View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Queensland eSpace AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HISTORY GROUP NEWSLETTER ISSN 1443-4962 No. 11 March 2001 Compiled for the ANHG by Rod Kirkpatrick, 13 Sumac Street, Middle Park, Qld, 4074, 07-3279 2279,
[email protected] 11.1 COPY DEADLINE, SUBSCRIPTION NOTICE AND WEBSITE ADDRESS Deadline for copy for the next Newsletter is 30 April 2001. The Newsletter is online through the “publications” link from the University of Queensland’s Journalism Website at www.uq.edu.au/jrn/ CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS 11.2 NEW PAPERS HIT MELBOURNE TRACKS News Ltd announced its first, but John Fairfax published its first: a commuter newspaper for Melbourne. Fairfax launched their Melbourne Express on the morning of 5 February, and News Ltd their MX on the afternoon of the same day. Both companies distributed about 60,000 copies of the 32-page tabloid papers. News Ltd’s MX, a full-colour production, is aimed at the 18 to 39 year old audience; Fairfax’s Express is aimed at a slightly older audience. News has secured exclusive distribution rights at rail platforms and will eventually provide the papers to commuters in bins; Fairfax said it would continue to employ people to hand out the Express outside train stations and elsewhere. According to MX’s rate card, a full page ad costs $4,500; in the Express it costs $4,256. On 26 January the Age had reported the impending News Ltd commuter paper. John Fairfax Holdings had planned a similar paper called Express in Melbourne and Sydney in May 2000, but abandoned the idea once News threatened to launch a rival publication.