Hunter and Central Coast communities are set to lose a significant share of their local television news coverage, after WIN Network announced it will halve NBN News’ nightly bulletin and scrap weekend local news entirely.
Under the changes, the longstanding one-hour weeknight bulletin will be reduced to just 30 minutes, Monday to Friday. Weekend bulletins will be cut altogether, with content instead sourced from Sydney. The announcement has drawn swift condemnation from local federal politicians, who say the decision betrays a commitment to regional journalism.
Member for Shortland Pat Conroy described the cuts as a kick in the guts for the region.
“From the 1989 Newcastle earthquake to the Knights’ first grand final win, the huge storms that saw the Pasha Bulker run aground or more recently the landslides in New Lambton, NBN has been a strong local voice and a crucial source of information for local communities,” he said.
“It’s simply not acceptable that the people across our region will no longer have a weekend news bulletin and will only get half a bulletin during the week.”
Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi went further, accusing WIN of breaking its promises to regional communities.
“WIN promised a future for regional journalism and instead, they’re cutting local news, axing weekend bulletins and putting local jobs at risk,” he said.
“You cannot claim to back regional communities while stripping away the very news service those communities rely on, and WIN must reverse these cuts.”
The changes come just months after WIN Network acquired NBN News, raising questions about the long-term future of locally-produced television news in the Hunter, Newcastle, and Central Coast areas.
