I think the 100% key here is that if Nine want this to work, and be sustainable and heck even profitable, everything they do must be viewed through the prism of Tasmanian and Local.
TVT6 (WIN TV) was a news powerhouse in it day, it has a long proud history of news, and could be that again… In the south they ran (and I am happy to be corrected) Local news at 6 (Think it was even called 6 o’clock), Then Nine News and then ACA…and it worked.
My recollection is TNT/Southern Cross gained market dominance when WIN started pulling out of Tasmania, the bulletin was still recorded here, but SCA and local unions ran an effective campaign to discredit WIN as not being local anymore…That dominance has lasted with little to no direct competitor.
Obviously times have changed, and I don’t think anyone would watch ABC or SCA news because of the local-ish technology they use to get the news to your TV, but people will care if you can’t get a Nine News sticker at the show, or potentially get a photo with your favourite weather presenter at the taste festival.
I think the other big question here is if Nine will add the Tasmanian program to Nine Now…I suspect they will and that’s a game changer. I can’t remember the last time I watched ABC News live, but consume it almost nightly via IView. Something 7Tas just can’t match. Yes they do a youtube upload, but its just not quite the same.
Anyway, thanks for the effort NEC, and welcome to Tassie! Let the news games begin…
6:00 6 O’Clock
6:30 WIN National News (kind of like what Seven Regional does now)
7:00 ACA
Yes they will care. If Nine goes out to events around Tassie (for weather) people will come. People love getting onto TV at events around the country. I was at the Royal Melbourne Show the other day and there was around 50 people all standing behind Livinia, with people trying to get photos and talking to her. Also, people grabbed Nine hats (I unfortunately couldn’t get one) and one person even went on Jane Bunn’s weather with the Nine hat on (see Seven News Content and Apperance)
Like I said, even having the newsreader at the Hobart Royal Show for example would be a great idea, showing “We at Nine love Tasmania and the Hobart Royal Show, as well as the community”. For example Brett could be sitting at the news desk that Perth used for the Royal Perth Show (see my previous post) with people behind the glass watching themselves be on TV at the Hobart Royal Show. Things like that will help ratings of their bulletin and show a real community sense compared to Seven.
I hope so, but I do not think it will happen if NBN News/Nine News Darwin are not on 9Now. If they both go on the service I could see Nine News Tasmania with the other news services.
I agree. Nine would be STUPID to not include him. Getting someone from interstate or having the newsreader read sport is just plain dumb. He is very active on social media (like Peter Hitchener/Mal Walden and other familiar faces). The ONLY exception to have the News/sport presenter the same is if it is Brett Costelloe.
I don’t think there needs to be that much changing the backdrop for the north south feel. If the bulletin FEELS local it doesn’t matter if it’s a backdrop of Hobart - they can throw in other local images in other areas like the returning from breaks like 7 does.
The weather can simply have the send your photos in, I know WIN does that but it feels pretty half hearted and basic but make it something where people send them in or a video recorded from elsewhere in the state of the sunrise/sunset etc… As long as they’re not all Hobart ones that’ll be fine. Southern Cross used to have the webcam of the Hobart skyline which 7 used to use too, that one made it feel less localised because they got rid of the statewide shots from the reporters/videos etc… Now they just don’t have anything.
As for local events, 7 already does sporting broadcasts from big sporting events eg at York Park or Bellerive so they could be done but really it’s just making sure that all the events get a good focus - e.g. Burnie Show today, the opening of the Novotel Hotel in Devonport coming up soon or the new Devonport to Geelong sailings of the Spirit of Tasmania etc… No relevance to Hobart but with population still like a 50/50 split between north and south, they do need to have coverage of both.
WIN Television is currently advertising for a full time Weather Presenter. Adam Straney has only been in the role since January.
WIN is having a lot of trouble attracting and retaining personnel at the moment and has some absolutely scathing employer reviews describing the management and company culture as “poor” and “archaic”.
I very much doubt the people in regional areas would like that. Remembering there was a outcry against axed news bulletins in 2001, it could lead to the government making stiffer rules mandating local news in certain areas if WIN pressed ahead with reducing hews to noodle updates