I'm a regular viewer of free-to-air television. You might ask, "why, when there's Netflix and so many other options?" To be honest, I couldn't give you an outright answer as for why I do, but I guess its because of the mindset that was instilled to us from an early age; press the button on the remote and see what's 'on the box' so to speak. Maybe it's the perceived, 'convenience' of it? Who knows. I tune in to WIN News every weeknight at 5.30pm, often while eating my dinner, and get my daily fix of pre-recorded news reports, which in some cases, are outdated by the time they make it to air. It sounds strange, right? I wouldn't blame you for thinking so!
Let me ask you a question. Who would be the type of person who would come to mind if you were to think of a free-to-air viewer? An elderly pensioner? Someone who's computer illiterate? If those two things didn't come to mind, it's likely that you at least thought of someone over the age of 55.
I'm in my early 20s. I personally don't fit the 'stereotypical' mold of a free-to-air viewer in 2021. That isn't to suggest that there aren't other young people who choose to watch their local news bulletin, of course, but it points to an increasing trend that free-to-air is no longer the dominant medium for consuming news...and it hasn't been for a long time. The fact that we subconsciously skew more towards thinking of an older person when asked who the "stereotypical free-to-air viewer" would be, shows that the tides are changing. It's largely irrelevant for a huge percentage of our population, both young and old. Sitting down to watch the "6.30 news", as Skyhooks sang about, is seen as an outdated and foreign concept in the fragmented, social-media driven world of 2021.
This is especially the case now during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world has always functioned on a 24/7 news cycle, but since the pandemic began back in March last year, this has gone into overdrive. Our entire livelihoods can change at what seems like a flick of a switch. Trades people in Sydney never would have predicted on Friday that they would be out of work for the next two weeks. Mildura was COVID-19-free just yesterday, but now they're dealing with their first local case in over a year. Localised, regional news bulletins were arguably already redundant well before the pandemic started, but now they are even more so. People are getting their news while scrolling through social media on their iPhone or tablet device, not from waiting until 5.30pm to watch a prerecorded bulletin.
I'll be honest when I say this; when the news broke back in May that WIN had axed nine local news bulletins, I felt indifferent about it. Sure, I don't like to see people lose their jobs through no fault of their own and struggle to put food on the table, especially in these times, but we're kidding ourselves if we believe that these bulletins continue to remain important to their regional communities. We're in 2021, not 1971.
Someone in Griffith, for instance, is no worse off than an office worker on George Street when it comes to accessing local news. You could make that point for any area that at least has internet access and a local newspaper. I'm all in favour of maintaining local news in regional areas, but we also need to see things from an objective point of view. The numbers don't stack up. Not only are many of the regional bulletins unprofitable, but they don't sustain high enough, viewing numbers to warrant them continuing to be produced. The days of the entire family sitting in front of the television set to watch the news are over.
Local news is still out there and always will be; it's just that the way in which we access it has changed. I'm personally in a Facebook group which is based on news items relevant to my suburb. It has 2,000 members, which, for a suburb of about 7,000 people, is quite impressive. I have access to announcements and events that are relevant to my actual suburb, all at the touch of a fingertip. It's more 'local' than anything that WIN News or Prime7 News, for instance, would ever be able to dish up. Two of my friends, both of whom are the same age as me and can't even remember the last time they watched a show on free-to-air, are just as well informed of major local news stories as I am. They know about the latest COVID-19 alerts in the area, the latest news about the M1 Princes Motorway extension etc. Yet, they haven't watched the local news bulletin on TV for years.
Regional TV news bulletins are a dead horse; the funds simply aren't there to improve the product and make it a viable production going forward. There's more that could be done. The format of NBN News works, as it combines local news reports (relevant to each area) with national and international headlines. It's existence is justified. Local news bulletins (e.g WIN News) could be uploaded in full onto catch-up streaming services, but when the viewership numbers are as low as they are on free-to-air TV, is there even a demand for this? Who's going to sit and watch a 30-minute bulletin when they could be informed of the same news reports on Facebook?
The main point i'm making is that given how dependent we are on social media and how interconnected our society is, regional viewers are not 'missing out' on local news with the axing of these bulletins. The monoculture is gone. It's dead and buried. However, that isn't too say local news is no longer around. It has simply taken a different form to what it did half a century ago.
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