Regional news overhaul on way from WIN, Nine and Sky News Australia
Regional television viewers are about to see a drastic overhaul that will result in new channels emerging and the rollout of statewide news bulletins.
Regional television viewers are about to see a drastic overhaul that will result in new channels emerging and the rollout of statewide news bulletins.
From Thursday, viewers in the regions will see a change to their services as the repartnering of Bruce Gordon’s WIN and Nine Entertainment begins.
The move will also see WIN broadcast Channel 9 programs across its regional network throughout southern NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia and will broadcast into 19 regions. The changes will not include the northern NSW television market.
Under the changes WIN will also axe their local news bulletins and move to statewide bulletins.
A WIN spokeswoman said the local news will be gathered by reporters spread across each state and then collated into the weeknightly 30-minute bulletins.
“In each statewide news bulletin, viewers will see locally-gathered regional stories in the WIN news bulletin they are watching,” she said.
“WIN will have an increase in news bureaus across its network with additional news gathering resources in Hervey Bay, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Griffith and Mackay.”
Viewers will see the local news bulletins shift to air half-an-hour earlier at 5.30pm in Queensland, southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
The only WIN news locations that will continue to deliver viewers their own fully local bulletins will be in Wollongong, Canberra and Tasmania.
But despite the changes, for many news staff their futures remain in limbo as a result of the WIN and Nine affiliation.
“Redeployment within the network is being offered so the changes to staffing levels will not be known until mid-August,” the WIN spokeswoman said.
Nine’s director of sales of television and radio Richard Hunwick said the joint partnership will allow “great national reach which comes with the WIN regional network”.
Other big changes to regional news includes Sky News Australia and Southern Cross Austereo delivering a channel that will include news, sport and commentary to many of the nation’s regional locations from August 1.
The new channel will be available on Channel 56 across 17 of SCA’s regional markets including the Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Cairns, southern NSW and Canberra, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Ballarat and Bendigo.
The channel will feature some of Sky’s best-known talents including primetime hosts Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt, Alan Jones and Paul Murray.
Sky will continue a relationship with WIN that will see the new Sky Channel appear on the WIN channel 53 in northern NSW, channel 83 in Griffith, NSW, as well as in South Australia.
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