Ten is making major changes to its news division, resulting in a round of redundancies including Studio Ten presenters Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling, and weatherman Tim Bailey.
The final number of jobs to go isn’t clear, but journalists, TV crews and presenters will be affected.
As part of the restructure, the presentation of the 90-minute 10 News First bulletins at 5pm weekdays will be centralised in Sydney and Melbourne.
The Sydney, Brisbane and Perth bulletins to be presented in Sydney, while the Melbourne and Adelaide bulletins will be presented in Melbourne.
The changes are expected to take place from September 14, with Ten saying it will still employ local reporters, news crews and operation staff to produce the stories.
Ten is also replacing all weather presenters with a national presenter.
Ross Dagan, network director of news content, says the changes are “painful” but reflect the state of the media industry.
“The decision to make these changes was a very difficult one and I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our friends and colleagues who will leave the network,” Dagan says.
“It is in no way a reflection of their talent, contribution or passion. They are exceptionally gifted people. We are incredibly proud of them and their work. There is no doubt they will be missed.”
Studio 10 will continue to air weekdays from 8am to 12pm. The national weekend bulletins and The Project will not be impacted by the changes.
“These decisions are not being made lightly, however, they are essential to future-proofing our business,” says Beverley McGarvey, ViacomCBS AUNZ chief content officer and EVP.
It’s a further cut to Ten’s news department after the broadcaster closed its digital platform 10 Daily in May.
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