Talk persists over Fairfax and News Corp joint print venture

Speculation over newspaper rivals, Fairfax and News Corp combining their printing operations continues, with no official word on when, or if, the project will ever get off the ground.

Following last week’s talk of a joint venture in The Australian, media writer, Neil Shoebridge has continued the hype in the AFR this week. He lists sources who claim that discussions have progressed beyond chief executives at both companies and have now included printing and distribution executives in the talks.

One unnamed media executive pointed out the difficulties of such a move, saying that: “Merging the printing and distribution facilities would be a complicated logistical exercise.”

Indeed.

Shoebridge was unsuccessful in obtaining comment from executives at either of the two companies, as was Print21. He did quote new CEO of Fairfax, Greg Hywood as saying: “Executives from Fairfax and News are looking at it now, exploring what’s possible and what would make it work. Both sides see potential benefits in such a move, but it’s wrong to suggest a deal is very close or close.”

This is not the first time that Fairfax has flagged such an idea. Hywood’s predecessor, Brian McCarthy, said last year that publishers could share printing and distribution of their newspapers, resulting in cost savings.

“There’s an opportunity for the industry to work together in areas such as distribution,” he said. “It’s a missed opportunity, one we need to grasp in the future. There are things publishers could do together, although there are no firm plans at this stage.”