The West Australian
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 Front page of The West Australian on 12 December 2005 |
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
| Format | Tabloid |
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| Owner | West Australian Newspapers Limited |
| Editor | Paul Armstrong |
| Founded | 1833 |
| Headquarters | 50 Hasler Road, Osborne Park, WA, Australia |
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| Website: www.thewest.com.au | |
The West Australian (often simply called The West) is Perth's only locally edited daily newspaper, and is owned by ASX-listed West Australian Newspapers Holdings Ltd.
It is the second-oldest continuously produced newspaper in Australia, having been published since 1833. It currently has a weekday circulation of 200,000, and a weekend circulation of 370,000 with its Saturday edition.[1]
The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication.
The West is politically populist, with strong conservative leanings. It was described by former Prime Minister of Australia Paul Keating as the worst newspaper in Australia.
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[edit] Content
The newspaper contains international, national and local news.
Contemporary columnists include Paul Murray (previously the managing editor of the newspaper) and Danny Katz (a Melbourne-based columnist for The Age newspaper whose column is also bought by The West).
The paper also publishes the WestWeekend Magazine which is inserted in the Saturday edition.
[edit] History
The West Australian traces its origins to The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, the first edition of which appeared on 5 January 1833. Owned and edited by Perth postmaster Charles Macfaull, it was originally a four page weekly.[2] It was at first published on Saturdays, but changed to Fridays in 1864. Eventually renamed The Perth Gazette and published by Arthur Shenton, it ran until 26 June 1874, when it was bought out by a syndicate who renamed it The Western Australian Times and increased production to two editions a week. On 18 November 1879, the paper was relaunched as The West Australian. In October 1883, production was increased to three a week, and two years later it became a daily. The proprietors of the West Australian at the time also started up the Western Mail in 1885. Initially, delivery of the paper beyond settled areas was a major problem, but the growth and development of the rural railway system in the early 1900s facilitated a wider circulation.
[edit] Notable former journalists
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[edit] Location
The location of the West Australian Newspaper offices and operations on St Georges Terrace across the road from the Palace Hotel was a significant landmark for over 50 years in the social and political life of Perth and Western Australia. [3] It was not until 1988 that larger and more modern premises, for the paper's printing presses, were established in Osborne Park [4] - but it was another 10 years before the editorial aspect of the newspaper moved to the same location [5][6]
[edit] Corporate ownership history
The West Australian was owned by the publically listed company West Australian Newspapers Ltd since the 1920s. In 1969 the Melbourne based The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd bought WAN and published the paper until 1987 when it was sold to Robert Holmes à Court's Bell Group in 1987 when the remainder of H&WT was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.[7] The following year Alan Bond, through Bond Corporation, gained control of Bell Group and hence the paper. This ownership arrangement only lasted a few years until Bond Corp collapsed and a newly formed company, West Australian Newspapers Holdings purchased the paper from the receivers before being floated in an oversubscribed $185 million public offering. [8]
[edit] West Australian Newspapers Holdings Ltd
West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited is currently listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:WAN) with the largest current single shareholder being Seven Network Limited with 19.4% equity. As well as the newspaper as its major asset, the company holds a number of other strategic and important media outlets.
- The free-ad A4 format and web-based classified advertising paper, The Quokka.[9]
- 22 regional newspapers and magazines across the State, and three commercial printing plants.
- A regional radio network covering the northern half of the State including Broome, Karratha, Port Hedland and Geraldton.
In September 2007 WAN sold its 50% interest in the Hoyts Cinemas Group which operates 55 cinemas in Australia and New Zealand including Hoyts Film Distribution and Val Morgan Cinema Advertising to a private equity firm.[10]
[edit] 2007 Controversy
In May 2007, the state Attorney-General Jim McGinty described the newspaper as "the nation's most inaccurate and dishonest newspaper". He went on to attack the editor, Paul Armstrong, saying that "the board of West Australian Newspapers needs to sack the editor. It is personally driven by a particular individual". Armstrong responded by saying he "could not give a fat rat's arse" about Mr McGinty's comments. [11]
The exchange was prompted by a caption below a photograph in the 24 January 2007 edition of the paper showing a female patient, incorrectly described as elderly and lying across three seats in a casualty waiting room at one of Perth's public hospitals which McGinty saw as portraying an incorrect impression of the health system.
Canvassing by the Australian media industry for the removal of restrictions on free speech in the national 'Right to Know' campaign is currently underway and state legislation supporting the national legislative changes is seen as essential in making the new federal laws workable. Some of the comments made by McGinty and the Premier, Alan Carpenter alluded to a threat of withholding the required state legislation unless the newspaper addressed the Government's complaints.[12]
On 15 February 2008, The West Australian today reported that Health Minister and Attorney General Jim McGinty's staff have effectively banned West Australian Newspaper reporters from attending his press conferences. This was following ongoing conflicts between Mr McGinty and The West Australian Newspaper.
[edit] Refresh The West
On 25th Feb 2008, Seven Network Limited released a statement requesting West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited (WAN) to call an Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders at which it will put resolutions for the removal of all Non-Executive directors.
Chairman of Seven Network Limited, Mr. Kerry Stokes said "We have been appalled at the lack of leadership of the Board and the resulting performance of the company. Financially the reduction in the current dividend is symptomatic of the Board's performance. it is the only major media company in Australia forced to reduce its dividend payment, even against a strong local economy".
On 5 March, the Seven Network has launched a new website directly targeting the board of West Australian Newspaper Holdings (WAN). The website, www.refreshthewest.com.au, said that WAN "can do better for its shareholders".
The campaign failed.
[edit] 175th Anniversary
As part of its anniversary the newspaper began producing a special 32 page commemorative magazine titled 175 Years of Headlines - the first produced on the 15th May 2008 - being for the period 1833-1857.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- ^ "Fairfax March2006 circulation release", 20 April 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ^ The West Australian, 17 November 1979, p.39
- ^ SLWA Online Catalogue /All Locations
- ^ Newspaper House - building in Perth to be vacated by the West Australian from March 1988, photographs and reminiscences Newspaper House news, March 1988, p.1+
- ^ http://www.australian-media.com.au/index.php?c=home&p=news&article=7823
- ^ http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=54542
- ^ Bond, Bell and Holmes a Court:Bell
- ^ 175 years of The West Australian
- ^ "The Quokka": about us
- ^ [http://www.bandt.com.au/news/60/0c050860.asp PBL and WAN sell Hoyts for $440m
- ^ Chris Merritt. "Fire editor or 'no shield'", perthnow (news.com.au), May 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ Margaret Simons. "Paul Armstrong: the wild West Australian under attack", crikey.com.au, 22 May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
[edit] Further reading
- Haig, Ross (ed) (1984). The Years of News from The West Australian and Perth Daily News. Perth, Western Australia: St George Books. ISBN 0-86778-016-9.
- (1933) West Australian - history of the newspaper, printing techniques and building (Photographs first used in The West Australian on 10 May 1910) West Australian, 5 January 1933, Centenary issue, p.3,8e,21d
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