News Corp to axe commuter mX newspapers

And the added bonus is less litter on the transport network.

What was that thing last week about the future for News Ltd being in print…

Turns out they can’t even give it away.

Thoroughly enjoyed penning reviews and interviews for mX over the years. But the writing was on the wall when they redesigned/reshuffled (and subsequently dropped the music section, which was all I contributed to).

Production/editorial/advertising staff aside, I feel sorry for the uni kids who kept their head above water by handing them out at metro stations.

Are they getting rid of their app as well? That would seem to cover off the tablet/smartphone angle

Where am I going to get my daily sudoku fix?

It always seemed like a relatively costly exercise to begin with.

I feel bad for the staff but they must’ve known it was going to end like this.

What is everyone on the train doing? Looking at their phone.

Tragedy! Now how am I going to find out ‘who’s looking at you’??

It was never designed as a revenue stream though. It was designed as a way to introduce younger readers to newspapers, switch them to paid print and digital subs as they aged and prolong the life of print.

But how will I know who is looking at me on the train and how to vent my spleen now?

Thank God. That was the one publication guaranteed to make you stupidier every word you read.

Now all those non english speaking backpackers won’t be able to shove armfulls of MX into our faces at train stations.

Print
Is
Dead

It was hard to understand how readers were expected to read so much rubbish. A better quality paper could have been published at about the same cost and been something commuters wanted.

Let’s be honest: It was a pretty rubbish product. I don’t think they hid from the fact it was designed to be pretty cheap (or free) and cheerful.

The only plus side was the number of jobs created through producing and distributing the publication and then picking them all back up again from the train carriages. I’m sure taxpayers will be happy the transport budget isn’t being allocated to cleaning up as much litter. I was never a fan.

I thought the MX was doing pretty well. This is a surprise.

A shift to digital for commuters, or more and more recognising that Mx is a fragile, shallow, banal, poorly written thing? You still see lots and lots of people on trains reading — books, other newspapers, magazines, kindles and so on. It’s not the habit that’s a problem — it’s the product.

Funny the swift shift to mobile hasn’t effected the London Evening Standard who increased circulation.last year.

But what will happen to Eric the circle?? Gasp

i for one liked MX. People can hate all they want, but it was perfectly relatable to the audience.

Stupid Newscorp

The people at mX were so difficult to deal with, it was a free commuter paper NOT the bible…..

I guess the announcement email typo is indicative of the fucks given by management.

Comments about the content being trashy for the reason mX is closing miss the mark
People are getting the same style of content on the mobile devices now
Social media, buzzfeed, youtube etc. are providing the same short, snack able content the difference is just the shear choice and volume of content available on mobile
The mX app can’t survive without the paper to pay it’s way.
It’s a shame mX will be gone but in it’s time it performed really well for both audience and advertiser.
Proud to say i had some great times working with the mX team.

Good riddance!

Propaganda on the public transport network is no more

Ironic that MX, which actually reaches its intended audience, is being axed; while Murduck’s vanity publications such as The Australian bleed money to the tune of $30,000,000 or so.

@Fraser There’s no 3G service almost anywhere on the London Underground (being underground and all) so unless you’re a gamer there’s really nothing to do on your phone or tablet while on the tube. Here in Australia most of the train networks only run underground in and near the CBD, and in Sydney (at least) there is now 3G access in several of the underground tunnels, making being glued to your device much more of an option.

ABC have also shut down The Brief, which seemed to be aimed at commuters.

Just put down my copy of Hack Attack by Nick Davies to peruse Mumbrella.
Any day that is a bad day for Newscorpse is a good day for the planet.

OTOH do feel for the journos and others now facing job losses.

“swift shift to mobile” … wow.

That stupid circle cartoon. Good bye.

i will miss the crossword 🙁

Ok, so the print version of MX is being axed because people are eschewing it for reading stuff on their mobile phones. But the mobile app version of MX doesn’t stack up either, presumably because the revenue it generates doesn’t cover the cost of producing the content to fill it. And therein lies the conundrum facing all publishers……

One of the sadest day of my life.
The Brisbane Team is feeling very bad.

At least sales of the Torygraph and Hun will rise.

Gutted. RIP MX.

I’m getting a great laugh out of the slow death of News Corp’s publications.

I wonder which one will be next? 🙂

“I thought the MX was doing pretty well. This is a surprise.”

Never listen to a word Newscorp say – just watch what they do. It clearly wasn’t doing well.

Before you comment have a moment to think about those people who worked their asses off trying to make turn that boat around and to make it work. These people were just given the proverbial envelope with their marching orders and emails reached everyone’s inboxes.

Dont be fooled. This is a sad day for the entire media industry and a reminder of how fickle this whole thing is. People’s jobs were lost. But also no other newspaper has the emotional connection that this one had with its readers. Or even provided the brief moments of escapism on your way home. For better or worse, there is no other open forum where you can “vent your spleen” about mundane things that simply just bother you – or a cheeky flirt to a fellow commuter. This will be missed – and it’ll create a void at that time – talking to that market. Hopefully, the Digital Product can quickly evolve and be able to stand in its two feet – so the entire investment wont be lost.

I was just wondering the other day when I picked up a discarded copy of MX on the train (to do the word jumble) how long MX would last. It made sense in the time before smartphones, but the era of people reading papers, free or otherwise, on public transport, is over.

While MX was pointless, News Corp would have made a much more valuable contribution to the world by shutting down the Daily Telegraph instead.

When I first heard MX was to close I thought it was for Sydney and Brisbane editions but not the original Melbourne edition. Obviously I was wrong. It is the end of an era for afternoon/evening newspapers in Australia, which started back in the 1860s when Melbourne’s The Herald (the predecessor of today’s Herald Sun) changed from a morning broadsheet to an afternoon broadsheet.

@commonsense — how do you know what sort of emotional connection MX had withits readers. Surely, if they were that connected with it, more of them would be reading it and it might not find itself in the position it is now?

Really though? I thought MX was almost like the last hope for print as a brand. Some people read it for 5 mins, some for 10 or even a fleeting glance. More than in most cafes and bus stops anyway.

The only certainly here is that Mr Clarke has just drastically sped up this ‘out of the blue’ shift to mobile.

My column was published in mX today – I had a feeling they were in transition because some of my views are controversial (11:11 clocks and numerology). But I was please to provide some diverse info to the audience. I’ve read mX for years and enjoyed it alot. It was a nice change from the doom and gloom broadsheets. Thoughts go to the staff and workers who I’m sure worked their butts off the whole time.

@luke commuters in London don’t just take the tube a lot of people take the bus or train. In addition to that the tube stations have free wireless broadband courtesy of virgin media so commuting in London is not a mobile dark hole.

What a shame, I worked with some lovely people at mX in Brisbane, and it was actually the only print publication I read. What’s with everyone ready to jump on the grave of News Corp ? Regardless of your opinion on their brand of journalism, there is no denying they are the largest employer in Australia, if not the world, of talented professionals in journalism, media, creative roles etc. The talent that has been nurtured and grown within News and the opportunities it once provided for career development are second to none, and I for one think it is a sad day for the industry every time a publication closes. The same goes for Fairfax bashing. Sure, more choice is great, but Buzzfeed and viral stories, is that really all we have to look forward to??? The reason this company dominated for so long? Talented, dedicated, passionate individuals empowered by a company culture that brought out the best in its staff.

I always read it on the way home in Melbourne before looking at social media or other phone apps on my phone. Yes, over the years the content has been more fluff and less of an afternoon paper from the old days.

Shame when it goes but at least it had a good run. Hope the editorial staff get roles elsewhere…

Haters are going to hate. Before short sighted people judge mX remember that it entertained & informed 80.000 communters in Syd daily who liked having a newspaper in their Hand rather than a phone.

What are we going to read when our phones die on the train?

Hey Slay, ‘What’s with everyone ready to jump on the grave on News Corp”? I think that’s because News Corp is ready to jump on everyone else’s grave and have been doing so for a long time with a large amount of deliberate meanness and nastiness. How many nasty front page photo montage of ppl have they done with such deliberate malice of ppl they don’t agree with? Sure I’m talking the Telegraph and other ‘news’ papers. News Corp only uses it media for political purposes, don’t think for a minute they care about creativity unless its a slave of their political / personal agenda.

What about some MX on those big screens at rail stations?

meh – MX was started as a defensive strategy to lock other players out of the space and protect Rupert’s market share. It was never a creative play to target commuters or the youth market, only an insular reactionary ploy.

Now that no one has the inclination to expand a print presence in a duopolistic, subdued and declining market, News no longer needs to “keep a bolt on the back door” so to speak – it’s become too expensive and a drag on the bottom line.

What you say makes sense Bruce.

I am very disappointed to hear this news. I look forward to my Mx to read on the train and will miss it.

What a shame.
mX, I believe set itself up as an info medium which could provide news as well as poke fun at itself. Something apps and other news mediums strive so desperately to do (well) today.
mX is not the only edition suffering, with the race of phone glow obsessed zombies now walking everywhere (if you don’t see them – guess what you are one) I don’t think it will be long until we see all papers pack up.

Just think of mX the next time you’re delayed on the train/bus and you’re sick of looking at your tiny screen after looking at a bigger screen all day, on your way home to look at even more screens.
RIPmX

Good riddance. mX could have attempted to have actual content instead of the fluffy excuse for a fashion and entertainment rag that it was.

Now go and buy a book.

Homage to the Bricollage!

MX bag of tricks i adored the captions,especially the anecdotal trivia, It’s True, What The & all assortment of eclectic pastiche! Vale, resume proceedings with a replacement rag!

I travel a long way to get to school and when I read the mX in the afternoon it’s always a good laugh in the weird section. It was really the only newspaper that understood young readers and I could take a break from looking at a screen

“purchased and read”? or given away and left to litter.

A lot of seemingly public thoughts on this one?

My thoughts are; the more Murdoch splurge we can get out of the public domain, the better.

Sad days when a free newspaper can’t continue

I can honestly say that mX was the shining (sometimes laugh out loud) light in my evening hour long commute 5 days a week on a packed train. Sure it was light, but punchy medicine for brains fried from the daily grind. Dark days ahead.

Are Derek and Victoria the same person?

No. As a genX I would be considered an old reader unlike Derek

As a lighthearted read on the way home, I loved it. Now i will have to find a copy of Broadsheet or Gram and find out which bullshit fashionista-hipster cafe to go to next. RIP MX you will be missed. Especially the horoscope.

? we all speak english here.
try again racist