WIN claims to be committed to local news

The WIN Network is remaining committed to its staff in the wake of a decision to close two newsrooms in its stable, comments the regional broadcaster in a statement.

Staff in Mildura and Mackay were told on Thursday that WIN would work to redeploy them within the network as the company ceases to run a local bulletin in their markets because of commercial viability factors.
WIN Network CEO Andrew Lancaster said while it was a tough decision for the company that prides itself on its regional reach to close the newsrooms, the current economies of the media sector demanded a change in focus of news delivery.

“As regional Australia’s most prolific producer of local news bulletins, WIN remains committed to local news across the majority of our markets. But in a media environment that has its challenges and is faced with constantly increasing program supply and infrastructure costs as well as a lack of regulatory reform, we need to continue to review our operating model to ensure the ongoing success of WIN as a business,” he said.

“Our first priority will be working with the staff impacted by the closures to redeploy them into other roles across the network.”