Newsagent politics

I was in Geelong yesterday on another stop in our national tour meeting with newsagents using software from my company. At each of these meetings – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Geelong so far – newsagents have asked about the split in the industry between the ANF and state newsagent associations in NSW (NANA) and Queensland (QNF). The questions are usually prefaced with a comment that newsagents have been told little about the situation. Newsagents ask why the ANF rejected the peace proposal from some weeks ago. They ask why the industry needs another national body. They ask why the associations seem unable to fix core problems in the newsagent channel

These are valid questions from newsagents – people who pay the fees which keep the various associations running.

The meetings I am hosting are about software and not association matters so I don’t dwell on the questions. However, it is interesting to me that of the many hundreds of newsagents I’ll meet on this current tour about Tower Systems, the issue of national representation is something newsagents want to talk about.

I’d observe that newsagents feel ill informed about what is going on and why. They see statements issued recently as not connected back to their businesses. They see politicians protecting their butts. Newsagents are concerned about their future and want to support the association which will work hardest for them. They want to know that associations understand the newsagent situation and put their needs ahead of association / supplier relationships. They want an end to the division.

These are the messages the various associations ought to take on board in their communications.

Thankfully, over the course of the three hour meeting, these industry matters take up only a few minutes. But they are intense minutes as newsagents crave discussion about these maters.

The Tower Systems user meeting tour rests for a few days while I am in Hong Kong on business. Mid next week we are in Adelaide and Perth. The following week it is Newcastle and the week after that we visit Townsville and Cairns. Then it’s back to Melbourne and Sydney again before we go to Auckland to meet with our 100+ New Zealand clients.

This face to face contact with users of the Tower software is fantastic. It’s a measuring stick of how we are doing. It also guides future development and provides an opportunity for general two-way newsagency industry discussion.

(The photo is of Eastern Beach in Geelong yesterday morning – I learnt to swim there as a child and always stop off when I’m in Geelong.)