Network Ten axing stars Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and weatherman Tim Bailey in sweeping news, weather changes
Stars including Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and weatherman Tim Bailey are expected to leave as part of the changes.
Network Ten is axing more jobs across its television news operations, with all state news to be presented in Sydney and Melbourne with just one national weather presenter.
The Australian understands that Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and weatherman Tim Bailey will be leaving as part of the changes.
There will also be some changes to the presentation of its morning talk show Studio 10 but no specific details were released.
“These painful changes reflect the state of the media industry in recent years and the need for all media companies to achieve new efficiencies,” Ten’s director of news content, Ross Dagan, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“While our viewers in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth will see some on-air changes, we will continue to produce local news and employ local reporters, camera operators and production staff in those cities.”
ViacomCBS’s local content boss Beverley McGarvey said the decisions were “not being made lightly, however, they are essential to future-proofing our business”.
Ten said the changes will result in some on-air presenters, journalists and operations staff leaving the network. No specific details were given on the number of job losses.
The restructuring announcement comes less than three months after Ten’s parent company US media giant ViacomCBS ramped up the integration of its operations in Australia and New Zealand, including the axing of Ten staff and its news and entertainment website 10 Daily.
Under the restructuring of Ten’s news and operations department, the presentation of its 90 minute afternoon news program in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will be in Sydney. The presentation of Ten’s Melbourne and Adelaide’s weekday news bulletins will take place in Melbourne.
Ten will also move to a national weekday weather model, with a new national meteorologist to be announced soon.
Ten said its national weekend bulletins and The Project program won’t be affected by the changes.
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