NBN staff are fearing for their jobs following reports the WIN Network will make changes to local news bulletins this month.
It’s understood weekend programming will be slashed altogether from 27 June, with the much-loved hour-long nightly broadcasts also undergoing an overhaul from 29 June.
Sources say the latter is expected to go to air at 5.30pm, followed by Sydney-based Nine News at 6pm.
That diminishes the local coverage by 30 minutes per day.
Already, Hunter politicians have expressed their dismay.
“For years, NBN has been producing high-quality local news for Newcastle and the Hunter,” Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said.
“So, it is incredibly disappointing to hear that it’ll be cut to just 30 minutes.
“Weekend bulletins are going, too.
“As well as limiting access to local stories, NBN employs many great local journalists whose jobs are now on the line.
“This is a dreadful Sydney-centric decision by the WIN Network.”
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, admitted it was a “sad day” for the local media landscape.
“Although we’ve heard a rumour or two [after the sale], I think most of us are shocked,” they said.
“So much work goes into what we do.
“And, the area we cover is expansive… people throughout the Hunter need to be kept abreast of news that relates to them.
“So, how will lessening resources/services make it better for our audience?”
City of Newcastle Lord Mayor and former presenter Gavin Morris weighed in on the issue, too.
“I cannot emphasis enough the importance of local media telling our stories, from our perspective,” he posted.
“I’m saddened to hear about the loss of the NBN weekend news bulletin and a shortened Monday to Friday bulletin.
“For more than six decades, NBN News – seven days a week at 6pm – has been a part of our lives.
“I enjoyed 16 of those years with a team that has always punched above its weight to deliver an incredible bulletin of local, national and international news and community stories.
“It’s a sad day for local media.”
WIN Network chief executive Andrew Lancaster dismissed any criticism.
“Regional communities value strong local journalism and local storytelling and that remains central to our strategy for NBN,” he said.
“The changes to our weeknight bulletins are designed to deliver more local content, more local stories and a stronger connection to the communities we serve across northern NSW.”
Only last month, the Newcastle Weekly reported that Nine Entertainment shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of NBN Television to the WIN Network.
The move, which also included the acquisition of Territory TV in Darwin, cleared the way for a momentous shift in regional small screen ownership.
Following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) approval, the company’s stakeholders voted 99.82% in favour of the deal.
Only 0.18% opposed it at a general meeting on Thursday 21 May.
The transaction enabled the Bruce Gordon-owned WIN, centred in Wollongong, to pick up Nine’s Newcastle-based NBN, which operates across northern NSW and the Gold Coast, for $14.8 million.
Landing Territory TV added another $500,000 to the price tag.
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