Australian Newsagency Blog

The Independent has published an interactive map which is reflective of the debate around the future of newspapers.  By interacting with the map you are able to navigate the diverse views and through this develop a better understanding of the challenges faced by today’s newspapers.

This excellent map is a fascinating tool, especially for people still […]

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John Hartigan, chairman and chief executive of News Limited, yesterday spoke at the National Press Club.  Click here for an extract from his speech as published by The Australian this morning. Hartigan’s case, in my reading, is more about the future of publishers and journalists they employ than the print newspaper medium:
Instead of throwing a […]

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The Melbourne Observer is one newspaper trading against the trend in our experience of weeklies.  Our sell through rate is consistently above 90%, 40 copies a week or more.  Observer customers are likely to buy Take 5, That’s Life, crosswords, People’s Friend and or the Australian Women’s Weekly.
What I like most about the Observer is […]

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With another generic poster supplied for The Age today we have decided to promote Women’s Health.  I refuse to put up a poster which reads: THE AGE ON SALE TODAY.  The Women’s Health poster promotes the issue out today - two magazines in one so there is good reason to feature this.

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The announcement this week of in-app commerce is game changing for newspaper and magazine publishers.  Where previously they, directly or through a ‘distributor’ could sell a product to be delivered through the iPhone and would need to sell another for the next issue or subscription, using in-app commerce, they will be far more easily able […]

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The new Apple iPhone which was launched in San Francisco yesterday extends the disruption of print media with a host of new features.  For a good summary in the context of print media and our newsagency businesses, check out these links: Editorsweblog,  The Atlantic (asking if the new iPhone can save journalism), Editor and Publisher […]

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Fox Business has published another video interview with Rupert Murdoch in which he talks about, among other things, newspapers.  He makes interesting comments about migration online.  Check it out:

Reuters has several quotes from Rupert Murdoch including this about newspapers:
“Communications are changing totally and we’re moving into the digital age and it’s going to change newspapers. […]

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South Australian newsagents concerned about the moves by Advertiser Newspapers to take over collection of payment for all home deliveries of News Ltd product need to organise themselves.  With the ANF currently only focusing on its 100 or so SA members (down from 400+ in late 2004), many newsagents are unrepresented on this issue of […]

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The familiar neighborhood paper boy was a product of the Depression, born of the need to boost revenues and improve readership. Operating funds for newspapers swiftly declined in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash. Circulation managers responded with one of the few resources at their command - inexpensive juvenile labor. Drawing on connections […]

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Editor & Publisher has overnight published a report about Apple’s new iPhone operating system which could be good news for newspaper publishers.  Apparently, new technology will enable the publishing of highly location targeted content and advertising, based on where the iPhone is at the time.  E&P interviewed Art Howe, CEO of Verve Wireles:
The new technology […]

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I am told that the ANF has advised South Australian newsagents that the meeting planned for June 11 to discuss moves by the Adelaide Advertiser to take control over home delivery payments will be for ANF members only.  I’d encourage the ANF to invite all newsagents to the meeting.  The more attending the better.
The ANF […]

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We have made some changes at our busiest lottery country to try and lift newspaper sales.  The Herald Sun impulse stand has been moved to the left, to a location where it will be seen by more people lining up to purchase.  We usually have a magazine offer in this location - most recently Top […]

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Many distribution newsagents in South Australia have benefited from a long-standing 2.5% 2% settlement discount arrangement with News Ltd’s Advertiser Newspapers.  With Advertiser taking home delivery account collection, newsagents stand to could lose access to this 2.5% 2% if the newsagent is no longer required to pay for the newspapers and are just paid for […]

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I have received more calls from South Australian newsagents concerned about the risk to retail traffic as a result of the decision by News Ltd owned Advertiser Newspapers to take over control and management of home deliveries.  More than half heard about the move for the first time through this blog.  As I outlined in […]

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The discount offer for the Herald Sun last Saturday is running again this week with coupons in the free daily mX newspaper each day this week.

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We are planning to replace the purpose built newspaper stand at our Frankston newsagency with a smaller footprint unit on castors.  Something along the lines of the Bartuf unit in the photo which they developed for the WH Smith group in the UK.  We have been using a larger mobile unit at our Forest Hill […]

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Now for something completely different, a song about Rupert Murdoch written and performed by Jill Sobule at the All Things Digital Conference:

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There is an interesting story at xinhuanet about the growth in ethnic media is the US in the face of declines being experienced by mainstream US outlets.  I have noted here for some time that foreign language newspapers outperform capital city dailies in terms of year-on-year same-store sales growth in newsagencies.  On a year to […]

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PaperCuts, a website recording layoffs at US newspaper publishers, has just passed 10,000 layoffs this year.

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Retail outlets are important to newspaper publishers here in Australia.  It is disappointing to see Fairfax today trying to switch people from retail purchase to home delivery using an ad stuck on the front of The Age newspaper.  I’d prefer to see them invest in increasing retail sales like News Limited is doing with their […]

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PaidContent reports that a group of US newspaper executives met secretly to discuss charging for online content.  Their next moves will be crucial.  If they get this wrong they will suffer the same consequences of films, videos and music and have their content made available free through a variety of sources online.  The Atlantic has […]

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Instead of an analog paper printed on paper you may get it on a panel which would be mobile, which will receive the whole newspaper over the air, (and) be updated every hour or two.  You’ll be able to get the guts or the main headlines and alerts and everything on your Blackberry, on your […]

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I watched the 7.30 Report story on ABC1 tonight on the future of newspapers and was left wanting more.  It presented the situation and provided background but did not canvas in any detail the future.  It gave too much time to print connected people. That said, I guess for many viewers the report was news.  […]

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The 7.30 Report tonight on ABC TV has a report on the future of newspapers.

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News Limited is using its free daily newspaper, mX, to promote sales of the Herald Sun here in Melbourne.  All this week, mX is publishing a coupon which entitles the bearer to redeem the Saturday Herald Sun for $1.00 this Satruday, May 30.  I like this offer and the use of the free newspaper to […]

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