Fairfax and Syme: landmarks
Landmarks
This chronology is indicative only. Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site.
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Founding Fathers
1828 John Fairfax launches Leamington Spa Courier in UK, subsequently emigrates to Australia
1831 Ward Stephens, William McGarvie and Frederick Stokes start The Sydney Herald
1841 John Fairfax and Charles Kemp buy The Sydney Herald from Frederick Stokes for £10,000
1842 Sydney Herald becomes The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH)
1844 Fairfax launches Shipping Gazette
1851 Ebenezer Syme assists publisher of the Westminister Review
1853 Ebenezer establishes short-lived Diggers Advocate in Victorian goldfields
1853 SMH becomes first Australian newspaper printed with steam
1854 Williamston Advertiser launched in Victoria
1855 Illawarra Mercury founded
1856 John Fairfax & Sons established when partnership is formed with John and sons James & Charles
1856 Ebenezer and brother David Syme buys The Age and start The Leader
1860 Ebenezer Syme dies aged 34, David halves price of paper
1860 Fairfax launches weekly Sydney Mail
1868 Syme buys Melbourne Herald
1870 Fairfax's Afternoon Telegraph expires within year
1872 first Reuters news arrives at SMH
1875 Fairfax launches Sydney afternoon Echo
1876 Newcastle Morning Herald launched by James Fletcher
1876 David Syme writes Outline of an Industrial Science
1878 David Syme and Ebenezer's heirs form David Syme & Co
1881 David Syme writes Representative Government in England
1881 David Syme writes vitalist tract On the Modification of Organisms
1893 Sydney afternoon Echo ceases
1899 The Sydney Morning Herald evening edition established
1902 Werribee Banner launched
1903 David Syme writes The Soul
1906 Wellington Publishing Company founded in New Zealand to publish morning daily The Dominion
1908 David Syme dies, company controlled by trust
Next Generation
1910 The Sun launched as broadsheet by Hugh Denison
1916 John Fairfax & Sons changes from partnership to private company as John Fairfax & Sons Ltd
1926 Shakespeare founds Canberra Times
1934 Fairfax buys Home and Art in Australia
1935 Australian Associated Press formed
1937 group becomes John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd
1938 Australian Newsprint Mills formed
1938 Sydney Mail ceases
1947 The Sun relaunched as tabloid
1948 Syme trust relaxed, with The Age transferred to David Syme & Co Ltd
1949 Sunday Herald launched
1950-1970
1950 Woman's Day and Home merged
1951 The Australian Financial Review launched as weekly
1952 Woman's Day sold to Herald & Weekly Times (H&WT)
1953 Fairfax buys Associated Newspapers, becomes publisher of Sydney Sun newspaper
1953 Sunday Herald and Sunday Sun merge to form The Sun-Herald
1955 Fairfax subsidiary Amalgamated Television Services gains commercial television licence
1956 Fairfax buys Woman's Day and Associated Newspapers
1956 GTV-9 Melbourne launched by General Television (consortium inc The Argus, Syme, Hoyts, Greater Union)
1957 Syme closes The Leader
1957 Fairfax-controlled television station ATN-7 goes live
1958 Fairfax buys Norton's Sydney Daily Mirror
1958 sells Sydney Daily Mirror to Murdoch
1960 Fairfax and Packer's Consolidated Press establish Suburban Publications
1961 AFR published twice a week
1961 Fairfax buys 45% stake in Newcastle Morning Herald and Newcastle Sun
1963 AFR becomes a daily
1964 News buys 29.8% stake in Wellington Publishing Co (later INL)
1966 Fairfax acquires a stake in David Syme & Co
1968 Syme takes stake in radio station 3XY
1969 Fairfax acquires South Coast Times, publisher of Illawarra Mercury
1969 Canberra News launched (closes 1974)
1970-1980
1970 Fairfax buys 25% of The Land group, subsequently increased
1971 National Times launched
1972 Fairfax increases stake in David Syme to over 50%
1977 Sir Warwick Fairfax ceases to be chairman, replaced by son James
1978 Fairfax acquires full ownership of Newcastle Herald and Macquarie Broadcasting Holdings radio group
1979 Fairfax buys 14.9% of Herald & Weekly Times. Murdoch takeover bid unsuccessful but News subsequently gains control
1980 Fairfax sells Canberra tv station CTC-7 to Kerry Stokes
1981 Business Review Weekly launched as a magazine (previously an insert in The National Times)
1981 Syme suburban papers merge with Murdoch's Cumberland as Syme Community Newspapers
1983 Personal Investment magazine launched
1983 Fairfax moves to full ownership of Syme
1984 Good Weekend launched as insert magazine
Failed privatisation
1987 Murdoch sells HSV-7 to Fairfax for $320 million
1987 Fairfax sells Seven Network stations to Christopher Skase's Qintex group
1987 Warwick Fairfax Jr launches $2.25 billion privatisation bid, rest of family sells (one arm rebuilds interests around Rural Press group), new board installed
1988 Sydney Sun closed
1990 Warwick sacks board to become CEO and chairman
1990 Fairfax put into receivership, ending relationship with family
1991 major stake acquired by Conrad Black
1992 John Fairfax Holdings floated
1996 Brierley Investments buys Black's stake
1996 Fairfax Community News buys Telegraph Bacchus Marsh, Sunbury and Macedon Ranges newspapers
1998 Fred Hilmer appointed as Fairfax CEO
1998 Fairfax buys back 10% Brierley stake
1999 Personal Investment magazine relaunched as Personal Investor
1999 TV Now relaunched as Television
1999 Fairfax buys Brimbank Independent and Melton-Bacchus Marsh Independent
1999 merges those titles with The Advocate, Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph and Melton Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph
1999 BRW relaunched
2000 INL sells Gordon & Gotch Australia to News spin-off PMP
2000 INL sells Terabyte Interactive
2000 Fairfax launches House & Land in Melbourne
2000 Fairfax buys Community News (Moonee Valley) and Community News (Moreland)
2001 launches and folds Melbourne Express
2002 Wellington's Evening Post merges with The Dominion to form The Dominion Post
2003 acquires most publishing interests of New Zealand's Independent Newspapers Ltd (INL), at that time around 50% owned by News, in $1bn deal
2003 buys Text Media
2005 pays $38.92 million for dating site RSVP.com.au
2005 buys publications of Rodney Times newspaper group in New Zealand (inc Rodney Times, weekly Coaster and Outlook regional real estate guide) for c$10m
2006 buys Trade Me (est 1999) for $625m
2006 pays $155 million for regional publisher the Border Morning Mail and a controlling stake in its printing presses
2006 News buys 7.5% stake in Fairfax for $360m
2006 Fairfax acquires Rural Press in a friendly takeover