Rural Press
| Industry | Media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | North Richmond, Sydney, NSW, Australia |
Key people | John B. Fairfax, Chairman, Peter A. Roach, director |
| Products | Newspapers |
| Revenue | A$307 million (2006)[1] |
| Parent | Fairfax Media Nine Entertainment  |
Rural Press Limited is an Australian media company, trading as Australian Community Media,[2] which owns approximately 170 newspaper and magazine titles, The Canberra Times being the most prominent. These are predominantly in rural Australia, though it also owns a number of agricultural publications in the United States and New Zealand. It also owned radio stations in regional South Australia and Queensland, a range of Australian classified advertising websites, and Australian commercial printing plants. It was formed in 1988 when Fairfax, then owned by Warwick Fairfax, sold some titles to Warwick's half brother John B. Fairfax.[3]
On 6 December 2006 it was announced that Rural Press Limited and John Fairfax Holdings would merge to form a new company estimated in value at $12 billion.[4] Under the deal, the family company of Rural Press chairman John B. Fairfax (who did not have an interest in the company bearing his family's name) would take a 13.5 per cent stake in the merged entity. This was just short of a controlling interest, but gave Fairfax a potential blocking stake if Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, News Corporation, the Seven Network or a private equity raider embarked on a hostile takeover, as had been widely anticipated following the Federal Parliament's passage of new media laws on 18 October 2006.[5]
The merger with Fairfax was completed on 8 May 2007.[6] The entity is generally known under the name Australian Community Media.
The Land
The Land is an Australian rural newspaper, founded in 1911 and was also the original name of the Rural Press Limited until 1981.
References
- ^ Rural Press Limited – Half Year Report, December 2006.
- ^ "Current details for ABN 47 000 010 382". Australian Government.
- ^ "Rural Press Ltd. | Encyclopedia.com". Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Knight, Elizabeth: Stakes raised in media's cold war, The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 December 2006.
- ^ Long, Stephen: Fairfax, Rural press announce plan for merger, ABC Radio National, 6 December 2006.
- ^ Rural Press, Fairfax officially merged, The Age, 9 May 2007.
External links
- Official website, no longer maintained
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- 1911 establishments in Australia
- Companies based in Sydney
- Mass media companies of Australia
- Magazine publishing companies of Australia
- Mass media in Sydney
- Newspaper companies of Australia
- Publishing companies established in 1911
- Rural organisations in Australia
- Companies formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange
- Australian company stubs
- Publishing company stubs