Pending sale of Australian media giant sparks calls for boost in regional news
Concerns around regional news programming and local media content remain high as Australia continues to witness decline of media in remote areas.
According to the Public Interest Journalism Initiative, there has been a downturn of 180 media outlets, newsrooms, mastheads and stations across Australia, with regional areas disproportionally impacted.
Tensions have heightened with the pending sale of Australian media giant, Southern Cross Austereo’s regional television network, sparking questions around what this could mean for the future of regional news diversity and programming.
Dr Alison McAdam, Lecturer in Professional Practice for Communication from Deakin University said change of media ownership is often cause for uncertainty, particularly in Australia’s regions.
As reported by The Guardian Australia on 13 November an SCA spokesperson said “SCA continues to actively progress with the sale of its regional television assets and is in active negotiations with several parties.”
The Wire reached out to SCA for further confirmation around present negotiations.