Messenger Newspapers

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A copy of the Messenger.
A copy of the Messenger.

Messenger Newspapers is the publisher of 11 free suburban weekly newspapers together covering the Adelaide metropolitan area. Established by Roger Baynes in Port Adelaide in 1951, Messenger has since acquired other independent suburban titles to become Adelaide's only suburban newspaper group. The paper is a subsidiary of News Limited.[1]

The Messenger is delivered weekly to 11 different suburban areas, each paper targeting content to its distribution area with some shared content. The Messenger group also publishes one monthly lifestyle magazine, Adelaide Matters. More than 710,000 people read the Messenger every week.[2]

The newspapers cover events in the distribution area, including local council decisions, controversial developments, local social trends, articles about local volunteers or young people, and local sports clubs. There is also a significant classifieds and real estate sections. All Messenger titles feature regular sections such as Vibe (entertainment guide), Sport, and Your Garden.

Messenger Newspapers is based at 1 Baynes Place, Port Adelaide.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1951, Port Adelaide courier Roger Baynes, in partnership with Len Croker, took over the Largs North Progressive Association's Progressive Times. In March 1951, the Progressive Times was relaunched as the Messenger. The Messenger originally operated out of a small room above a Port Adelaide bicycle shop. The business later moved to an old butcher's shop on Commercial Road, Port Adelaide.

In 1954, Croker left the Messenger to run the Woodville Times. In 1959, Baynes' fellow courier, Ron Mitchell, joined Messenger to run it's newest acquisition, the Standard. Messenger Press continued to acquire suburban newspapers across Adelaide and turned them into Messenger titles. Messenger Press acquired John Carroll's four News Review titles, the Edwardstown District Community Centre Newspaper and the Glenelg Guardian, previously run by the Smedley brothers at Glenelg.[3]

By 1962, Messenger Newspapers were being delivered to 250,000 homes across Adelaide. Two years later, Baynes sold nearly half of the company's shares to The Advertiser. In 1983, shortly before his death, Baynes sold his remaining shares to The Advertiser.

In the 1970s and 1980s newspapers in the Adelaide Hills, south coast and Barossa Valley were added to the Messenger stable. In 1988 the City Messenger was established to cover the Adelaide CBD.

Messenger had several printing firsts, most notably, in 1968, being the first newspaper in the southern hemisphere to own a web offset press - just one year after being the first press to use IBM tape electric typesetting. In 1981 the firm purchased a Mitsubishi L600 colour press, enabling Messenger to print coloured magazines including The Advertiser Magazine, Football Times, South Australian Radio TV Extra and Adelaide Matters. However, from 1988 production moved to The Advertiser. From 1991 all Messenger newspapers were printed by News Limited.

In 2007, Messenger Newspapers began publishing news online and uploaded web videos for the first time. In January 2008, Messenger added a number of online interactive features to its websites, including photo galleries and a breaking news feed from Adelaide Now, the online news service of The Advertiser newspaper.

[edit] Local editions

Title Region Delivery day Journalist(s) Circulation Readership
News Review Salisbury, Elizabeth and Gawler Wednesday Eszter Vasensky & Melanie Reid 89,618 81,000
Leader Modbury and Golden Grove Wednesday Francesca Belperio 43,314 65,000
Weekly Times Woodville, West Lakes, West Beach Wednesday Chantelle Kroehn 61,739 81,000
Portside Port Adelaide and Lefevre Peninsula Wednesday Adam Todd 32,562 53,000
City Adelaide and North Adelaide Thursday Chris Day & Louise Russell 27,999 56,000
East Torrens Payneham, Athelstone, Magill Wednesday Kate Jenkinson 33,123 44,000
Hills & Valley Blackwood, Aberfoyle Park Wednesday Emily Charrison 19,253 35,000
Standard Prospect and Enfield Wednesday Kasia Ozog 34,565 73,000
Eastern Courier Norwood, Burnside, Goodwood Wednesday Aaron Coultate & Tim Williams 62,600 81,000
Guardian Glenelg, Marion, Hallett Cove Wednesday Kym Morgan & Sarah Garvis 68,653 83,000
Southern Times Reynella, Noarlunga, Sellicks Beach Wednesday Jai Bednall & Jake Dean 57,690 95,000
Adelaide Matters Adelaide Monthly Catherine Clifton & Kylie Fleming 106,347 127,000

[edit] Staff

  • General Manager: John Turner
  • Editor-In-Chief: Megan Lloyd
  • Deputy Editor: Matt Deighton
  • Editorial Manager: Gordon Armstrong
  • Online editor: Greg Barila
  • Vibe editor: Petra Starke
  • Letters editor: Livia Erhardt
  • Features editor: Eleanor Miller
  • Regional editor (north) Kara Phillips
  • Regional editor (south) Andrew Spence
  • Regional editor (west) David Klar
  • Regional editor (east) Emma Graham
  • Regional editor (city) Elizabeth Hook
  • Sports Editor: Dale Clarke
  • Sports Reporter: Reece Homfray
  • Group Advertising Director: Daniel Canny
  • Agency Sales Manager: Chris Dimitrak

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Messenger Newspapers
  2. ^ News Limited Community Newspapers
  3. ^ Holdfast Bay Chamber of Commerce

[edit] External links

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Messenger Newspapers