As the pandemic took hold in the first quarter of last year, Australia’s three regional TV bosses warned Communications Minister Paul Fletcher that local news and current affairs services would disappear unless they were allowed to merge.
The letter dated March 27, 2020, and signed by the three executives, also requested immediate financial assistance because of the pandemic’s hit to revenues, outlining that the regional broadcasters did not have sufficient capital reserves to maintain their business operations. In April last year, the government provided a range of taxpayer-funded relief measures, including a $50 million Public Interest News Gathering program, to support media businesses in regional Australia.Graham Richardson, former Communications Minister in the Keating government
Mr Richardson doesn’t believe a combined regional broadcasting group should exist next to Nine Entertainment Co , Seven West Media or ViacomCBS-owned Network Ten. Seven, Nine and Ten have staunchly opposed a merger of the three affiliates.