Job loss fears at NBN News as WIN cuts local bulletin in half

There are fears of further cuts to journalism in northern NSW, following changes to the delivery of local NBN News bulletins. 

What’s changing: From Saturday June 27, NBN’s locally-produced 6pm weekend news services will be replaced by Nine News bulletins, with a focus on national and international news. 

From the following Monday, NBN’s 6pm weeknight news bulletins will be shortened from one hour to 30 minutes, and will begin from 5:30pm. 

A Nine News bulletin will follow from 6pm. 

The changes come after Nine sold NBN Television to the WIN Network for $15m in late January, as part of a broader restructuring of media assets.

Job losses expected: NBN News has produced a local news bulletin for more than 60 years.

As a result of the programming changes, NBN staff are expecting significant job losses.

NBN Television currently employs more than 20 news and sport reporters across the Central Coast, Hunter, Mid North Coast, Northern Tablelands and North Coast, plus additional camera operators. 

One source within the organisation, who wishes to protect their anonymity, said staff were told the bulletin changes were a “financial decision to remain viable”.

• “[WIN said] from their research the market wasn’t concerned about it being an hour-long, seven night a week bulletin,” the source told the Mid North Coaster. 

Sign of the times: While mourning the potential loss of “incredibly important” local journalism, former NBN newsreader Gavin Morris - now the Lord Mayor of Newcastle - said the move is a reflection of a “changing climate” for media outlets.

• “Local news is so incredibly important and it's slowly been eroding away now for many years,” Morris said.
  
  “If there's no advertising dollars to support those local news outlets, there's not enough money there to pay the staff, and therefore these reductions have to occur.
  
  “It's very, very sad for the industry.”

Morris, who worked at NBN for 16 years until he was made redundant in 2025, agreed that more job losses are “likely”.

• “You'd have to assume it's all about cost-cutting and continually making these establishments more and more efficient, and sadly that comes at the cost of jobs.” 

The alternative perspective: Rather than a loss for regional journalism, WIN Network Chief Executive Andrew Lancaster said in a statement the changes represent an “important investment” in local news delivery.

• “Regional communities value strong local journalism and local storytelling, and that remains central to our strategy for NBN,” Lancaster 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 New South Wales.”

In a statement, a WIN representative insisted the new 30-minute bulletins would focus "entirely on local news", opposed to a one-hour program including national and international stories. 

Calls for protection: Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold has called on WIN management to publicly commit to no forced redundancies and no reductions in local news crews. 

• “WIN now has a responsibility to demonstrate that its acquisition of NBN Television will strengthen local journalism, not weaken it,” Penfold said. 

Image credit: NBN News.