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Australian Community Media#North Coast NSW

{{short description|Australian regional newspaper publisher and media company}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{use Australian English|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox company

| name =

| traded_as =

| logo = Australian Community Media logo.jpg

| former_name = Rural Press

| foundation =

| founder =

| defunct =

| location_city = Sydney

| location_country = Australia

| area_served = Regional Australia

| key_people =

| industry = Media

| products = Regional newspapers
Websites

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| num_employees =

| owner = {{ubl|Antony Catalano (50%)|Alex Waislitz (50%)}}

| divisions =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|acm.media}}

}}

Australian Community Media (ACM) is a media company in Australia responsible for over 160 regional publications. Its mastheads include the Canberra Times, Newcastle Herald, The Examiner, The Border Mail, The Courier and the Illawarra Mercury along with more than one hundred community-based websites across Australia and numerous agricultural publications including The Land and Queensland Country Life.

The entity was formerly owned by Fairfax Media prior to its merger with Nine Entertainment in 2018. In April 2019, Nine sold the business to former chief executive of real estate platform Domain Antony Catalano and billionaire Alex Waislitz.

In May 2024, one of the lawyers employed by ACM became associated with a plagiarism scandal involving the use of AI.{{Cite news |last=Fell |first=Julian |date=2024-05-13 |title=We asked this Australian lawyer if he was behind a 'parasitic' content farm. Hours later it was all taken down |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-14/australian-ai-content-network-lawyer-identified/103833258 |access-date=2024-05-13 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} It was discovered that articles from other publications had been rewritten, but not attributed to the original journalists.

History

ACM's origins can be traced back to The Land, founded in Sydney in 1911. In subsequent decades, The Land acquired various other community newspapers. In September 1970, John Fairfax acquired a 25% shareholding.{{cite news |date=17 September 1970 |title=Fairfax takes up new issue |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110461240 |work=The Canberra Times |page=34 }} In 1981, the company was renamed Rural Press.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} In 1985, John Fairfax increased its shareholding from 25% to 45%.{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127012035 |title=Fairfax lifting stake in Rural Press |work=The Canberra Times |date=23 May 1985 |page=27}} In March 1989, Rural Press was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with Fairfax Holdings having a 51% shareholding.{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/258291767 |title=Rural Press Ltd on stock exchange |work=Nota |date=1 April 1989 |page=17}}

By the mid-2000s, Rural Press owned approximately 170 newspaper and magazine titles, the Canberra Times being the most prominent. These were predominantly in rural Australia, though it also owned a number of agricultural publications in the United States and New Zealand. It also owned radio stations in regional Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, a range of Australian classified advertising websites, and Australian commercial printing plants.{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127245387 |title=Rural Press stable extended |work=The Canberra Times |date=7 September 1993 |page=11}}{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118190448 |title=Radio growth for Rural Press |work=The Canberra Times |date=12 July 1994 |page=17}}

On 6 December 2006, it was announced that Rural Press and John Fairfax would merge to form a new company estimated in value at $12 billion.{{cite news |last=Knight |first=Elizabeth |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/stakes-raised-in-medias-cold-war/2006/12/06/1165081019155.html |title=Stakes raised in media's cold war |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=7 December 2006 |access-date=27 November 2021}}{{Failed verification|date=November 2021|reason=This source is commentary, not news}} Under the deal, the family company of Rural Press chairman John{{nbsp}}B. Fairfax (who did not have an interest in the company bearing his family's name) took a 13.5 per cent stake in the merged entity. This was just short of a controlling interest, but gave Fairfax a potential blocking stake if Publishing & Broadcasting Limited, News Corporation, the Seven Network or a private equity raider embarked on a hostile takeover, as had been widely anticipated following the Federal Parliament's passage of new media laws on October 18, 2006.{{cite episode |title=Fairfax, Rural press announce plan for merger |url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1805856.htm |access-date=27 November 2021 |series=PM |first=Stephen |last=Long |network=Radio National |date=6 December 2006 |language=en-au}}

The merger with Fairfax was completed on 8 May 2007.{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Rural-Press-Fairfax-officially-merged/2007/05/09/1178390384391.html |title=Rural Press, Fairfax officially merged |work=The Age |date=9 May 2007}} Papers from Rural Press were published under the Fairfax Regional Media brand, which later became Australian Community Media. Fairfax Media merged with Nine Entertainment in December 2018 and Nine sold ACM to Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz in April 2019.{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-30/nine-sells-fairfax-community-newspapers-to-the-cat/11058066 |title=Nine sells Fairfax community newspapers to Antony Catalano |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=30 April 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/antony-catalano-buys-nines-regional-newspapers-576941 |title=Antony Catalano buys Nine's regional newspapers |work=Mumbrella |date=30 April 2019 |last=Kelly |first=Vivienne}}{{cite news |url=https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/thorney-takes-a-slice-of-catalano-s-australian-community-media.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624063407/https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/thorney-takes-a-slice-of-catalano-s-australian-community-media.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2021 |title=Thorney takes a slice of Catalano's Australian Community Media |work=Business News|date=9 July 2019 |last=Simmons |first=David }}

In December 2022, management of 14 newspapers in Queensland and South Australia was taken over by Star News Group.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-20 |title=ACM to sell SA, Queensland regional community newspapers |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8026594/acm-to-sell-sa-queensland-regional-community-newspapers/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.canberratimes.com.au |language=en-au}} ACM closed the Blayney Chronicle and Oberon Review in August 2024{{Cite web |date=2024-07-24 |title=Stop press for Blayney Chronicle |url=https://www.blayneychronicle.com.au/story/8706739/acms-digital-shift-blayney-chronicles-last-print-in-august/ |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Blayney Chronicle |language=en-AU}} and then a month later announced plans to close another eight papers. The company blamed the closures on Meta Platforms not renewing its $200 million three-year deal with local newspaper publishers.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Wayne |date=13 September 2024 |title=ACM TO FOLD 8 MORE NEWSPAPERS |url=https://www.print21.com.au/industry/latest/acm-to-fold-8-more-newspapers |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Print21 |language=en}} In February 2025, ACM announced that all of its mastheads would move to one printed edition per week by 2032.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-07/acm-newspapers-print-editions-saturdays/104908300 Australian Community Media flags future further reduction in print editions] ABC News 7 February 2025

Newspapers

= Regional Daily =

== New South Wales ==

{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|* Central Western Daily (Orange)

== ACT ==

== Tasmania ==

== Victoria ==

= Non-daily =

== New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory ==

=== ACT and Southern Inland NSW ===

=== Illawarra and South East NSW ===

=== New England ===

=== Newcastle and Hunter region ===

=== Central Coast NSW ===

  • Central Coast Community News (Gosford)

=== North Coast NSW ===

=== South West NSW ===

=== Sydney Suburban ===

=== Western NSW ===

== Queensland ==

== Northern Territory ==

== South Australia ==

== Tasmania ==

== Victoria ==

ACM is represented in Victoria by "The Mighty V" and the Victorian Country Press Association (VCPA)

== Western Australia ==

= Agricultural =

== Rural Weeklies ==

== Specialty Publications ==

  • Alfa Lotfeeding
  • Australian Cotton & Grains Outlook
  • Good Fruit & Vegetables
  • Horse Deals
  • The Australian Dairy Farmer

= Specialty brands =

== Targeted brands ==

  • The Senior
  • Focus
  • Rural Bookshop
  • The Content Studio
  • Chi Squared Research

== Rural newspaper inserted publications ==

  • Country Leader
  • Hunter Valley and North Coast Town & Country
  • North West Magazine
  • The Rural
  • The Border News
  • Town and Country Magazine
  • Western Magazine}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.acmadcentre.com.au/ ACM Ad Centre]
  • {{webarchive |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20150311135801/http://www.fairfaxmedia.com.au/portfolio-landing |date=11 March 2015 |title=Fairfax Media Portfolio}}
  • {{webarchive |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190305073811/https://www.nineentertainmentco.com.au/brand-australian-community-media-and-printing |date=5 March 2019 |title=Australian Community Media & Printing (Nine Entertainment)}}

{{Australian Community Media}}

{{Nine Entertainment}}

Category:Australian news websites

Category:Companies based in Sydney

Category:Companies formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange

Category:Fairfax Media

Category:Holding companies of Australia

Category:Mass media in Sydney

Category:Newspaper companies of Australia

Category:Nine Entertainment

Category:2019 mergers and acquisitions