Fed: Newspapers alive and well
By Paul Osborne
BRISBANE, Aug 4 AAP - Things are looking up for the newspaper industry in the Pacificregion, a conference was told today.
Falling prices for newsprint and improved advertising revenues were among bright spotsidentified by Graham Gorrel, president of the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers' Association(PANPA).
He told PANPA'S annual conference in Brisbane that a drop in the price of newsprintto its lowest level in six years and the growth in newsprint consumption from just under830,000 tonnes to 900,000 tonnes a year were among the positive signs.
"There are promising signs, reflected particularly in the strengthening share priceof newspaper stocks - APN, Rural Press and West Australian Newspapers - that the industryis moving out of one of its worst advertising recessions in more than two decades," saidMr Gorrel, executive director of the NSW-based Riverina Media Group.
He anticipated circulation figures to be released this week would show increases inmost publications on the back of major news events, such as the war in Iraq.
Readership in New Zealand was at a 10-year high with an AC Nielsen survey showing thaton a typical day 1.7 million people - half of the country's population - read a dailynewspaper.
Research was also showing women had a stronger relationship with newspapers today thantheir mothers and grandmothers, Mr Gorrel said.
"In some quarters there is a view that still persists that newspapers are a maturebusiness and it's all downhill from here," Mr Gorrel said.
"That is nonsense. Around our enormous Pacific region newspapers continue to find newways of serving readers and advertisers and are refreshed and renewed in the process."
But Mr Gorrel said Australian industry players had not been as successful as hopedin two areas: seeking an exemption for journalists from new anti-terrorism laws and changingcross-media ownership laws.
AAP pjo/sc/drp/sp/de +
KEYWORD: PANPA (PIX AVAILABLE)
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