VIEWERS have rallied against WIN Television's proposed cuts to NBN News with more than 5000 people signing a petition in just three days demanding the network reconsider.
Newcastle and Hunter Community Facebook group owner and administrator Steven Sewell launched the petition, which argues WIN's "devastating" cuts will "rip the heart" out of NBN News.
WIN's proposed restructure means at least 19 journalists, presenters and camera operators will no longer have jobs across Newcastle, Central Coast, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth and Lismore newsrooms. Staff were told at a meeting on June 11.
The Newcastle Herald understands the number of job losses could go as high as 25 behind the scenes in areas such as technology and IT.
A statement on the petition page said regional NSW is about to "lose its voice".
"This is the final blow in a systematic gutting of our local news," the statement said.
"WIN Network has already quietly axed all weekend NBN News bulletins and slashed our trusted weekday bulletin from a full hour down to a meagre 30 minutes.
"Now, they are getting rid of the very people who investigate our local stories, cover our community sports, and keep us safe."
The staff cuts come after an announcement was made last week about bulletin changes, which include the end of weekend bulletins and the replacement of the traditional 6pm news with a pre-recorded 30-minute local bulletin at 5.30pm.
The Herald contacted WIN for comment.
WIN has previously claimed it will prioritise redeployment opportunities across the network.
Last week, a WIN spokeswoman said its "new operating restructure" would enable the station to deliver "dedicated, 30-minute local news, sport and weather bulletins each weeknight".
But the more than 5430 people who had signed the petition as of Monday afternoon argue the corporate cuts will erode accountability, silence regional voices and undermine coverage of local issues.
The petition demands WIN Network chief executive Andrew Lancaster and WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon halt all planned June redundancies and protect the jobs of local NBN journalists and camera crews.
It asks for the full, one-hour weekday local news bulletin to be reinstated to give regional stories "the airtime they deserve", and calls on WIN to commit to long-term funding for regional bureaus to ensure Newcastle, the Central Coast and northern NSW are never left without emergency and community coverage.
