Channel Nine axes its Darwin news bulletin

The move likely foreshadows further job cuts in Nine’s newsrooms across the country, as the company looks to trim its expenses within its TV news division in 2025.

Nine Entertainment acting chief executive officer Matt Stanton.

Nine Entertainment has axed its nightly local news bulletin in Darwin, in a dramatic cost-cutting move that has been described as the “death of media” in the Northern Territory capital.

Newsroom staff were informed of the closure on Wednesday afternoon. The decision to axe the local 6pm news service is effective immediately, meaning last night’s local Darwin bulletin was the final one.

The decision affects eleven newsroom roles, with most of those employees to be redeployed in other divisions of Nine’s business in the NT.

In other changes, Nine’s nightly bulletin on the Gold Coast will shift from a dual presenter format to a single anchor.

One insider told The Australian that the announcement represented the “death of media” in NT.

But another source said the cuts were inevitable, as both the Darwin and Gold Coast operations were carrying too much fat and can easily be absorbed by other parts of the business.

The move likely foreshadows further job cuts in Nine’s newsrooms across the country, as the company looks to trim its expenses within its TV news division in 2025.

Fiona Dear, director of news and current affairs at Nine. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

As a result of the changes, Nine’s viewers in the NT will receive the local Queensland bulletin seven nights a week. The Queensland bulletin previously aired in the NT on weekends only.

In a statement, a Nine spokesperson said: “Nine has today communicated some regional TV news changes to its team as part of its strategic transformation program.

“These difficult yet necessary decisions ensure Nine is able to withstand external challenges, while maintaining a commitment to both the Northern Territory and Gold Coast regions.

“9News remains the only free-to-air and bespoke news bulletin on the Gold Coast, while in Darwin we will retain a reporter and camera operator on the ground to tell the Territory’s stories to a national audience.

“Through redeployment opportunities and current vacancies, Nine has significantly reduced the number of people impacted by this decision and we are supporting those employees through this process.”

In an email to staff on Wednesday, Nine’s director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear said the cutbacks were “in no way reflective of the calibre of talent, professionalism or dedication of the Darwin or Gold Coast newsrooms”.

“Nine remains committed to the Northern Territory. We will retain a reporter and camera operator on the ground whose sole focus will be to tell the Territory’s stories to a national audience via our National News Desk, ultimately giving them more exposure,” Ms Dear said.

“Moving now to the Gold Coast, where 9News remains the only free-to-air bulletin in this region – and that commitment doesn’t change.

“Despite an increase in ratings since Seven’s exit last year, we are required to make this a more efficient operation which means shifting how we produce and present this bulletin.

“We will be moving to a single presenter format, with Eva Milic and Paul Taylor splitting this responsibility across the week. While addressing workflows to avoid duplication, we are also required to reduce the number of camera operators at the bureau along with a producer position.”

Nine Entertainment will release its half-yearly financial results on February 25.

It’s widely expected that the company’s interim chief executive officer Matt Stanton – Nine’s former chief financial officer – will be formally appointed to the CEO role in the weeks prior to the results announcement.

At 2.15pm on Wednesday, Nine’s share price was trading at $1.35, up two cents on its overnight close.

Nine’s share price has fallen 31 per cent in the past year.