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A new local newspaper will soon launch in Central Australia, filling a void left by News Corp after it discontinued its newspaper business in the region three years ago.
Key points:
- The Centralian Today will be a weekly newspaper and online news service
- News Corp ceased printing the Alice Springs-based Centralian Advocate in 2020
- Independent regional publisher Today News Group will launch the paper in late August
The Centralian Today, to be published by Today News Group, will hit newsstands in late August with a weekly paper and online news service covering local news, sport and community stories.
Today News Group director Damian Morgan said he was proud to be bringing back a newspaper to the region.
"We were approached by some concerned citizens in Alice Springs who really wanted to see a newspaper back in Central Australia," he said.
"That process led to us doing some research and coming to visit and learning more about the market opportunity.
"We believe if we do it right, there is an opportunity and a great need for a newspaper to come back to Central Australia."
Mr Morgan said he believed the Centralian Today would be sustainable in the long term, despite the challenges of running a profitable newspaper in today's economic climate.
"If we can earn the respect of the people of Central Australia, I'm confident we can make this a viable proposition moving forward," he said.
"We need to produce objective, apolitical news with a hyper-local mantra.
"A lot of the stuff that we publish on a weekly basis in the paper isn't necessarily urgent, but it is very, very important and it helps connect the community."
The weekly newspaper and online subscription will each cost $4 and could create up to six local jobs, including two to three journalists, Mr Morgan said.
'Quality' print product missing
In 2020, when the Centralian Advocate was discontinued in print after 73 years as a cost-saving measure by News Corp, Anthony Geppa became the newspaper's final editor.
"The Advocate had a pretty special place in the heart of all sorts of locals here," he said.
"It certainly wasn't a perfect paper by any means, but it really had a sense of community-building and really helped tie the community together.
"The day we lost the print edition was a really big blow for the town."
Mr Geppa, who was born and raised in Alice Springs, said he was excited by the return of a local rag after a three-year absence.
"The role of print media has changed globally and the demand for it has probably lessened," he said.
"But Alice Springs is a bit unique, where the demand is still quite high for a really quality print product.
"That's obviously been missing for the past few years, and I think it has had a negative impact on town."
He said it was positive to see another "reputable news outlet" coming to the town, adding that social media — an alternative source of news — "can be a dangerous place to tread".
All sections of community impacted
Independent MLA Robyn Lambley, who facilitated a community meeting to explore alternatives after the Centralian Advocate was discontinued in print, said all sections of the community had been impacted by the loss.
"It was like having our right arm cut off," she said.
"We literally didn't know what was going on, who was dying, who was leaving town, who was winning sporting competitions, who was winning horse races.
"All that incidental but vital information that we got through the printed version of the Centralian Advocate was suddenly gone."
Mrs Lambley, the Member for Araluen, welcomed the new investment in Alice Springs and the provision of what she described an "essential service".
"For [Today News Group] to quite suddenly turn up out of the blue, seemingly, and put it to us that they were interested in coming to the town, as they have in quite a number of regional centres throughout Australia, is fantastic," she said.
"I look forward to going back to the days when we can enjoy having a cup of tea and reading the paper."
Today News Group is a privately owned publisher that runs more than two dozen titles across regional Australia, following a recent buying spree in South Australia, Queensland and Victoria.
In 2022, a parliamentary inquiry into the longevity of regional newspapers considered the impact of publishers such as News Corp and Australian Community Media suspending publication of print editions, as the decline of the industry accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among 12 recommendations, it suggested a tax rebate for regional businesses that supported local newspapers through advertising, and for government departments to spend a minimum of 20 per cent of their print advertising budget in regional newspapers.