Publishers unite to secure future of newspapers

The marketing body has the backing of all of Australia's major metropolitan, regional and community newspaper publishers, including News Limited, Fairfax, Rural Press, APN News & Media and West Australian Newspapers.

The publishers intend to utilise the new body to develop a range of strategies aimed at promoting the effectiveness of newspapers, raising their profile and encouraging more creative use amongst advertisers and agencies.

The chairmanship of the new body will alternate between the CEOs of the member companies, with John Hartigan, CEO and chairman of News Limited, named as the first to take over reigns of the organisation.

(Left to right: Liam Roche, Western Australian Newspapers; David Kirk, Fairfax; John Hartigan, News Limited; Brendan Hopkins, APN; Brian McCarthy, Rural Press)

Hartigan claims the new body will demonstrate the reach, influence and value of the medium, and rejects the notion that newspapers are 'old media'.

“Newspapers deliver much better reach for advertisers than any other media and are the most influential media among consumers,” says Hartigan. “Newspapers also offer untapped potential as a creative medium.”



“However, as the media market fragments and competition for ad revenue and 'eyeballs' intensifies, it is more important than ever that the value of newspapers as a category is researched and marketed professionally.”

David Kirk, CEO of Fairfax, claims the new body will give publishers a single voice on issues of common interest and importance.

“For example, it is important that the industry does a good job of explaining any impact of the impending changes to the way circulation is audited,” says Kirk. “At the same time, we will be able to work more effectively with the advertising industry on issues of mutual concern.”

The marketing body is scheduled to be operational in Sydney by the middle of the year, and will be funded by its member publishers. The organisation has indicated that independent regional, rural and community newspapers will be invited to jump onboard, and that it plans to work collaboratively, rather than competitively, with other industry bodies like PANPA and the Australian Publishers Bureau.

The search is currently underway for a suitable CEO, with recruitment targeting senior industry figures with strong backgrounds in marketing and advertising.

The UK's Newspaper Marketing Agency, and the Newspaper Association of America, are emphasised as the models upon which the new organisation will be based, and hopefully become affiliated with once it is established.

Read more of this week's news stories here … www.print21.com.au