ACM to resume publishing suspended regional newspapers
Australian Community Media has begun resuming publication of some, but not all, of its suspended regional newspapers.
Australian Community Media will resume publishing “a big chunk” of its regional newspapers suspended more than two months ago as advertising revenue dropped during the coronavirus crisis, but not all the mastheads will return this week.
ACM, which has about 170 rural and regional newspapers, said “dozens of local newspapers” temporarily suspended in April are back in production this week in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. The first few to return to production on Monday were the Goulburn Post, Southern Highland News, The Area News and Wimmera Mail Times.
ACM chief marketing officer Paul Tyrrell told The Australian that “a big chunk” of its suspended titles were coming back this week, but declined to give a specific figure. The company has never publicly disclosed how many titles were suspended or staff stood down in April until the end of June.
In a statement, ACM chief executive Allen Williams said the group would continue to review its ability to return other suspended titles, subject to an “advertising recovery”.
Mr Williams also welcomed the federal government’s $130bn JobKeeper payment scheme, and confirmation on Sunday that ACM would be eligible for a grant under the government’s $50 million Public Interest News Gathering program.
“I am pleased to say that the amount of the proposed grant to ACM reflects the scale of our commitment to regional media in Australia. We will now work through the details of the grant offer and what it means for our business.”
ACM’s announcement on Monday comes just weeks after owner Antony Catalano told The Australian that he was hoping to resume the publication of suspended regional newspapers, subject to the ad recovery.
At the start of the month, Mr Catalano said there were early signs of improvement in ad revenue as the government lifted coronavirus restrictions following a “challenging” few months. He also said there was no point in bringing them back if local traders weren’t open and areas remained in lockdown.
Mr Catalano said there were no plans to follow News Corp Australia‘s recent decision to stop publishing the bulk of its regional and local newspapers and make them digital-only.
Mr Williams also urged readers and advertisers to support their local newspaper by either buying a hard copy, digital subscription or ad.
“Now we need those communities to rally around the local paper and our dedicated journalists and advertising sales staff so these titles can return to sustainably serving regional readers and advertisers.”
ACM’s non-daily mastheads such as the Goulburn Post, Wimmera Mail-Times, the Maitland Mercury, Southern Highland News, North West Star, The Area News, Armidale Express and Port Macquarie News will resume production this week.
ACM was in talks with News Corp about buying its regional and community portfolio of more than 100 newspapers, but News Corp recently decided to retain the titles and take them digital.
Mr Catalano, together with billionaire fund manager Alex Waislitz’s Thorney Investment, bought ACM from Nine Entertainment for $125m a year ago.
Report on ABC’s ‘doctored audio’ scandal blames lawyers
A report has blamed ABC lawyers for failing to pass on complaints by former commando Heston Russell that extra gunshots had been edited into an ABC news report.
‘Pressure from above’: ABC executive pushed by Buttrose
Christopher Oliver-Taylor was under pressure to sack Antoinette Lattouf after Ita Buttrose made clear she was ‘deeply unhappy’ with action taken on the stand-in radio host, the Federal Court has heard.