As I travelled around western Queensland in my former career it was vital for me and the locals to keep across area issues usually through WIN TV and ABC local news. Those services galvanise communities and are critical to the outlying properties so obviously that fact is ignored when the decision was taken to close WIN Tv in some rural and remote areas.
This decision has repercussions across the entire spectrum of the rural way of life where councils, essential services had a medium to directly contact its population in times of need.
Secondly it also provided employment and training for journalists, advertising and promotion for businesses, and more importantly a local platform for diverse news and opinions locally and nationally.
My fear is the major conglomerate news outlets will narrow the news feed focussing on major city issues that really the rural sector has no interest but get ratings on the coast.
When conglomerates gain control dollars for the shareholders is always the driver and service is secondary and we do not want monopoly’s controlling what you can or cannot hear or see.
The Lateral Hazard 