At the family-run Kiama Independent in 1997: Marjory Weston, with sons John (seated) and Colin (rear) and Bruce. See 68.1.1, 68.3.2 and 68.4.11. AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HISTORY GROUP NEWSLETTER ISSN 1443-4962 No. 68 July 2012 Publication details Compiled for the Australian Newspaper History Group by Rod Kirkpatrick, 38 Gingham Street, Glenella, Qld, 4740. Ph. +61-7-4942 7005. Email:
[email protected] Contributing editor and founder: Victor Isaacs, of Canberra. Back copies of the Newsletter and some ANHG publications can be viewed online at: http://www.amhd.info/anhg/index.php Deadline for the next Newsletter: 30 September 2012. Subscription details appear at end of Newsletter. [Number 1 appeared October 1999.] Ten issues had appeared by December 2000 and the Newsletter has since appeared five times a year. 1 – CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS: NATIONAL & METROPOLITAN 68.1.1 GIGANTIC SHUDDER HITS NEWSROOMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA A gigantic shudder was transmitted to Fairfax and News Ltd newspaper offices throughout the country on 18 and 20 June. Suddenly the future was tremendously uncertain for 3000 or more employees of the two major Australian newspaper companies and hundreds of thousands of readers. Probably one-quarter of the uncertain jobs belonged to journalists and editors. Fairfax was specific: 1900 jobs would be lost. News did not set a figure, but the estimates by observers put the losses at between 1000 and 1500 jobs. Let’s look at recent developments in chronological order, starting with the regional scene: 3 December 2011: APN News & Media closed its dailies at Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour.