Fairfax closes business title The Independent – and heralds move as “a major expansion”
Fairfax is to close its weekly New Zealand business title The Independent, four years after acquiring it.
Its axeing was revealed in an item on Fairfax New Zealand’s Business Day today, which described the move as “a major expansion of its business journalism online and in print”. According to the article, Fairfax will concentrate its resources on its Businessday brand instead:
“The company will harness its business reporting resources from across the country and, as part of today’s initiative, will boost its Businessday presence by eight journalists in Auckland.
“The move – in line with Fairfax Media’s integrated multimedia business model – will see the closure of The Independent newspaper next month and a refocus on the Businessday and Businessday.co.nz brands.”
As well as online on stuff.co.nz, the Businessday section appears across Fairax NZ’s titles The Dominion Post, The Press and the Waikato Times.
The Independent was founded in 1992 by the late Warren Berryman and Jenni McManus and funded by Tony Timpson. At the end of last year its audited circulation was 3,235.
When Fairfax bought the title four years ago, it committed itself to “make The Independent the foremost business publication in New Zealand.”
According to the announcement there will be no editorial redundancies.
Warren Berryman and Jenni McManus
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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It’s a smart business move. Fairfax should have done this years ago.
But you’ve got to worry about a business publisher which describes the closure of a title as “a major expansion of its business journalism online and in print”.
What words would those spin doctors use if the company actually hired new staff or produced a new product?
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Hopefully we subscribers get a refund rather than an unwanted web access package. Won’t miss the rubbish front covers the paper has specialised in.
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@Bill – obviously if Fairfax actually hired staff or launched a new publication this would be described as “a quantum leap in the history of New Zealand publishing, if not the greatest advance since the first Maori took ink, indeed we feel that going forward our decision to [hire a new intern] [launch a monthly staff newsletter] will be seen as a turning point in global publishing. Until we [sack the intern] [shut down the newsletter] in a major expansion.”
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How predictable, letter (from Fiona Rotherham no less) arrived today saying remaining credit is available as a gift voucher for any Fairfax title to be redeemed before the end of the year – or it expires. After 15 minutes on hold to the call centre the girl tells me that there is a constant stream of calls demanding a refund. Great customer relations, Fairfax, and with the premium business community no less. And I thought getting my Sunday Star Times soaking wet in the letterbox every weekend was the limit to their perfidy…
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