There is 8 million people in regional Australia to sell advertising to - and post Covid this is where the real population growth is.
That’s a huge market - one way or another regional TV will continue
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Yes and they said after that they will not try again
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Makes the idea of a single regional operator (at least per market) for all three affiliations seem like an obvious next step. Perhaps introducing DVB-T2 so they can get rid of one of the transmitters to save costs.
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With what money?
The current operators cry poor they can’t offer the full suite of metro multi-channels or run 9GEM or 7mate in HD.
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A bit of exaggeration on my part, however if the impairment charge on SCA’s television assets in FY19 was taken into account the stations would surely at the time be fairly valued at (roughly) minus $24 million.
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Theoretically they’d obtain 100% of the advertising market to offset the additional costs of having 3 affiliations, running 2 or 3 transmitters and playout equipment. Consolidate as much as technically possible.
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I’d say none of the broadcasters should be broadcasting anymore because of the crap they put out, but that’s just me. 
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If all of the metro and regional networks were in favour of the proposed new broadcasting legislation and put a proposal to go to DVB-T2 HEVC to this pro-business government, I reckon there could be a chance of them coughing up some money to help with the transition in exchange for a guaranteed payday with a new spectrum dividend auction. Just guessing about a pie in the sky.
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Think the ACCC would have a view that would be anti-competitive for local advertisers with no competition but a monopoly that will again drive up and dictate spot prices, a return to the old monopoly days. And I would not include SBS, being they don’t do local licence area commercial splits, state based at best.
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I was under the impression that SBS do have some form of metro/regional split for advertising…or at least did in the past.
But yeah, SBS-TV advertising hardly has the same impact as spending time on at least one of the main three commercial networks (well, ads on SBS may be OK if you want to go for a particular market in Sydney or Melbourne - but not not really the regions) by any stretch!
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Acoording to the SBS website, they split their signal 12 ways for region specific advertising. Unlike the 40 to 50 odd advertising markets nationwide for metro and regional commercial network local advertising.
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Fascinating.
So parts of NT received SBS QLD and other parts receive SBS SA?
Strange that some parts will have programmes airing 30 minutes early while others will have up to 1 hour early at times
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Can anyone help me finish this list of presenters of each Prime News bulletin back when they were locally produced?
CENTRAL WEST/ORANGE:
News: Alison Reis/Hugh Whitfeld
Sport: Rob Beaumont/Amy Williams
RIVERINA/WAGGA:
News: Doug Hogan/Ashley Brown
Sport: ?
ALBURY/BORDER:
News: Helen Ballard
Sport: Paul Murphy
NORTH WEST/TAMWORTH &
NORTH COAST/COFFS HARBOUR:
News: Fiona Furgeson
Sport: John Hyde
Please feel free to correct me
… you missed the longest and most famous of CBN8’s presenters, Peter Andren, who later turned his on-camera fame to his advantage when he became a pollie as member for Calare …
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And he was a damn fine pollie too.
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And very much missed.
Aside from those already mentioned, a few Prime News Central West presenters from between those two eras…
News: John Lloyd-Green, John Kerrison
Sport: Vanessa Fabris, Chris Kimball
Of course there might be some others I’ve missed.
After John Hyde left, I think Chris Bill North and Geoff Smith each had stints presenting Sport on the North West/Coast bulletins.
Elspeth Taylor (now Elle Rixon it seems) presented the local news in lieu of Fiona for a while around 2011-12, while Nicola Strohal/Plevey also did fill-in presenting on bulletins towards the end of the Tamworth studio production days.
Thanks for the information.
I wonder why Fiona was absent and Elspeth took up the news-reading job? Was it pregnancy or something?
I’m pretty sure that it was Bill North and not Chris North that presented sport.
I actually feel a bit sorry for John-Lloyd Green, as his life has literally gone down. Maybe his luck will improve and he’ll get a journalist offer in Sydney or something?
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Helen Browne (now Helen Clare) presented Prime’s Central West bulletin when Peter Andren left. The sports presenter at the time was Ross Larsen.
I think in mid-1999, Helen left - leading to John Lloyd-Green fronting the bulletin.
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In terms of sports presenters for the Prime News Central West bulletin - after Chris Kimball left, there was Genya Cole (now Miller). Then when Genya left, there was Vanessa Arthur (now Graham)
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