Prime TV to stop rural broadcasts
Wednesday July 14, 2010
Prime Television’s future in regional areas is under threat according to a report in The Australian newspaper on Monday.
According to former Prime Television
Orange journalist and communications adviser Rod Bruem, Prime Television Orange looks set to “fall victim” to the digital switchover.
Mr Bruem said Prime Television has announced it cannot afford to upgrade its Orange and Wagga Wagga studios and will instead close them.
Cobar’s Prime Television channel is broadcast from Orange, with the local news based in Orange.
According to Mr Bruem’s report, the week night half hour news broadcast is currently all that remains of local content for the channel, and this is set to be replaced with a broadcast out of Canberra, with small news teams to be based in areas such as Orange and Wagga Wagga.
Prime Television is yet to officially announce its plans for digital broadcasting to Cobar, however it has been feared that the station is not planning to upgrade its broadcast equipment for Cobar.
Former Prime Television sports broadcaster Ross Larsen said it would be sad for the local channel to fold.
“Other news media is filling the void to some degree but the great thing about regional TV in its heyday was the coverage it gave to happenings in really small communities that people loved,” Mr Larsen said.
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