Prime7 News
Prime7 News is a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by Prime7. A statewide national bulletin, 5 full local news bulletins, and news update services are presented from Prime Media's National Headquarters in Canberra to viewers in Regional NSW, ACT, Regional VIC and Gold Coast QLD.
Division of: | Prime7 |
---|---|
Opening Theme: | The Mission (theme music) |
Founded: | 1960s |
Headquarters: | Head Office: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
Area served: | Regional Australia |
Broadcast programs: | Prime7 Local News Prime7 News at 6:30 |
Parent: | Prime Media Group |
As a Seven Network affiliate it also broadcasts:
- Seven Early News
- Sunrise (Weekdays) & Weekend Sunrise
- Seven Morning News
- Seven Afternoon News
- Seven News at 5
- Seven News
- Sunday Night
Regional services
Prime7 Local News
Prime7's flagship bulletin airs at 6pm in five distinct local editions for the Border, Central West, North West, North Coast and Wagga Wagga broadcast regions. The bulletins are presented by Karl Lijnders and Madelaine Collignon, with meteorologist Elly Wicks as its weather presenter. Each region has five reporters while the North Coast has four separate bureaus with its own reporter, such as Lismore's Phoebe Deas. Since the closure of the Tamworth studios in April 2015, the North West edition of the bulletin broadcasts live from Canberra.
After being broadcast on television, the latest bulletins from each of the five regions become available to watch on their respective YouTube pages.
In its website posted on 2 February 2017, Prime7 announced that the presentation of Northern NSW and Southern NSW local bulletins will be consolidated into a unified presentation format, known as Prime7 Local News, by 13 February, beginning with the introduction of dual presenter roles for Madelaine Collignon and Kenny Heatley (both of them began their career as the network's weather presenters), as well as Guy Fenton introduced as its interim weather presenter. This also comes after Southern NSW's final news presenter Freya Cole left Prime7 to contribute reports for Seven News. The 6.30pm national bulletin, however, remained under a single presenter format. More adjustments saw Lijnders, who was weatherzone.com.au's founding moderator and a former meteorologist at ABC News, replacing Fenton in presenting local weather forecasts from 20 March.
Due to family reasons, Heatley resigned from Prime7 with his final television appearance occurred on 31 July 2018. Reporter and non-bulletin regional news updates presenter Liz Gwynn took over his place afterwards, making a dual-female presenter role with Collignon (a rare instance in Australian television news services).
Prime7 News at 6:30
Until 21 February 2014, Prime7 broadcasts a delayed Seven News into areas that receive full Prime7 Local News bulletins on weeknights. Since 24 February 2014, Prime7 has produced its own live bulletin due to the extension of Seven News to one hour on the eastern seaboard. This is presented by Daniel Gibson at 6:30pm (Liz Gwynn is fill-in presenter), and covers national and international news that are being broadcast by Seven News in its metropolitan counterparts. Resident meteorologist Karl Lijnders presents the expanded weather forecast, which features state, East Coast metropolitan cities and national weather.
The statewide edition, however, does not cover across the entire New South Wales. Albury (which is served by sister station AMV in Victoria) does not receive this bulletin and continues to receive an edited version of Seven News Melbourne, which has been trimmed down to 30 minutes.[1] The edited version features the first half before joining live for sports and weather.
Local news updates
News bulletins for the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, and Wollongong were axed in 2001 (in the Gold Coast's case, 2000). At the same time, the network's Moree news bureau, which provided stories for the Tamworth bulletin, was closed.[2] This, as well as the closure of bulletin by Southern Cross Ten in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, prompted an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Authority. New rules were later set out requiring regional stations to offer minimum levels of local content, over a six-week period.[3]
Two-minute news updates were introduced to Newcastle, Wollongong and Canberra in 2004. There are also updates presented for Western Victoria, Central Victoria and Gippsland. These are presented by Kirstie Fitzpatrick with weather presented by Daniel Gibson. Craig Moore presents weekend weather updates across the Prime7 broadcast area. The Gold Coast services does not current have any news updates and relies primarily on the BTQ news update telecasts, as well as Seven News Gold Coast.
Notable personalities
A number of well-known news presenters and television personalities began their careers at Prime7 News, including:
- Former Seven News Canberra correspondent and current 10 News First Perth reporter Natalie Forrest
- Former Studio 10 co-host Jessica Rowe[4]
- The Morning Show co-host Kylie Gillies[5]
- Former Million Dollar Minute and Family Feud host Grant Denyer.[6]
- Current Nine News Queensland reporter Shannon Marshall-McCormack
- Current A Current Affair reporter Alex Bernhardt
References
- Knox, David. "Prime adds new bulletin". TVTonight. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- Macguire, Toby (9 June 2001). "Regional TV news gets axe". The Daily Telegraph. p. 17.
- "Local content conditions on regional commercial television broadcasters". Australian Communications and Media Authority. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
- "Jessica Rowe". Ovations!. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
- "The Morning Show: Kylie Gillies". Yahoo! 7. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
- "It Takes Two Hosts". Yahoo! 7. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2007.