Media
NEWS HAS A FUTURE: Herald Sun soars over The Aged
Contrary to the stream of blogorrhoea emanating from all manner of ink-haters, newspapers do matter in people’s lives. When things turn to sh*t, people turn to newspapers. Never more so than when whole communities are erased from the map by wildfire.
And right now, it has never been more evident that when people turn to newspapers, they turn without hesitation to those that have real, human news in them.
We’ve just had an anonymous heads-up from someone who is clearly straddling the divide between Melbourne’s competing mastheads.
In the wake of the bushfires, the Herald Sun is turning-in mammoth sales figures that have not been seen for more than a decade, we’re told.
On Tuesday 10th February, it sold close to 600,000 copies. Tuesday is traditionally the worst day for newspaper sales everywhere in the world.
Compare and contrast with the Age, a publication labouring under the prejudices of a shrinking army of stiletto-wielding, sh*t-on-liver second stringers who can’t report accurately or honestly to save themselves. Viz: The Age’s disgraceful front page headline: “Now the backlash”. Genius.
Tuesday’s Age sales result: near enough to 200,000 copies, we’re told, with some confidence. A fair result in difficult times, but, in the biggest news week for a very long time, 200K is barely line-ball with the number of copies they sold on the same Tuesday twelve months ago. And, considering that 130,000 of their daily circulation is pre-paid home delivery copies, this sales result puts The Age’s retail sales base down there with that other top-selling niche publication, Australian Budgie Fancier.
According to our source, a fair judge of the newspaper business we suspect, “If that’s the best number the Age can do in the face of the biggest local story of my lifetime, they’re officially f*cked.”
Discussion
12 comments for “NEWS HAS A FUTURE: Herald Sun soars over The Aged”
Post a comment
The sooner the better
The Age cannot be saved. Time for all sensible people to make alternative plans.
I’m told that a number of long term staff at The Age have been put on a short working week to reduce accumulated annual and long service leave — so the balance sheet looks healthier. How bad are things at Fairfax if that is being contemplated?
The Herald-Sun is truly a vile right winged story book with zero credibility. It employs uneducated and biased fools like ‘Nuff Nuff’ Bolt and the ‘Self-Lover’ Mitchell.
I would not even use it to wipe loose stools off my anus.
Anon 16.13, is that you, “Sultry” Suzy Carbone?
Yeah, anon @ 16:13, but people read it.
There was a time, long ago, when The Age was a byword for quality journalism. No longer. Every article is accompanied by both a byline and the crappy journalist’s opinion. The State has wasted enough money on consultants due to The Age’s vicious campaigns against dredging of the bay; the North-South pipeline; the Desal plant, etc, etc. I will now put aside what Murdoch did to Gough, cancel my subscription to The Age and subscribe to The Australian
Take the Age out into the back paddock and give it the shotgun. Time’s up, the inevitable is upon the Age.
Hmmm. Latest ABC figures show 2H weekday Herald Sun sales down 2.8%, Age up slightly.
I’m yet to meet anyone who pays the cover price for The Age, what with all the discounting they do. I even picked up a copy for free on the Queenscliff ferry FFS! What a business…apperently “climbing” circulation, but declining circulation revenue and ad revenues.
Listen to me, Greg Davies, we know what we’re doing over here, so none of your crap about quoting our latest HS circulation decline. We’ll just hire Gary Morgan to say that readership is up, then Harto can tell Rupert there is no need for him to come back again until his mum’s next birthday and we can keep on putting our mates in the nice offices. Look how well Simon is doing. Circ down 5% in the week after I knocked off that bastard Gurthrie. And three weeks ago there was a day when it was down 38,000 year on year. No kidding, that’s impresive. Imagine how much we’re saving on newsprint and ink! You just have to look at it the right way, as I was telling Harto just the other day (we’re almost mates again after that bastard Bruce came between us). Now these bloody bushfires are ruining everything.
Yeah, Greg Davies, you dead pommy bastard. What ever Peter says is fine with me–after I check with my wife that is. But she’s busy picking the celebrities I’ll put on page 3. When she puts down New Idea I’ll know what to think, if that’s OK with you, peter. Excuse me, dear, do you think Durban Poison will blame me when circulation drops after the fires? Yes, dear, “I was Livinia Nixon’s love slave” would make a great cover line.