Southern Cross dumps 19 regional radio breakfast shows across Hit Network
Southern Cross has axed 19 regional radio breakfast shows across its Hit Network as part of broader cost cutting across the group during the coronavirus crisis.
The fallout from the coronavirus crisis on Australia’s regional media industry continues with Southern Cross Media axing 19 regional radio breakfast shows across its Hit Network.
Just hours after reporting a 37 per cent drop in annual earnings, Southern Cross said it will rollout statewide radio breakfast shows across Hit’s regional stations in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia from Monday.
The move to one state breakfast show was first implemented in Western Australia about five months ago, a company spokeswoman said.
Southern Cross chief content officer Dave Cameron says the company has “adapted to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 environment and will deliver a different programming model” across its Hit regional network.
“The changes will mean that unfortunately a number of our local breakfast shows will be impacted, and we would like to thank our dedicated and talented people who are affected today by this new approach,” he said in a statement.
Mr Cameron said it is “actively looking for redeployment opportunities for some of these roles”, but some staff will be laid-off. No further details were available as talks with staff continue.
The state-based breakfast shows will “complement” the group’s current breakfast shows in Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Hobart, which won’t be affected, he said.
In addition, Southern Cross will return to local morning announcers across a majority of its regional Hit stations, which were previously nationally networked.
The decision comes after the Morrison government handed out $50m to more than 100 regional publishers and broadcasters, including Southern Cross, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media under its Public Interest News Gathering program following a sharp drop in advertising revenue during COVID-19.
Southern Cross, which owns 98 radio stations, disclosed on Thursday that it received $10m under the government’s PING program.
Hit’s Central Coast breakfast hosts Daniel Gawned and Ash Pollard will be heard across the majority of regional NSW, while its breakfast hosts in Albury, Tim Bolch and Jess Pantou, will be heard across all regional Victorian Hit stations.
Nine Network last month announced it would cut by half its one-hour regional television evening news program on its return on August 10, resulting in the axing of more than 12 regional journalists.
The broadcaster suspended evening news bulletins in regional Queensland, southern NSW and regional Victoria in March at the start of the coronavirus crisis, which were replaced by metropolitan news programs.
News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian, recently shifted 76 of its community and regional newspapers, consisting of 375 journalists, to digital-only titles. It has also closed dozens of titles as part of its publishing restructuring announcement in May.
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