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Govt to begin meetings with network bosses

Canberra will begin meetings with network bosses, after signalling media reforms are on the agenda.

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Newly-installed Communications Minister Mitch Fifield will start meetings with TV industry bosses from October 12th.

The dialogue follows the Turnbull government signalling media reforms are on the agenda, possibly without industry consensus.

The Australian Financial Review reports Regional networks are recommending a clause be added to their licenses requiring any potential buyer must maintain current local content output.

While Southern Cross is close to the 18 minutes a day, of minimum local news, while Prime and WIN TV both exceed the minimum required of them. The The Save Our Voices campaign, which also includes Imparja, has argued media reform will save regional news -which has also been trimmed by some broadcasters under current regulation.

Seven boss Tim Worner has previously branded the campaign a scare campaign to enable them to “sell out at the highest price.”

WIN is reportedly considering closing further news services in Queensland unless there are changes that allow them to compete more effectively.

8 Responses

  1. “Regional networks are recommending a clause be added to their licenses requiring any potential buyer must maintain current local content output”

    I would say any clause should enforce an increase in local content output and some level of regional employment! As Jason said the 18 minutes that Southern Cross Ten put out each day is barely fulfilling the local content quota it’s just recycled material from other sources. They’re not employing any news staff out in the regions it’s just remote control from a green screen studio in Canberra. Prime isn’t much better but at least they do put together half-hour bulletins in their former heritage markets.

  2. “Southern Cross is close to the 18 minutes a day, of minimum local news” – made up by constantly repeating the same 30-secs/2-sentences of “news” taken from yesterdays local newspaper and ABC radio, several times per hour. In their “Save Our Voices” propaganda-commercials Southern Cross has to use WIN clips, complete with WIN mic. flags as they have nothing from anywhere to call their own.

  3. Each area should have at least one of the channels doing local news like NBN does for Newcastle. Don’t see the need for all 3 especially seeing how much smaller the regional markets are compared to 5 city.

    1. Regional Stations need to service the region not just be relay stations of main stream city stations. This means they report on local news, current affairs and sport/events. If not then let’s just stream the channels from Sydney and through smart software add in the commercials for the various towns as they do with radio stations.

  4. All the TV execs arrive in their private jets, each one carrying a begging bowl and saying “protect us from competition or we will use screenmail to get what we want!”

  5. Very true, not sure what the fuss is , my relatives are on the central coast , nsw, minimal local content, if any, just the same programs as the Sydney stations, which is where i am based, still dont understand why the catch up services are geo blocked on freeview plus devises as well by the regional stations !,?, so only iview and SBS avaliable there ?!

  6. I live in regional NSW after living in Sydney. Apart from some news services, and a few Lil program changes, l don’t see much difference. None of the stations broadcast local sport or events and generally what is shown in the cities is shown in the country. Apart from the local adverts what do the regional stations Offer?

    1. “None of the stations broadcast local sport or events”. No, unfortunately not any more. No more local sports, kids, women’s, music programs. Aggregation killed local TV, as Bob Hawke was warned would happen.

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