People used to watch Ten as a source for local news. If not a primary source (even during the 1990s & 2000s), then at least one which complimented what they saw on Seven or Nine later in the evening.
For all my criticisms though, I will say there are journalists still in the Pyrmont newsroom doing the best they can with what seems like a budget of about $7.50 and the smell of an oily rag.
Not sure about others on Media Spy, but I actually think Daniel Sutton & Lachlan Kennedy are likely to generate some interest from Seven or Nine in the future if they haven’t already. I know I’d be seriously considering acquiring the services of at least one of Kennedy or Sutton for the post-Mark Burrows/Damian Ryan era if I was Simon Hobbs.
Unfortunately, I suspect this prediction will eventually turn out to be right.
People are eventually going to notice the reduction in quality coverage of local events from 10 News First. Now I’m not saying that Seven or Nine are massively better than Ten by any means, but unlike 10 News First you’ve probably at least got a vague idea (obviously nobody can predict exactly what the headlines will be on any network this time next week, but the bulletin format…) of what you’ll be getting from “the big two” on Monday night.
Again, it has to be said that the following isn’t something I want to see happen. More job losses at 10 News First will result in less opportunities for stories to be told and likely, the end of some media careers.
But at the same time, it wouldn’t be massively surprising if 10 News First becomes a fully national news service all week long (pretty much on weekdays what the current Saturday/Sunday night bulletins are like) within 12-18 months.