NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING – AUSTRALIA

Activist’s press role a bad call, says ALP

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 3 : 8-Jun-17

The Australian Press Council is facing growing scrutiny over the appointment of GetUp’s deputy chair Carla McGrath to its board. Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland says confidence in the APC may be undermined by the appointment of a senior member of the political activist group, and she has stressed the need for the APC to ensure that it avoids any conflicts of interest. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is a former director of Getup.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

GetUp! and go, Xenophon tells APC’s McGrath

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 10 : 7-Jun-17

Independent senator Nick Xenophon says the Australian Press Council’s independence has been undermined by the appointment of GetUp chair Carla McGrath to its board. He says McGrath should resign, as she cannot be a board member of both the APC and the political activist group. The APC has responded to a boycott of its rulings by leading newspapers by issuing a statement in which it stresses that McGrath will not adjudicate any complaints against publishers in which there is the potential for a conflict of interests.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Boycott grows over judgment by activist

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 5 : 6-Jun-17

Herald & Weekly Times MD Peter Blunden has advised that its newspapers will boycott all Australian Press Council rulings in which new board member Carla McGrath participates. The boycott was initiated by HWT parent News Corp Australia in response to the appointment of McGrath, who also chairs political activist group GetUp. Community Newspapers of Australia has indicated that it may also boycott APC rulings.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, HERALD AND WEEKLY TIMES LIMITED, COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED

Calls for McGrath to resign

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann, Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Jun-17

Former Australian Press Council chairman David Flint says GetUp’s deputy chair Carla McGrath should never have been considered for a position on the APC board. He adds that the media cannot have confidence in the APC and its judgments if there are any concerns about political conflicts of interest. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield have also questioned McGrath’s appointment, while more News Corp newspapers intend to boycott APC rulings in which McGrath participates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, NEW MATILDA PTY LTD

Oz will boycott decisions of ‘political stack’

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 2-Jun-17

The media sector has expressed concern that the appointment of Getup’s Carla McGrath to the board of the Australian Press Council could lead to a conflict of interests. McGrath is the deputy chair of the activist group, which has traditionally adopted a left-wing position when campaigning on issues such as mining, immigration and climate change. Paul Whittaker, the editor-in-chief of "The Australian", says the newspaper will boycott any rulings of the APC in which McGrath participates, given GetUp’s hostility toward News Corp Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD

Australians say ‘No’ to 100% foreign ownership of Fairfax

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-May-17

An Australia-wide Roy Morgan Survey has found that 78% of Australians aged 14+ do not want Fairfax Media to be 100% owned by either of the two overseas owned institutions that have lodged multi-billion dollar bids for the company. Meanwhile, 17% of Australians say that overseas-owned institutions should be allowed to buy Fairfax outright. The survey, which was conducted from 22-24 May 2017, also shows that 53% of Australians are in favour of allowing overseas-based institutions to own a minority stake in Fairfax. A larger majority of L-NP supporters (59%) are in favour of this option for Fairfax than ALP supporters (51%). The survey has also found that the internet is now the main source of information for 51% of Australians, compared to 24% for TV and 12% for both newspapers and radio.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TPG CAPITAL LP, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN

Second bid pleases Fairfax shareholders

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 22-May-17

Dealogic notes that the two rival bids for Fairfax Media are the largest takeover offers for any publisher worldwide so far in 2017. Allan Gray Australia MD Simon Mawhinney has welcomed Fairfax’s decision to allow TPG Capital and Hellman & Friedman to undertake due diligence. However, neither suitor is likely to make a formal bid before 30 June. TPG Australia boss Joel Thickins has told a Senate committee that the private equity firm will expand the Fairfax business and retain its charter of editorial independence.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TPG CAPITAL LP, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, ONTARIO TEACHERS’ PENSION PLAN, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CONTANGO ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX CGA, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, DOMAIN.COM.AU

Stand out performances by AFR, The Australian and Herald Sun

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-May-17

Roy Morgan Research has released the latest Readership results for Australian Newspapers for the 12 months to March 2017, showing that the cross-platform audience is steady overall thanks to the continuing transition of print readers to digital platforms. Across print and digital, 12,959,000 Australians 14+ (65 per cent) accessed cross-platform newspaper mastheads in the 12 months to March 2017. Australians are spending more on experiences and less on physical things, and this includes newspapers. Many industries – from retail to automotive to media – are witnessing a move away from traditional forms of "ownership". For Fairfax Media, 83 per cent of the audience is now using digital platforms, with just 34 per cent touching a print copy. For News Corp, digital reach finally surpassed print a year ago, and today 64 per cent of the audience reads via website or app – and, for the first time, only half (50 per cent) are reading in print.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Reform package boosts shares

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 : 9-May-17

The Federal Government’s latest media reform proposals prompted a rally in the share prices of listed media groups on 8 May 2017. In addition to abolishing the "reach rule" and the "two out of three rule", the Government plan to replace TV broadcasting licence fees with an annual spectrum fee and ban gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts prior to 8:30pm. Macquarie Group says the proposed reforms are positive for TV networks.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, TPG CAPITAL LP, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

TPG bid ‘cherry-picks’ Fairfax assets

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Original article by Max Mason, Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 14 : 9-May-17

Legg Mason Martin Currie’s Patrick Potts says TPG Capital should make a takeover offer for all of Fairfax Media’s assets. TPG and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan have made an indicative offer of $A0.95 per share for the Domain property listings business, Fairfax’s three flagship newspapers, and its events and digital ventures. Potts believes the $A2.2bn offer undervalues the assets that the TPG-led consortium wants to buy, while he adds that Fairfax shareholders would be left with "structurally challenged assets" whose value is difficult to determine.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TPG CAPITAL LP, ONTARIO TEACHERS’ PENSION PLAN, DOMAIN.COM.AU, LEGG MASON MARTIN CURRIE, THORNEY INVESTMENT GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALLURE MEDIA PTY LTD, THE HUFFINGTON POST, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, FAIRFAX NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, NEW ZEALAND. COMMERCE COMMISSION, PLATINUM EQUITY HOLDINGS, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, FETCH PLUS INCORPORATED PTE LTD