Channel 10 is going back to the future by reinstating local news, but not everyone will be happy about how they’re doing it.
Rumours have been circulating that Channel 10 is about to reintroduce local news in Adelaide and now TV Blackbox can confirm those rumours are true.
But it’s not local news as we know it.
Back in August 2020 it was revealed 10 had axed the local editions of 10 News First in Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.
As TV Blackbox revealed at the time, presentation of the Adelaide bulletin had moved to Melbourne while Brisbane and Perth had moved to Sydney.
Our report at the time explained how the hosts of the Sydney and Melbourne bulletins would appear in other states at the same time:
According to our sources, the first segment for Adelaide and Brisbane will be recorded at 4pm Melbourne/Sydney time. This means reporters will be in position for live crosses and local stories will need to be edited in time for the recording.
At 5pm Melbourne and Sydney will go live as Adelaide and Brisbane play the recorded first segment to air. This means the Adelaide recording will go to air 90 minutes after the start of recording due to the fact Adelaide is 30 minutes behind Melbourne.
From the start of segment two, Adelaide and Brisbane will join the live feed from Melbourne and Sydney respectively, with a mix of news that can travel between states.
Ratings for each bulletin have suffered dramatically since then and it has led to a rethink in the strategy.
Martin White, 10’s Head of Broadcast News, has convinced executives to return local news to Adelaide.
Plans are well underway and TV Blackbox can reveal Adelaide weather presenter Kate Freebairn will present the new stand-alone bulletin when it launches.
But she will do so from Sydney.
While 10’s new Adelaide bulletin will be truly local in content, it will be switched and presented out of Sydney.
Freebairn survived the big shakeup in August 2020 and moved to Melbourne to present weather for both the South Australian and Victorian editions of 10 News First.
She will now be the face for 10’s experiment with localism, albeit from another state.
If the local-ish version improves ratings, 10 will consider doing the same for the Brisbane market.
*Channel 10 has been approached for comment
