Fairfax chief Greg Hywood to be quizzed at Mumbrella360
Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood is to appear at Mumbrella360 in one of his first public appearances since unveiling his controversial plans for restructuring production of the company’s metro newspapers.
Hywood will take part in a one-on-one interview with Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes as he sets out his vision and agenda for the company.
Hywood was appointed CEO of Fairfax Media in February after a short stint on the board.
Hywood had extensive previous experience with Fairfax, including publisher and editor or editor-in-chief roles of all three of the company’s key newspaper mastheads – the Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Perhaps he can explain why it took at least 20 minutes of phone calls and faffing around to subscribe to the AFR print and online package I chose and why I am getting two seperate invoices and why I get an email telling me my subscription had closed.
And can you ask him why he’s selling 3AW? If The Age is to survive it has to regain readers in Middle Melbourne — you know, the people who buy cars, fridges, shoes (all that stuff from the retailers who don’t advertise in The Age any more). 3AW is deep into that demographic and the Age could be reaching it via 3AW as its promotional vehicle.
The only answer I can figure is that Fairfax finds Mr and Mrs Stringbag just awful, ucultured sorts who might vote Liberal and therefore doesn’t want them to buy its newspapers. Death before the dishonour of selling a newspaper to people who aren’t like the luvvies who write it now. Pretty stupid, but we are talking about Fairfax.
I hope he’s still in the chair, then.
In addition, ask him if management will get cash bonuses this year – the top echelon alone got $2.5 million last financial year, and with middle management added in the bonus bill is likely to top $3 million. Oddly enough, that’s the amount Hywood says is being “invested” in journalism out of the $15 million a year in cuts.
Does anyone own my surname? If not why not? Now, over to The Age. It is not a bad paper, however neither is my surname.
My diary is online, as are my contacts and business associates. All filed away in cyberspace a password away.
My reading habits are not a password away. They are free for me to find and read online.
Some publishers are finding it very hard, because their newsrooms cost so, so much, as does the print run…
Online upstarts do not have this problem and will therefore deliver content for users to read for free, because they do not have many overheads (unlike larger publishers like Fairfax and News…)
Other publishers (traditionally broadcasters) like SBS, ABC, The BBC are also coping very well online and taking further readers away from News and Fairfax.
Life is hard for Fairfax(.)
(I haven’t even mentioned carsales…)
Anyone seen my filofax?