Jobs still lost despite grants to support regional journalism
FoI documents reveal Public Interest News Gathering grants weren't enough to save jobs from vanishing in regional journalism.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Networks let go of regional news staff after receiving grants under the Public Interest News Gathering scheme, designed to protect regional journalism.
Guardian Australia reports those who received $500,000 or more included Nine Entertainment ($4.2m), WIN ($4m), Southern Cross Austereo ($10m), Prime ($4m), Seven Queensland, ($1.8m).
Freedom of Information documents show that almost immediately after applying for PING funds, Nine had to revise its application when it cut the regional news bulletins to 30 minutes and reduced staff. This decision, announced in July 2020, led to a dozen job losses.
Nine announced on 1 July 2021 it was moving back to an affiliation with WIN, and as a consequence was axing the three SCA statewide television news bulletins in regional Queensland, Victoria and NSW.
The change in affiliation meant that 15 new regional newsrooms it created with SCA closed. More than 60 staff in regional newsrooms lost their jobs.
A spokesperson for Nine said the grant in relation to the SCA newsrooms was provided to SCA, not Nine, and that its PING grant was used to support its operations in the NSW Northern Rivers and Darwin, which is counted as regional newsroom.
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2 Responses
I’m a tad confused (at 77 y/o that’s allowed) but “A spokesperson for Nine said the grant in relation to the SCA newsrooms was provided to SCA, not Nine, and that its PING grant was used to support its operations in the NSW Northern Rivers and Darwin”.
What stations does SCA have or had in the “northern rivers (of NSW)? NBN Newcastle has always been the 9 affiliate (since it’s O&O by Nine), Prime from Tamworth is the 7 affiliate, and WIN owns the 10 affiliate stations in northern NSW. SCA soldHow can SCA justify $10M when Prime and WIN (only) claimed $4M each. What “news” does SCA provide other than a very poor “update” of yesterday’s news in 20-30 seconds now and then, produced in Launceston? SCA sold NRN & RTN to WIN in May 2017. tvtonight.com.au/2017/05/win-completes-deal-for-southern-cross-northern-nsw.html
Let the propaganda begin.