12 March 2009

WIN’s policy of no news is good news

| George
Join the conversation
24

Has anyone else noticed that for some months WIN news goes ‘silent’ during some of their news reports? There is footage of the story but no sound. There was another incident last night and one last week on the Socceroos match.

Sorry if Riot has already covered this story but I find the on-going occurrence frustrating. How can WIN be so incompetent?

Even after each stuff-up there is no apology for the lack of sound during the report. And even though this has been happening for months they have not been able to correct the problem.

Join the conversation

24
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
Holden Caulfield9:02 am 06 Apr 09

I like it when new ranters are so transparent, haha.

Kaliflower said :

As a former WIN employee I can assure you that the only monkeys working at WIN Television are situated in the news room.
quote]

I wonder what department you worked in while at Win Kalliflower? Hopefully not marketing with a log in name like that!

You sound as though you might be envious of those in the newsroom? Maybe been bitten by a green eyed monster??

Are you sure you aren’t former employee Geraldine Nordfelt? If not i’m sure you 2 would get on really well as you both seem to enjoy slandering your previous employer.

I enjoy watching win news local half hour. I understand there are people out there that may not but no one makes you watch it!! As for Kalliflower, keep your peanuts under lock and key, we don’t want the newsroom staff stealing them from an even bigger monkey like yourself!!!

redneck ninja9:35 pm 12 Mar 09

As a person who had interests in the Canberra media scene, I may be of some assistance.

There are no monkeys per se at WIN. The reporters are all hard working and earnest, and those behind the scenes are as well. There doesn’t seem to be a level of complacency amongst the lot there, and the same goes for the other commercial TV and radio stations in the A.C.T.

In saying that, the main weakness is their experience. They all have big dreams, but limited guidance to get there, and there isn’t adequate support, either.

There is only a limited number of people who have the experience to pull off a decent news service in the territory – many of the up-and-commers who could take their place move to Sydney or Melbourne once they reach a certain level, or defect to PR.

The reality is that there’s limited pay on offer in Canberra, which is considered a regional market, not a metropolitan one. As a result, it’s hard to attract the right sort of people to the gigs on offer here. As advertising profits decrease because of the global financial meltdown, it puts increasing pressure on the newsrooms across the country, including Canberra, to cut costs. More graduates in their first year out of uni are able to make their big break, but at a sacrifice to quality.

Unless the TV and radio stations become more generous, which I doubt it, the situation is not going to change, no matter how many angry posts get published here. Ratings won’t change that either, unless there are new players who enter the market.

One commercial TV, one commercial talkback, one daily broadsheet and one commercial FM (MIX and 104 have the same newsroom). And of course the ABC.

Think about it. Something needs to change.

Those two minute news updates on 7 and 10 are enough to fulfil their legal obligations to local content.

Kaliflower said :

George, I think you might need to have a look at the settings on your television. I know that there are other people who have complained about the same problem in the past even though there was no issue on WIN’s end with the transmission of the audio.

The few times I have seen the silent story phenomenon on WIN News, Ms Good has always apologised for it, which would indicate it is on WINs end.

Qbn Gal said :

10 has news at 5

Not Canberra news. Their definition of ‘local news’ is four headlines read and one random town’s weather read out as fast as the reader possibly can.

@notmuchtosay: Prime Possumers get paid $300 an hour. So it’s def worth it!

I have 7.1 surround and I have had many occasions that the audio is either non-existent or very faint from the left channel. It is only for one or two news stories so it can’t be a problem with my TV setup (oh I am digital if that makes a difference in getting to teh root cause). Anyway, I believe it *is* a problem with WIN’s transmission of audio if it is isolated and only specific to certain news stories. And rumour has it that at WIN the HD channel – when it is used in those extremely remote instances – that it is a human that manually switches the program to and from ad breaks etc. And if that rumour is true, could it be the same for audio on SD channel?

A number of their stories are coming out with the main audio coming out of the left channel and the effects coming out the right (basically the raw audio used in editing etc.).

WIN for some reason isn’t programming the automation correctly to put it out in mono or editors are not switching it to mono in the mad rush I assume they have.

Generally if your TV isn’t setup for stereo correctly or you have it turned down, there is a small chance you will hear anything.

notmuchtosay2:03 pm 12 Mar 09

Ah what a small town Canberra is, it seems a few of us used to work at these establishments, teehee.

Spot on about automation. Media Watch covered this a few weeks ago. “Automation Not a Sensation”

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2486466.htm

ant said :

with the sleek Virginia who puts that frump Jessica to shamequote]

Hey, Jessica is hot as. My only complaint is the clothes she wears.. half the time it look like she has a table cloth or a curtain wrapped around her.

As a former WIN employee I can assure you that the only monkeys working at WIN Television are situated in the news room.

Anyways, I’ve watched the news all week and haven’t had any missing audio.

George, I think you might need to have a look at the settings on your television. I know that there are other people who have complained about the same problem in the past even though there was no issue on WIN’s end with the transmission of the audio.

Also, no one at WIN was let off after they installed their Grass Valley Ignite automation system. However, you might want to go to the Media Watch website and see the problems the ABC have had since introducing it to their Melbourne office. Unlike WIN, the ABC have had massive layoffs since its introduction and staff in Canberra are going to be let go by the time it’s introduced later this year.

regularbrowse1:20 pm 12 Mar 09

A friend told me WIN TV installed a new automated system for news broadcasting. It means they can cut down on the number of staff needed to put the news to air (cost-saving). But when the computer automation fails (which all computers do sometime)… well, you get the picture … however in this case the viewers don’t get anything. Its hard to sell advertising on a news service which is unreliable (no cost-saving).

shanefos said :

Watch the ABC instead. Problem solved and no annoying, high volume ads.

My oath. Their local news is excellent, with the sleek Virginia who puts that frump Jessica to shame, and of course the incomparable Mark doing the weather! Also that nice little milk-faced chap who holds the fort on weekends, he showed his holiday videos on Lateline last week too (of Tibet or Nepal or somewhere).

10 has news at 5

TroyWilliams12:32 pm 12 Mar 09

With no local news on Prime or Ten, that 30 mins would be fairly lucrative to them.

– I wasn’t aware that Ten had any news at all!

Ozhair said :

I’m sure the peanuts/monkeys principle still applies. In regional television you’re lucky to get one or two days of “training” before being thrown in the deep end.

I think you’ll find it’s actually probably clamped down even more. Kids fresh out of school with no idea as to what’s what as far as fair pay and workplace conduct goes thinking they are getting a foot in the door and on their way to a successful media career will be taken advantage of because they don’t know any better. People at the top end seem to secure their positions by making the bottom line grow through cutbacks that directly affect the lower echelons of the coporate structure (so what else is new).

It’s not all the glitz and glamour it’s cracked up to be, especially after doing 12 hours of dubbing commericals a day for a measley wage, while fatcats have long ‘client meetings’ with an entertainment allowance on company credit cards.

Watch the ABC instead. Problem solved and no annoying, high volume ads.

Heh, AngryHenry beat me to it. Even though it’s been years since I worked there, I’m sure the peanuts/monkeys principle still applies. In regional television you’re lucky to get one or two days of “training” before being thrown in the deep end.

notmuchtosay11:23 am 12 Mar 09

Give them a call, I believe they have to record all complaints. With no local news on Prime or Ten, that 30 mins would be fairly lucrative to them. If its specific to individual news items, then Id agree with Angry Henry. To the best of my knowledge Canberra TV workers get paid regional wages.. Last I heard Operations staff at prime had to moonlight as Prime Possum, teehee…

Yeah I noticed it the other day to.. not that I really cared.

Trunking symbols10:44 am 12 Mar 09

Actually, with the standard of WIN News over the past few months, the lack of sound is a vast improvement. Pity they can’t do the same with the visuals as well.

Damn. Need coffee that’s Charles M Schultz…

– oh forget it!

Canberra Media pays peanuts, get’s monkeys.

Charles M Scultsz sues.

More news at Six.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.