A WIN network decision to shut down four newsrooms has been branded a "devastating blow" for regional journalism.
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Late on Wednesday staff in four newsrooms in NSW and Queensland were called into meetings and heard their jobs would be gone by the end of next week.
Newsrooms at Orange-Dubbo, Albury, Wagga Wagga and Queensland's Wide Bay (which covers Hervey Bay and Bundaberg) that produce weekday bulletins will be shut down on June 28, sources close to the broadcaster said.
The camera operators, editors, and journalists from four WIN newsrooms were told that they wouldn't have a job to return to from next Friday 28th.
The closures will affect 35 to 40 staff, including casuals, across the local television news services, with some likely to be redeployed within the network.
A WIN spokeswoman said the organisation's commitment to Illawarra news and content remained unchanged when asked if jobs would be affected in the Wollongong newsroom.
It is understood the half-hour weekday news broadcasts will be replaced by 90-second bulletins in some markets - likely produced in the network's Wollongong studio.
"WIN intends to produce multiple daily news updates with news from each local area for the markets of Orange/Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Wide Bay and Albury," the spokeswoman said. "These will air Monday to Friday."
A statement from the WIN Network blamed the closures on "the commercial viability of funding news in these areas".
"In our other markets, nothing has changed," the statement read.
It added the network "remains committed to local news" but would "continue to review its operating model to ensure the ongoing success of the business".
WIN Central West journalist Alison Dance was among those who took to social media following the announcement.
"A devastating blow for regional Australia, WIN News closing four regional newsrooms," she posted to Twitter.
Her colleague in the Central West, Annabelle Amos said it was a sad day for regional news.
"The camera operators, editors, and journalists from four WIN newsrooms were told that they wouldn't have a job to return to from next Friday 28th," she posted to Twitter.
"It's a sad day for regional news, but we will push on and go out with a bang."
Last year, WIN moved its Tasmanian news bulletin to Wollongong, cutting its staff from 18 to nine.
