Australia: Newsagency and Mainstream Magazines

ByLaurel Papworth

WINNER OF MASTERCLASS TICKET CAPTION WILL GO HERE!!!! Mumbles doesn’t believe that Yours Truly would be caught dead in a newsagency. Well, here’s your proof – loitering with intent to pick up a marketing heritage mag.  As he now owes me a free pass to his Social Media Extravaganza Advanced Uber MasterClass, And in the…

WINNER OF MASTERCLASS TICKET CAPTION WILL GO HERE!!!!

Mumbles doesn’t believe that Yours Truly would be caught dead in a newsagency. Well, here’s your proof – loitering with intent to pick up a marketing heritage mag.  As he now owes me a free pass to his Social Media Extravaganza Advanced Uber MasterClass,

And in the meantime, I’m more intrigued by the idea of you being spotted in a newsagent.

I may run a competition – first person to email Mumbrella a photo of Laurel buying a newspaper or magazine wins a free place at out social media masterclass… (Tim Burrowes)

… I will pass it on to you Dear Reader, if you come up with the best caption/comment for the video. Rude words allowed if they are funny. Or bag out Mumbles. *ignores the “may”* I don’t have any free ones for the public Uni of Sydney social media courses that I run, unfortunately, but if he doesn’t come through, I’ll get you one for our AFTRS LAMP social media workshops ok?

One of my favourite Australian blogs is Australian Newsagency Blog – A blog on issues affecting Australia’s small businesses, newsagents, media and small business generally.

About The Author

Mark Fletcher owns a software company and a newsagency in Victoria, Australia. You can reach him on +61 418 321 338 or mark [at] towersystems.com.au

I think the “software company” Tower Systems,  is a point of sale and distribution system for newspaper deliverers. Read the About page – Newsagencies chatting with Mark Fletcher the blogger about News and magazine distribution. Including issues with Bill Express and prepaid phone cards resellers. Apparently Bill Express is the POS (point of sale) solution – but the $495 per month newsagents pay isn’t covered by the sales and the subsidy period is now over. Not sure I’ve got the story right, but you get the general idea what sort of things they chat about. Here’s some interesting categories:

  • supplier arrogance
  • calendars
  • wrapping paper
  • Bill Express – 212 posts!
  • magazines 1443 posts
  • Newsagency challenges (heaps of posts)
  • Citizen Journalism
  • Social Responsibility

and so on . Lots of posts on Newspaper Masthead Desecration. And on newsagency politics re: industry organisations. Gotta love blogs for that ‘original source, behind the scenes, no holds barred’ revelation of the inner workings of an industry.

Do newsagencies have their own industry magazine? o.O

He also documents newspapers documenting their own demise e.g. Fairfax 11% drop in ads.

newspapers-dead

Aw how mean. And I do read print media. Especially for free in Ad:Tech goody bags. *disappears into Digital Media, B&T and MarketingMag* Shoo. Shoo!. I’m not feeling particularly social …

35 Comments

    1. That’s it? That’s all? “Oooh nice soundtrack and funky bootz” is your caption? Rubbish! *picks up red pen* D- Must Do Better.

      By the way, booby prize is TWO tickets to mumbles class. heheh. just j/k.

  3. Magazines are a guilty pleasure of mine.

    It’s interesting, I don’t think the Global Financial Mess is helping print. I recently learned of a leading professional industry newspaper/magazine that was doing well with revenue, now not. Prob is a major source of revenue = recruitment advertisers.

    1. The iPod generation just don’t appreciate the scent of newspapers and magazines. Pixels don’t have that glossy smell. I could say Im going to miss them, but I’d get into trouble…

      1. I don’t know. For example, I am unconvinced something like the Kindle will replace books. Books have been around for centuries and survived through changes to media. The Kindle looks so depressingly dull compared to a hardcover.

  7. I think the funniest thing about that video is the fact that you only picked up a magazine that YOU were interviewed in!

    Conclusion: The only way for magazines to survive in this harsh, digital world is to name drop and interview as MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

    hell, that’s why the only two things sitting on my bookshelf are the white pages and a stage whispers magazine that I got a review in…

    1. hahaha that would be funny – if it were true. But I’ve appeared in Digital Media, B&T even Vogue Australia. So, unfortunately, no 🙁

  8. “Magazines: They’re Blogs For People Whose RSS Readers Are Broken…”

    “If it weren’t for newsagencies, I’d never leave my house…”

    “Since that Facebook profile has been removed the only way I can share this information with my friends in Victoria is to send them a NSW Newspaper….”

    “No, really, I read Marketing Mag for the articles!”

    “I guess it was only a matter of time before World of Warcraft and Second Life started spawning their own traditional media outlets.”

    “Martha Stewart was right. Turns out you really can’t wrap your fine china up in blog posts before a big move.”

    “I’d stop buying magazines but somehow Seth Godin’s bald head just works better in glossy print…”

    “Everyone knows Stephen Conroy’s proposed filter is a secret arrangement with Australian Newsagencies to increase sales of certain other (ahem) ‘publications.'”

    “My partner said we couldn’t have an indoor plant, a newspaper was the logical compromise.”

    “I haven’t yet found a blog that has the same commitment to exposing the true events of Oprah’s lesbian affair and subsequent alien birth as New Idea.”

    “I rest better at night knowing my purchase of The Daily Telegraph keeps Miranda Devine off the streets….”

    John Lacey’s last blog post..The Trouble With Experts

  10. I, for one, did not see money change hands. It is my fervent belief Silk Charm shoplifted that magazine.

    Given my keen powers of observation – and willingness to learn from a deviant lawbreaker avatar – I believe I should get the free pass.

    If not this CCTV footage goes onto “Australia’s Most Wanted” and every member of the blue rinse set will have their eyes out for Silk Charm!

    Do I see a mob-rules forced blue-hair-dye in Silk Charm’s future?

    WallyBalloo’s last blog post..Satire: Experts Disagree

    1. @Wally but in a social network economy everything will be free. I was just helping myself, a little early 😛

      @Paul Yah give Mumbles and the Social Media Puppies a good thwack! with that rolled up newspaper and then rub their noses in social media messes. That’ll learn ’em.

  13. “Being a CGI, it’s hard enough walking let alone picking up a Magazine and bending my neck to read it. Maybe I have TweetNeck. Best Tweet my Osteo”

  15. Pingback: Laurel Papworth buys a magazine; Nissan car spoof, BBC, Today programme | mUmBRELLA

  16. Ok. I have three (to start).

    1. SILKCHARM IN PRODUCT PLACEMENT EXPOSE!

    2. MARKETING MAGAZINE MISDEMEANOR; SILKCHARM IN “CASH FOR COMMENT” SCANDAL

    3. PIMPING THE PULP

    4. BORDERLINE PERSONALITY; WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT*

    *note nice pun on the Borders’ thing

    : P

    Katie Harris’s last blog post..The Bloggers’ Cut (Part 2)

    1. I can imagine you chortling away 😛
      Truly, I thought it was just the bottle of vino we imbibed while going through the creative process that made it funny, but nah, it stood the test of alcohol-free viewing. Heh.

    1. Very clever, very funny. I clicked on your name.
      http://i41.tinypic.com/foiznl.png

      And the REAL Timbo knows that he takes pot shots at me… and I ignore him. So in a way, we ARE like friends. haha.

      *sighs* if you’ve got nothing to do sunshine, I’ve got some research I can dump on you… 😛

  25. On print magazines:
    “It’s my jetset lifestyle. I can’t dream of wasting a minute without consuming information. We can’t let those times during takeoff and landing go to waste. Or, when your batteries are flat for that matter.”
    .-= Benn G´s last blog ..Pursuit of Happiness =-.

Comments are closed.