Media services in Queensland and the Northern Territory have been subjected to seemingly endless cutbacks and staff reductions , which is detrimental in many ways to the communities they serve . Due to Fairfax Media merging with Macquarie Radio , about 18 jobs went at 4BC in Brisbane in April.
In addition , Fairfax has restructured its operations in rural and regional areas of Australia . This includes the Mount Isa daily , North West Star, Queensland , now produced three times a week. Changes have also been made at the North Queensland Register ,Townsville, and Brisbane's Queensland Country Life. The Katherine , Northern Territory , newspaper is also caught up in the Fairfax slashing .
From June 30, the Murdoch owned Townsville Bulletin will include its free Townsville Sun, the first Sun freebie started in Darwin to stifle competition,the name Darwin Sun then belonging to nudists after a free beach . It seems an agreement was made between the unclad and Rupert to let him use the name .
The Murdoch empire continued to gobble up any new independent paper which started in the Darwin area. There is an interesting ABC interview with the people involved in a new Top End rural publication in which they almost fell over themselves to say it was not intended to take on the NT News and Murdoch .
Today the only publication not to have succumbed to the Murdoch might in the Darwin area is produced at Mandorah , across the harbour .
The Townsville Bulletin's circulation has not been flash and its digital issue attracts a small number of readers. There were ominous signs early last year when the shop selling the News papers at the ferry terminal , through which large numbers of people pass, no longer wanted to do so. Looking about the town, bundles of unwrapped Townsville Sun were often seen near display stands .
By contrast, Murdoch's Northern Territory News in Darwin , recently the subject of a Sydney Morning Herald article highlighting , yet again, the bizarre headings, posters and stories in the paper, has strong sales and its weird yarns often go viral online . It helps when visiting prime ministers , addicted to flattery , say the front page of the paper is the first thing they look for each day .
In Brisbane , News Corporation closed down its free afternoon newspaper handed out to commuters, mainly at railway stations. Similar papers were axed in Melbourne and Sydney, resulting in the loss of 30 jobs.
There has been speculation about a reduction of media news staff and bulletins in Queensland regional television stations.
There has been speculation about a reduction of media news staff and bulletins in Queensland regional television stations.
