Southern Cross Austereo has stood down another of their long standing journalists.
Monique Crichton was SCA Adelaide’s News Director for the last 15 years with the position made redundant last week.
Monique also read news on Triple M and was twice nominated for an ACRA as Best Newsreader FM in the Metro category.
It was only recently Adelaide’s Hit107 parted ways with afternoon journalist Mel Usher after The Hit Network rolled out a new streamlined news service weekdays, from 4pm-6pm across all metro markets.
Emma Freedman was appointed as National Drive News Presenter, replacing Geoff Field in Sydney and news readers in other capitals.
Mel is currently filling in for Hannah Foord on NOVA 919 while Hannah is on maternity leave.
For Monique, it brings to an end 18 years with SCA.
She was previously News Director at NXFM and KOFM in Newcastle and also spent time at Triple M and Fox FM in Melbourne.
SCA are making these cuts to news in metro markets.
Our 5 metro markets in Australia generate more than enough revenue for stations to include fully staffed newsrooms within a viable budget.
SCA, ARN and Nova have all diminished their news services to some level of centralised operation.
Along with the actions of Fairfax/Macquarie Radio Network to remove all live and local programming of 4BH/Magic Brisbane and reduce news/talk station 4BC to only 32 hours of local shifts a week (19%), it's time for the parliament of Australia to legislate against these most desperate examples of reductions in service to our five largest cities.
If the members of parliament are unconvincing with a private word to network owners to reverse their decisions, legislation is the only option.
Everyone should consider that radio is the most resilient of the conventional mediums. Unlike TV and newspapers with online competition, nothing has come close to threatening the reach, immediacy and local qualities of radio.
Radio licence holders would do well to remember the strengths of radio and capitalise on them rather than these most unjustified reductions in service.