Metro Media Publishing and Star News Group merge West titles
Metro Media Publishing and Star News Group have entered into a joint venture in Melbourne’s western suburbs, merging their newspaper titles.
The announcement:
Metro Media Publishing and Star News Group have entered into a joint venture in Melbourne’s western suburbs, merging their newspaper titles.
MMP Star Pty Ltd will be 67 per cent owned by MMP and will publish six titles under the Star Weekly banner: the Wyndham Star Weekly, Hobsons Bay & Maribyrnong Star Weekly, Northern Star Weekly, Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly, Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly and Brimbank & North West Star Weekly. Total circulation for the six publications is about 400,000.
At the same time, MMP and Star are merging their classified call centre teams to create one business to sell classifieds for the MMP-Star joint venture, MMP’s The Weekly Review franchise in central Melbourne, and Star’s publications in Melbourne’s east and south-eastern suburbs.
The Chief Operating Officer of MMP, Mr Trent Casson, said the company would make a multi-million dollar investment into the merged business to position it for future growth.
“The merger of our newspaper assets in the West will create the best publication in each market, and will provide a better foundation from which we can grow,” he said
Mr Casson said the merger was expected to be completed in April, 2014, with the joint venture to publish its first publications in May, 2014.
As part of the transaction, MMP will assume retail and real estate sales responsibility for the merged business.
MMP will also assume responsibility for agency sales for the merged business, as well as Star’s stand alone publications, providing a network opportunity for clients across 25 publications delivered to 1.3 million homes.
“We are now able to offer the best network local newspaper buy in metropolitan Melbourne, and we are confident it will be very attractive to national, metropolitan and local advertisers,” he said.
Source: Medianet media release
