Nobody would deny that Australia’s media landscape is in a phase of rapid consolidation, much of it driven by new digital media platforms. We are all pretty used to receiving our news in a variety of different ways and our uptake of new technologies has been some of the fastest in the western world.
For the most part, these changes have delivered us greater access to all kinds of information and a much broader suite of news sources. We no longer rely on a single printed newspaper or 6pm broadcast for our news. Good news right? Well, yes and no.
Media sources have been forced to respond to these changes, moving to more digital platforms and consolidating their offerings in an effort to follow their audience (or force their audience to follow them). This is certainly the case in the metropolitan press, but are they leaving regional audiences behind? Former Nationals leader Tim Fischer thinks so.
Mr Fisher is spearheading a campaign titled “Save our Voices” which aims to bring awareness to the shrinking media offering in rural and regional Australia. He is calling for changes to the broadcasting laws currently restricting media broadcasters in local markets, claiming that cut backs will ultimately compromise local content.
Former Nationals leader Tim Fischer
Similar concerns have been raised with major cutbacks in print media, the most recent being the Newcastle Herald, which cut its staff from 110 to just 23. Aside from the impact of significant job losses, there are also significant impacts on the overall news offering for the region. Many former staff have expressed their fears that quality, local, investigative journalism is just not possible with a staff of 23.
There is no doubt that media suppliers are running a business and they need to be profitable; they argue that as consumers we are simply not willing to pay for news and these cutbacks are the result of that. But what does that mean for regional and rural Australia?
Does an unwillingness to pay for news automatically mean there is no news relevant to over 40% of our population?
The Newcastle Herald is already reporting significant declines in subscription rates, which former editors put down to a lack of editorial quality. This is very sad for a paper with so many coveted media awards. The publication has won multiple Wakeley awards for investigative journalism, and its unlikely we will see many more of these into the future with the now skeleton staff.
This all makes for a very interesting and somewhat concerning trend. As advertisers, we seek to engage our audience in environments that are relevant and topical to them. Consumers are demanding more localised content and the only value these vehicles really hold is their audience. Rural and regional audiences are not interested in metro-centric news and we are losing valuable opportunities to communicate with them in relevant and engaging ways when we continue to consolidate local media.