THE Star will be part of the Hunter communities group along with the Lakes Mail and Port Stephens Examiner under Fairfax Media's proposal to restructure its Newcastle and Hunter operating group.
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Under the proposal there will be a review of The Star's distribution.
There will also be a reduction in the company's workforce and revitalisation of the region's newspapers and websites with a significant investment in new publishing technology and training for journalists and sales staff.
Employees from the three community mastheads were briefed on Thursday about the proposed changes alongside staff from the Newcastle Herald, The Maitland Mercury, Cessnock Advertiser, Lower Hunter Star, Dungog Chronicle, Singleton Argus, Muswellbrook Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and the Hunter Valley and North Coast Town & Country.
If the proposal goes ahead the company expects to call for voluntary redundancies of about 69 full-time equivalent positions across the region.
This includes about 46 full-time equivalent positions in newsrooms, involved mainly in editorial production, management and photography, with the balance in administration and sales.
At the Hunter communities, which includes The Star, the newsroom will be cut from about nine full-time equivalent positions to about 5.5 - a loss of 4.5 positions.
Consultation with employees is under way.
The Newcastle and Hunter operating group is led by business manager Jason King, who presented the plan to staff on Thursday.
"We have no choice but to adapt and evolve our business in response to how audiences are consuming news and information - and the new ways advertisers connect with our valuable audiences," Mr King said.
The Star will move with the Herald, which has already announced plans to move from its Newcastle office in Bolton Street to Honeysuckle Drive by the end of the year.
