Glen Innes to lose its radio news service

John Shaw was sacked on Tuesday afternoon following comments he made on-air on Tuesday morning about his impending redundancy and the future of the local news broadcasts to the Inverell district.

Mr Shaw said his on-air comments had resulted in him being dismissed for bringing the station into disrepute.

EARLIER

GLEN INNES will lose its local radio news service at the end of the month.

Newsreader for 2NZ/GEMFM, John Shaw, was presented with his marching orders from Northern Broadcasters 2NZ and GEM FM on Monday, and will cease working for the radio station on Friday, October 23.

“Your employment with Northern Broadcasters is terminated and you are hereby given four weeks notice,” his letter of dismissal read.  

John Shaw will finish with 2NZ next month when the Super Radio Network moves its local news service to Tamworth.

“The decision hasn’t been taken lightly and is due to ever-increasing costs and the current economic climate.”

John’s previous work for the station was acknowledged in the correspondence and time off to find another job was also offered.

John was associated with the station for 21 years. He said he started doing sport on a casual basis in 1994, after doing a similar show on 2VM in Moree. 

That casual gig ran until June 2007, when John took on the full-time position as the station’s journalist.

“Too right I’ll miss it. I’ve loved every minute of it,” John said.

“I didn’t see this coming at all.”

John said Glen Innes’s local news will now be compiled in the 2TM newsroom at Tamworth.

“I was told by the general manager for this particular group of stations that they were going to take a regional news out of Tamworth, which would include Gunnedah, Tamworth, Armidale and Inverell,” he said

“Now you can imagine how much of that is going to be Inverell, Glen Innes and Warialda. There’ll be bugger all.

“I’ve heard a sample. That sample comprised three stories, two were about Tamworth and one was about Glen Innes.”

John said he thought it was a good example of regional areas losing their voices.

“It’s a service. A lot of people get their news from the radio or the local paper, and with radio it’s instantaneous. If there’s something urgent that needs putting on, we put it on straight away,” he said.

“Of course it could put people at risk. We’re on relay off the satellite for 21 hours a day here. We’re only on locally from 6am – 9am.

“It’s ridiculous. The law is absolutely ridiculous."

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said he was shocked to learn late Monday that the Sydney-based radio company had decided to axe the local news service that is broadcast from Inverell to the Inverell and Glen Innes districts.

Slamming the decision by the commercial network as short-sighted, Mr Marshall has urged listeners to speak up and not accept the retraction of this important local service as a ‘done deal’. 

“John Shaw is a well-respected veteran of radio and has delivered the Inverell district and regional news in his own way for many years,” Mr Marshall said.

“Households across a large part of the Northern Tablelands electorate welcome the local news into their home, cars and workplaces across the day in five news broadcasts, five days a week. 

“Without this vital local news service, our community really is going to be left in the dark about all manner of important issues. 

“I urge the community to get behind their local radio news service by letting the decision-makers know how they feel.” 

Super Network Radio own the station and can be contacted through the website www.2smsupernetwork.com or phone on 02 9660 1269. 

The national industry body representing Australian Commercial Radio Broadcasters is Commercial Radio Australia which can be contacted at www.commercialradio.com.au/contact-us of phone 02 9281 6599.

“The gradual eroding of regional broadcasting is something that we should all resist and make an effort to reverse,” Mr Marshall said. 

“Speaking up for our local radio news, John Shaw and his colleagues is a good starting point – let’s not let local news and content go without a good old country fight.”