THE worst fears of NBN News staff, former TV veterans and Hunter politicians have been realised as the network confirmed it will cut a swathe of jobs from local newsrooms.
NBN News journalists and camera operators were told at least 19 of them would no longer have jobs across their Newcastle, Central Coast, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth and Lismore newsrooms under a proposed restructure at an all-staff meeting on Thursday at 11am.
The Newcastle newsroom alone will appear to lose five journalists, one presenter and four camera operators under the proposal, a total loss of 10 local jobs.
The changes are expected to take effect from June 29 after a final plan is relayed to staff on Tuesday, June 16.
It is the latest in a raft of sweeping changes to the station media figures have described as a "kick in the guts".
Last week the Newcastle Herald revealed weekend bulletins would be axed and the traditional 6pm news would be replaced with a pre-recorded 30-minute local bulletin at 5.30pm.
The changes come after WIN's takeover last month.
A WIN spokeswoman confirmed a meeting was held with all NBN News staff on Thursday to announce a "new operating restructure" that she said would enable the station to deliver "dedicated, 30-minute local news, sport and weather bulletins each weeknight".
"While the restructure impacts some roles, WIN is prioritising redeployment opportunities across the network and will conduct the process transparently and collaboratively," she said.
"The WIN Network has entered a formal consultation period, inviting employee feedback on the proposal by June 15, 2026."
The spokeswoman said that out of respect for the consultation process no further comment will be made at this time.
Newcastle's newsroom will take the biggest hit across NBN News' northern region under the proposed structure, followed by three roles in Coffs Harbour, two in Tamworth, two in Lismore and two in the Central Coast.
At least six other roles will be slashed, including two mex operators, staff responsible for collating all media and sending it where it needs to go.
Without them, the Herald understands the workload for the remaining camera operators is expected to increase.
There will no longer be an archivist, and hair and makeup will drop from one full-time position to part-time.
About six positions appear to be created including a state news director, two control room operators, and a "TEN" journalist and state producer.
It is unclear if these are entirely new roles or an amalgamation of previous job titles.
A structure flow chart provided to staff did not clearly set out precisely which jobs would be lost, instead describing changes to roles as 'new positions'.
WIN maintains its new 30-minute bulletin will focus exclusively on local news, unlike the one-hour program that includes national and international stories.
"Construction of a new state-of-the-art control room at the NBN Studios in Newcastle will commence shortly, meaning NBN News will be truly produced locally and not from a control room in Brisbane, and opportunities to expand news content to digital platforms are currently being explored," a WIN spokeswoman told the Herald last week.
In the wake of the announcement about changes to the bulletin last week, Hunter-based federal MPs Pat Conroy, Dan Repacholi, Sharon Claydon and Meryl Swanson released a joint statement calling on WIN Network to commit to retaining all local journalists and staff.
At the time, Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery described the decision as a "blow to regional news, local communities and democracy itself".
"This is unfortunately the sad state of news and journalism in this country, profits are put before people and we all miss out," Ms Hornery said.
NBN News veterans like newsreader Paul Lobb have spoken out about the bulletin changes, calling them the next progression in a "death by a thousand cuts".
The news comes as Southern Cross Media (SCM) prepares for mass job cuts, with 250 to 300 roles expected to be slashed this week.
SCM's television, radio, and publishing divisions include the Seven Network, the HIT and Triple M radio networks as well as the West Australian, Sunday Times, and PerthNow.
