Nightly television news bulletins will no longer be broadcast from Launceston after Seven confirmed that 7NEWS Tasmania would relocate to a studio in Hobart next month.
The network said bulletins would be presented from the state’s capital city and put to air by a control room in Canberra, ending a more than six-decade tradition of Launceston-based bulletins.
“Seven Network Tasmania is evolving how it produces 7NEWS Tasmania, relocating its studio presentation from Launceston to a modern, existing facility in Hobart from May 2026,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Seven West Media buys up Tasmanian media assets
The changes come after Seven West Media last year bought the television station from Southern Cross Austereo as part of a deal that also included other regional TV services across the country.
In January Southern Cross Austereo went on to merge with Seven West Media.
The spokesperson said the merger had given Seven access to an “outstanding” studio facility in Hobart, which would be used from May 25.
“Using this facility is the smart and sustainable choice for the business, allowing us to invest our resources into what matters most: the journalism and the people who deliver it,” they said.
7NEWS Tasmania will continue to deliver one-hour live bulletins covering local, national and international news, 365 days per year.
7NEWS Tasmania moved to a new studio in Charles Street in Launceston last year. (ABC News: Kelsey Reid)
The number of journalists and camera operators “on the ground in Tasmania” will remain at current levels, the spokesperson said.
While editorial oversight and presenting would continue in Tasmania, the spokesperson said the Hobart-based bulletins would require technical direction and studio production from Seven’s Canberra hub.
However, the spokesperson declined to say if any staff would lose their jobs or be offered voluntary redundancies as part of the shift to Canberra.
“We are not commenting on employment matters,” the spokesperson said.
They also did not respond to a question about whether there would be any changes to the current line-up of presenters.
Kim Millar is the main newsreader for 7NEWS Tasmania. (7NEWS)
‘Uncertain time’ for staff
Tasmanian government minister Jo Palmer, a former journalist and presenter with Seven Tasmania and its predecessor Southern Cross, said it was an “uncertain time” for staff.
“My expectation would be that this company, which has always been so good to Tasmania through a number of iterations, certainly as Southern Cross News, will be respectful to the workers as we would expect them to be,” Ms Palmer said.
“But first and foremost, my hope would be that we will retain local news, maybe in a different format, but that local news will be retained, that we will keep the services of our journos, our cameramen, our producers who are on the ground around in the communities where we live.”
Jo Palmer and then-sports presenter Rob Fairs on set at the Southern Cross studio in 2012. (Supplied)
The Seven spokesperson said the network remained “deeply committed” to the communities it served.
“This is a production and infrastructure decision, not a reduction in Tasmanian news coverage,” they said.
“The change reflects smart use of modern facilities and Seven’s commitment to Tasmania and Tasmanians is unwavering.
“The new Hobart studio is a modern, high-quality facility that will benefit viewers.”
A Seven spokesperson says 7NEWS Tasmania will continue to deliver one-hour, live bulletins every day of the year. (Facebook: Channel 7)
News bulletins presented under various names were broadcast from Launceston’s Watchorn Street studios from 1962 until last year, when they relocated to a new studio in Charles Street.
The Charles Street premises were advertised for lease late last week.