Media Unmade – Chapter 23: Billionaire Elephants
Welcome to the latest Unmade podcast. Today’s edition features another extract from the audio edition of my book, Media Unmade, which is published by Hardie Grant and available online and in book stores.
In today’s chapter, I explore the aftermath of the merger between Nine and Fairfax Media.
The biggest loose end to tie up was what to to with the community newspapers division. Some of the country’s most celebrated regional newspapers – the likes of The Canberra Times, The Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury and Bendigo Advertiser – were about to get a new owner. It was an opportunity for Antony Catalano and business partner Alex Waislitz to pick up a bargain.
And the duo had bigger ambitions for Australian Community Media – they wanted to be in television too. They made a move that scuppered Seven West Media’s plans to take control of Prime through a cash-free, share-based merger.
