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Rural Press Group

Overview

This profile considers the Rural Press group, Harris and IPMG.

It covers -

  • introduction
  • holdings
  • IPMG and Hannan
  • Harris & Co
  • studies

Introduction

Rural Press group is controlled by a wing of the Fairfax family, former owners of the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, Business Review Weekly, the Australian Financial Review and other interests described here.

The 'John' Fairfax wing took a number of minor titles along with the loot during an abortive privatisation by the 'Warwick' wing and has emerged as a major force in provincial publishing - lots of editorially undistinguished but often profitable publications in competition with the O'Reilly-controlled APN group.

The RP group controls over 140 rural and regional titles in Australia, New Zealand and the US, along with the Canberra Times (CT), acquired in 1998 from Seven television network proprietor Kerry Stokes for $160 million. The Times was originally part of the Fairfax group.

RP has continued to buy regional titles in Australia - most recently the Bendigo Advertiser and Burnie Advocate.

Holdings

An indication of holdings is here.

IPMG and Hannan

The family acquired a major stake in Independent Print Media Group (IPMG) through the merger of the Hannan family's Independent Newspapers with the Courier group of suburban newspapers.

Courier was acquired as part of the family's departure from John Fairfax & Sons during Warwick Fairfax's disastrous privatisation.

A proposed merger between IPMG and News Corporation spin-off PMP was quashed by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission in 2001.

Rural sold the IPMG stake - for an estimated $200 million - to Hannan interests in mid 2003.

Harris

In August 2003 its Regional Publishers subsidiary launched a successful $47.6m bid for Tasmanian publisher Harris & Co.

Harris publishes the Burnie Advocate and has a 40% stake in the Launceston Examiner (60% owned by Rural Press).

Studies

There are no specific studies of the Rural Press group or the Hannans. Background to the Fairfax dynasty is provided by Gavin Souter's Company of Heralds (Melbourne: Melbourne Uni Press 1981) and other works highlighted in the separate Fairfax profile on this site.

For Harris & Co and the Launceston Examiner see Stephen Tanner's The rise and fall of Edmund Rouse (PDF).The travails of Rouse are highlighted here.