Nine News’ foray into the Adelaide news market has so far failed to make inroads into Seven’s ratings domination.

Nine News director Tony Agars remains bullish, however, predicting positive results within a year following the hiring of about 20 new staff across news and TV production positions.

“We make no secret of the fact that we want to be the best news service in Adelaide,” Agars told InDaily.

“We want to be Adelaide’s preferred TV news service.”

Nine Entertainment Company acquired NWS9 – based in Tynte Street, North Adelaide – from Win Television on July 1, triggering an old-fashioned TV news war with Seven in Adelaide.

While it is still early days, OzTAM ratings since then have shown no change in Nine’s position as a distant second to Seven.

In fact, Seven’s lead over Nine has increased since July 1, from approximately 33,000 in the first half of the year (average Monday to Friday audiences) to approximately 47,000.

Since the acquisition, and against the trend in news organisations worldwide, Nine has ploughed “millions of dollars” into new staff and equipment, including reporters, producers, editors, camera operators and additional facilities, Agars said.

“We now have access to an incredible range of facilities and resources that put us in very exciting times,” he said.

Over at Seven News, the atmosphere is calm and resolute. News director Terry Plane admitted he “knew they (Nine) were coming for us”.

“We have evolved year-on-year and will do a few more things. But it won’t include significant additional costs,” Plane said.

“We’ll remain a stable, disciplined newsroom working to a good standard.  We have the most respected presenters and produce very good content to put around them.”

Seven News has been the most-watched news service in Adelaide for 295 consecutive weeks, Plane said.

He said Seven had not pulled resources or staff into Adelaide from interstate, nor had it increased its news budget this year. He admitted that, with the new staff at Nine and Ten producing a one-hour bulletin, Seven had the fewest number of news staff of the commercial channels in Adelaide.

Over at Nine, there’s a quiet revolution going on.

It has picked up its pace to dove-tail with the national news organisation.

“It’s something to behold,” Agars said. “There’s a feeling of excitement here as we have joined a highly energetic news organisation. Our people are contributing all through the day and night, from the early morning news, the Today program, afternoon, evening and late evening bulletins.”

Among the 20 new recruits are at least three on-air reporters, and former Port Adelaide Football Club captain Warren Tredrea has just been appointed sports reader for Monday to Friday.

In a sign of things to come, the newsroom has advertised in recent weeks for a “social media producer”.

“Social media is crucial in connecting with our audiences and in receiving feedback,” said Agars.

On November 27, Mi9 (operator of ninemsn.com.au and a subsidiary of the Nine Entertainment Company) announced an alliance with the UK’s Daily Mail to generate and host content in Australia. The venture will see local staff hired for a new dailymail.com.au platform to be launched in early 2014, and content and business premises shared with Mi9 and the Nine Entertainment Company.

The contrast with the previous Win Television-owned operation could not be more stark.

Starved of funds and up-to-date facilities and equipment, Win’s news operation in Adelaide had been allowed to run down and settle for second-best.

This year, as speculation mounted about the future of Win in Adelaide, it was gutting its regional sites, ripping more than 10 staff out of its country South Australian (Riverland and Mount Gambier) and Victorian (Ballarat) newsrooms.

Agars was non-committal about when results from the new investment might emerge, but his intentions were clear.

“We get judged every day – not just by the ratings figures. We have our eye on the long game … within months … or a year, we hope to be very, very competitive (with Seven).”

It will be a steep climb.