The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers sold their front page on Wednesday to department store David Jones and in doing so provided an insight into where news sits in their organisation.
These once venerable newspapers of record in Victoria and New South Wales sold off the most important page of a newspaper to advertising, completely. The only non advertising content was the masthead. Why bother?
After the decades of fights, threats and contract breaches imposed by publishers, including Fairfax, at the treatment of their products, now, in what some call the last of days for print newspapers, we see that advertising is the thing and the pressure on newsagents over treatment of content was for nought.
Customers don’t like their newspaper being damaged in this way or by stuck on ads. They say so across the counter.
It’s action like we saw on Wednesday that will speed up the death of print newspapers in Australia as it challenges newspaper reader perception of the product. It shows the newspaper as an advertising medium ahead of a news medium. This will encourage some to look for news elsewhere.
On the websites for the mastheads, Fairfax did not cover the news with ads for David Jones as the screenshot shows. A news junkie would have had a better experience online than with print Wednesday.
Not only did Fairfax prostituted the front pages of these once venerable newspapers, they also impregnated them with thick advisiting catalogues, using the once respected newspapers as carriers. Unsuspecting newsagents delivered these catalogues free of charge.
ebo – when I get out of distribution I will sell you my wrapping machine. Somehow inserts fly straight out into a coincidentally well placed rubbish bin just before the paper hits the take up rollers. Somehow it just seems to know what is a valid supplement and what is advertising getting a free ride!
Amazing!
Jim you will never sell your wrapping machine because the papers will be flat-wrapped by the publisher (the Advertiser here in SA) and all “chuckers” now have to
throw frisbee style.
The game has changed boys and girls.
Do we all live in the same country???
I am amazed that you guys don’t know this is already happening.
Once again I reiterate – why doesn’t the
ANF keep you informed????
Astounding!!!!
Oh, maybe they don’t want a wholesale
newsagency distribution decline/cessation
until the PUBLISHERS ARE READY FOR IT.