Nine Brings Back Regional News Bulletins In Half-Hour Format, While Around A Dozen Positions Are Set To Go

Nine Brings Back Regional News Bulletins In Half-Hour Format, While Around A Dozen Positions Are Set To Go
Ally Burnie
By Ally Burnie
SHARE
THIS



Nine is set to bring back its regional news bulletins in half-hour formats after suspending the bulletins amid COVID-19.

Earlier this year in the wake of the pandemic, Nine replaced its regional news bulletins with metro bulletins during the initial months of the crisis.

B&T understands there will be redundancies as a result of the changes – around a dozen positions – however larger cuts have been able to be avoided thanks to the help of the government’s recent regional funding.

Managing director of Nine QLD & Nine Northern NSW Kylie Blucher flagged the changes to the current structure of Nine’s regional news broadcasts in regional Queensland, Southern New South Wales and regional Victoria in an email to staff.

She wrote: “For the past three years, Nine has produced a one-hour bulletin under the brand of Nine News for the Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) regional television markets across the aforementioned regions.

“In the wake of COVID-19, we then moved to statewide bulletins where we recorded no detrimental shifts in audience ratings during that time compared to last year.

“With that as a foundation, we have come to the decision to restructure our bulletins permanently for our regional audiences.

Blucher said she was “conscious of the impact of [the] restructure” and how it will impact individual people.

She added: “However, the unprecedented advertising and economic downturn has prompted a review of the functional effectiveness while ensuring our bulletins remain commercially sustainable.”

The new format will commence from Monday August 10 and will see a local bulletin air each day, Monday to Friday, at 5.30pm for half-an-hour and lead directly into the state-based metro bulletin at 6pm.

Blucher said the restructure will not only offer Nine’s regional media partner SCA local news content but also protect the well-rating metro news bulletin nightly at 6pm. She added Nine will continue to service its SCA license obligations for regional Australia.

Daily news updates will also be produced in support of the regional news supplementing the daily bulletins.

Blucher also flagged redundancies to the tune of around a dozen.  

“Regrettably, this change will have an impact on some of our staff – and in total we expect a little over a dozen roles to be impacted – in these regional markets and we are in the process of pursuing alternate opportunities across the business, where possible, for those individuals impacted.”

 

 

Please login with linkedin to comment

Nine

Latest News

Eyeota Enhances Reach And Targeting Precision For RDA Research
  • Marketing

Eyeota Enhances Reach And Targeting Precision For RDA Research

Leading Australian market research data brand, RDA Research, provides actionable consumer intelligence to help businesses inform decision making and growth strategies. RDA Research wanted to make its unique consumer data available for addressable digital targeting and required a data onboarding partner to help activate their data in an online environment.

Enthral Strengthens Journalistic DNA By Hiring Channel 7 Reporter Sean Sowerby
  • Media

Enthral Strengthens Journalistic DNA By Hiring Channel 7 Reporter Sean Sowerby

Storytelling agency Enthral has appointed Channel 7 reporter and sports presenter Sean Sowerby as its new senior PR and content manager in Melbourne. Sowerby (pictured) started his award-winning career at 3AW before spending more than 15 years in television. Enthral founder and manager director, Cameron Smith, spoke of the significance of Sowerby joining the agency. […]

Blis Puts Its CEO In The Desert In Clever New “Data Drought” Ad
  • Campaigns
  • Technology

Blis Puts Its CEO In The Desert In Clever New “Data Drought” Ad

Ever since Google first announced it would be getting rid of third-party cookies on Chrome, digital advertising businesses have been actively sharing their plans for life after cookies. And now programmatic advertising company Blis might have come up with the most creative way to get the message across, in a new video which sees company […]

Agency Icon Sweeps The SABRE Awards
  • Marketing
  • Media

Agency Icon Sweeps The SABRE Awards

Integrated Melbourne agency Icon has taken top honours in the 2021 SABRE Awards, winning the coveted Australasian Consultancy of the Year for 2021 along with a host of category and craft awards. Icon led a large field of Australian agencies with a total of three major and seven minor awards, including gold in the cause-related […]

Former Agency Execs Launch Car Service Summon
  • Marketing
  • Media

Former Agency Execs Launch Car Service Summon

Former agency executives Tim O’Neill and Tim Fouhy have launched the auto technology startup Summon. Australia’s first full e-commerce service for prestige cars. O’Neill and Fouhy both founded Reactive, a digital agency, which was bought by Accenture in 2016. Following the deal, O’Neill and Fouhy ended up leading the company’s digital marketing arm, Accenture Interactive before […]