Regional network WIN has announced that it will be relocating production of its Canberra WIN News bulletin to the company’s headquarters in Wollongong from next Monday, 1 July.

The change has been triggered by the departure of local presenters Danielle Post (to Nine News in Sydney), Greg Thomson (to Sky News) and Gemma Coombe (to Seven).

WIN News currently employs three reporters in Canberra. It is expected that some production staff will lose their jobs but no reporters or camera operators will be made redundant.

WIN’s Canberra studios, based in the suburb of Kingston, have been producing local news since the network launched there in 1989.  WIN is the only of the three commercial networks to produce a full-scale local news bulletin to Canberra.  Rival networks Prime7 and Southern Cross Ten only provide pre-recorded news updates from Canberra-based facilities that service markets across multiple states.

ABC News‘ Canberra bulletin is presented locally.

Canberra Centenary director and former WIN news director Jeremy Lasek said local presenters play a vital role in the local community:

“They are actively involved, not just as the face of the local news bulletin,  but as committed Canberrans that get involved in great activities and events… I  think it’s sad to lose that connection with the local community, but that being  said, it seems to be the way of news.”

WIN last year axed local news services in regional South Australia and Western Australia.  The company has also recently announced the sale of its Nine Network station in Adelaide and conditional sale of its Perth station.

Source: Canberra Times