News Corp closes women’s content network Whimn
News Corp’s With Her In Mind (Whimn) Network will cease publication on 30 June.
In addition, its Sunday magazine liftout Stellar will combine with the publisher’s other weekend brand Body + Soul from 5 July.
The latest changes at one of Australia’s largest publishers come just days after it closed multiple local and community papers, and moved others online, ceasing over 100 print publications.
In an internal email seen by Mumbrella, News Corp said this shake-up would strengthen its women’s portfolio and create a simpler offering for clients. Simplification for clients was also a sentiment expressed during the closure of the local and community newspapers.
Whimn launched in 2016 to take on the likes of Mamamia, as well as Bauer Media’s female-focused offering and Nine’s various digital plays.
Despite the competition, Nicole Sheffield, who at the time was the boss of News Corp’s DNA, said she wanted Whimn.com.au to “be the number one female news and information source in this country”.
The Whimn content will now be housed within Body + Soul. Sarrah Le Marquand, currently editor of Stellar, will take on Body + Soul as well. The new, combined, magazine will launch in July.
“This move will create a premium weekend women’s product, for the first time, across all our major markets of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and enable us to have a co-ordinated, compelling content offering for readers, and importantly, advertisers,” the email said.
Editor of News.com.au Kate de Brito will take on Kidspot, reporting directly to executive chairman Michael Miller. Melissa Wilson, editor of Kidspot, will report to de Brito. Body + Soul editor Elin Tough has finished with News Corp this month.
“The changes we are making today will be significant for how we position these titles for growth to meet consumer needs and ensure we are less complex for clients to leverage,” Richard Skimin, managing director of News.com.au, News Women’s Network and eCommerce, said in the internal email.
“Operating as the one News Women’s Network will enable us to better collaborate to create brilliant storytelling that resonates with consumers and their lifestyles, while also developing advertising and custom marketing solutions using our data insights to ensure advertisers and clients are connected with the right consumer demographics for their products and services.”
Over the past month, Buzzfeed has shuttered its news operation in Australia, 10 Daily has closed, News Corp’s community papers have taken a battering, and media companies across the country have enacted stand-downs and pay cuts.
I don’t understand this. NewsCorp said in market this was the biggest women’s network in Australia and the majority of women loved it and read the content. Therefore how can such a valuable and “much loved” site struggle so much and only last a few years?
Perhaps, the men at NewsCorp should consider women are not one dimensional beings only interested in make up, pregnancy and reality TV.
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Few – as a woman i did like how I knew I could visit WHIMN because it had the word WHIMN in it … and now it’s called the WOMEN’S network that will make it easy to know that the new network is okay for me to visit, as a woman.
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Thanks. I look forward to having my lifestyle resonated with.
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Heartbroken to see the largest women’s network close in Australia. Truly an innovator for women.
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.. News Ltd on their knees – closing down print and news whilst on the other hand trying on a cash grab of Google revenue….
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It’s disappointing to see its closing, but it’s pretty tired, typical ‘women’ content. They recycled a lot of content, and there’s no fresh ideas. Sorry to hear if the staff will be made redundant.
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How many things there are that I first hear of only when they are closing down!
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I would usually gloat over the spiraling demise of NewsCorp quite happily, however I do feel terrible for all the juniors and innocents who have lost their roles in this debacle.
Hey Rupert…. maybe try being more 2020 and less 1920 in your next endeavor.
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You do know that almost all the writers on WHIMN are women….What the hell do Men have anything to do with this???
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