The Illawarra’s WIN News bulletin will shift to the prime-time slot of 6pm from July 1, as part of the television network’s shake-up of programming.
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WIN revealed last month it would end a 30-year association with Nine and air Channel Ten programs instead. The future of its regional news bulletins was announced on Thursday.
The move will see the hour-long TEN Eyewitness News air on WIN’s primary channel from 5pm, with local news bulletins – on regional networks in Queensland, southern NSW, Victoria and the ACT – to follow at 6pm.
In order to air the news in the prime-time slot, Channel Ten game show Family Feud has been relegated to channels Eleven and One, but will air at the same time (6pm).
Popular news and current affairs program The Project will be shown on WIN’s main channel and retains its current slot (6.30pm-7.30pm).
WIN TV news director Stella Lauri stressed the network’s 16 regional bulletins across Australia would continue in their current form and the time slot was the only change.
“It’s a 100 per cent local half-hour news service,” Ms Lauri said.
“Our product remains the same, the news brand remains the same. Our emphasis is on regional news, local news, community-based news; that’s our brand and that’s what we remain.”
Programming changes were concentrated on maintaining local news bulletins, dubbed by Ms Lauri as “the jewel in the WIN crown”, despite the fact they generate little revenue.
“News doesn’t make money, but you go out to the market and you tell people you have a half-hour news service and that’s very attractive [for advertisers] to buy into that,” she said.
Ten’s executive news director John Choueifate said WIN owner Bruce Gordon was “adamant he wanted to maintain a local news bulletin” and “wouldn’t have it any other way”.
“At whatever cost, he didn’t care, he wanted a local news bulletin to run in the regions because that’s what people wanted,” Mr Choueifate said.
Asked about maintaining news ratings against Family Feud, Ms Lauri wasn’t fazed.
“Every household is used to coming home and watching WIN News. We just need to educate them that the time slot has now moved to six and that’s all there is to it really; there’s nothing that will change in terms of content,” she said.
The program changes begin on July 1. Viewers won’t need to re-scan their TV.
WIN’S NEW-LOOK WEEKNIGHTS
- 5pm: TEN Eyewitness News
- 6pm: WIN News
- 6.30pm: The Project