I probably have to agree with @TheHubMan and the idea to do a composite bulletin for each aggregated market with pre-recorded local content windows + live state, national & international content using the resources of Ten and/or Sky News.
Any really important Breaking News (which aside from the larger regional cities, I assume rarely happens after 5pm with many country towns basically shutting up for the night around then) from regional areas could possibly be shown during the region-wide windows.
A few years back, I seem to recall someone who was (then, since left) at Prime7 saying to me on Twitter that the North West/Coast bulletins would still have content decisions made in Tamworth back when the presentation moved to Canberra in April 2015. But less than six months later, a number of senior news editors and bulletin directors were axed including Tamworth-based content decision making positions for Prime7âs North West/Coast bulletins which I can only presume are now done out of Canberra.
Of course WIN will still need to have reporters/camera crews based in Tasmania if theyâre to effectively report on Tasmanian news stories, but whatâs to say that the news director or editorial positions wonât be centralised at some point in the future if WIN decides itâs cheaper to get Wollongong-based staff monitoring Tasmanian news outlets online?
Great article from the ABC, although it was particularly interesting to see them use a tweet from Jayne Azzopardi: Former WIN News reporter (NSW, but still) and current reporter/presenter at Channel Nine Sydney!
No mention on tonightâs Southern Cross News about WINâs demise of local news production, judging by their YouTube video of tonightâs bulletin (which covers only Tasmanian stories).
It seemed to be ABC breaking the news first last night, I wonder if they also got it a bit quicker since they share the same building as WIN does now in Hobart after WIN and TDT Ten/Nine moved in a few years ago. Maybe they should just move Southern Cross down there too and make it the TV and radio hub for Hobart!
Speaking of the ABC, youâd have to imagine that Media Watch will most likely have a story about the WIN News Tasmania cutbacks on next weekâs program?
If so, I really hope that among the expected dissection of the media coverage thereâll also be a brief mention of what the ratings for WIN News Tasmania have been recently. Hopefully the soon to be Hobart-turned-Wollongong produced bulletin is/was outrating the TDT broadcasts of Nine News Melbourne, because itâd be pretty sad if it was revealed that more Tasmanians prefer to get their news from Peter Hitchener (as great of a newsreader he is) over Lucy Breaden!
Slightly off topic but hopefully Nine can use opportunity to launch a Tasmanian bulletin with Jo Hall
(just like Darwin and Canberra). That way Nine can extend their reach and have a chance at denting WINâs fragmented audience.
If WIN News Tasmania is already struggling in the ratings, the establishment of Nine News Tasmania (a bulletin that would probably be even more appealing to viewers than Melbourneâs most popular TV news) would surely be the last thing Bruce Gordon & co would like to see happen!
And I guess that to make Nine News Tasmania happen, one news department must face the axe, as well. But Iâll hold my breath on that first and discuss it on another thread, as always.
The idea of Nine producing a bulletin for Tasmania makes no sense. Nine have affiliation with a supplementary channel. Absolutely no way Southern Cross and WIN would accept spending a 50% affiliation payment for TDT for the benefit of losing viewers from their own loss making news services.
The former WIN Tasmania journalist in that story who claims Sydney and Melbourne residents donât care about local news but Tasmanians do. Fake news. The highest rating programs on a regular basis in Sydney and Melbourne are the news bulletins with a large chunk of local stories, as it is in Tasmania. It just doesnât rate on WIN.