM/EA to look after the former Prime Network areas or just the AMC (Canberra/Wollongong/Orange/Wagga) parts.
News could be read from Canberra or Sydney and switched from Sydney or kept as is.
They don’t need to keep their Watson facility and could downsize to a rental in Fyshwick near WIN and Southern Cross.
I’m sure Watson could be sold to developers.
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Pretty much my thoughts as well as has already occured in Wagga Wagga, Orange, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle, Ballarat and Tamworth with all the original buildings sold leaving just News Bureaus (at some) and Local Sales, nothing else.
Watson now more valuable as residential redevelopment than to be a soon near empty building.
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All the 60 minute metro bulletins are full of fluff at the back end before and after sport. Very easy to break away for a segment or two and won’t disturb the rest of the schedule.
Back in the pre-aggregation days, most local news services were only a 5 to 15 minute news service anyway sandwiched in at say 5.45pm before 6.00pm or 6.15pm before 6.30pm. And sometimes a 5 minute slab near the end of the then relayed 30 minute metro bulletin.
Apart from some rare exceptions, local news on regional stations did not historically run a full 30 minutes. The likes of NBN then and now are still a full composite national, international and local news, now with local windows. It works in the NBN market mostly, can’t see why that can’t be replicated elsewhere, but inserting into the metro bulletin.
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To my knowledge, most if not all NSW regional stations had a half hour local news (except NBN) by the mid 1980s prior to the announcement of aggregation. The only exception was public holidays. I concede these were usually broadcast over the whole viewing area eg midstate television (prime orange/dubbo) had stories from both cities plus stories from the surrounding areas and similarly with NRN/RTN and NEN/ECN with the latter two probably dropping the occasional story from one region for another.
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Would We See a Composite Regional Victoria Based News Bulletin with Local Windows Inserted?
quite possibly for Gippsland, Bendigo and Ballarat, but Shepparton will get the existing Albury bulletin.
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What about Mildura?
Don’t get excited. Possibly local window in existing 7 Melbourne metro bulletin at a stretch.
Why should regional viewers get a B grade version of state, national and international news? State, national and international news best served by existing metro bulletin. Otherwise it would be a major extra cost am sure Seven would not cover. Plus, a regional produced composite bulletin would lose the freshness of the many live crosses that the metro bulletins carry these days.
All pure speculation. Producing regional TV where there is little revenue to cover costs is not cheap remember.
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This is a trigger event so there will be some form of extra regional content. News is the easiest to produce to meet the legislated requirements.
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I havent checked it in a while is it still approximately 120 minutes of News or 240 minutes of other productions. I know covid relaxed some content requirements eg new C rated content
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Isnt Mildura outside of the area described in the local content conditions?
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No, the trigger affects Mildura as well. See below for a breakdown.
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Triggers as I understand it only apply to JV ownership provisions? But as the JV partner licensee will still be Prime with Prime as a subsidary of Seven, as others have stated, it will not even be a trigger event.
Content in areas under Prime control (Seven from Dec 31) already comply with local content provisions. And as I further understand, local content requirements do not exist in Mildura and regional WA. I could be wrong, have been before?
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Ok then, that would not mean 30 minute bulletins. That can be achieved with extra noodle updates or breakaway windows. As that was a proposal, was it legislated?
But then again, the licensee will still be Prime, not Seven, with Prime as a subsidary. Being Prime will still exist as a legal entity to hold the license and therefore avoid any kind of trigger events.
Am very sure legal due diligence has factored all that in.
5 more days for 7 to have their full branding for regional areas to be inline with 9 and 10 who dont have dual brandings which looks awful