Nepean News at Camden Produce Market

Out and about this morning at the Camden Produce Market I spotted something new. It was on a table of free local tourist and lifestyle magazines.

So what caught my eye. A pile of glossy newspapers for the Nepean News.

 

 

I have never seen them before in this area. More to the point I had never heard of it. But in itself that did not mean much.

So what about the Nepean News. Its presence was remarked on by those milling around the table.

The Macarthur region has several free weekly newspapers that circulate in the area. In 2017 one appeared with two editions and then disappeared.

The Macarthur region local newspapers are subject to digital disruption just like their metro daily competitors. So what is special about the appearance of another local masthead in the area.

Local newspapers are defying the digital onslaught felt by newspaper all over the English speaking world. Hordes of city based metro-dailies have completely disappeared.

Yet local newspaper keep appearing. I did a blog piece recently on the number of titles in the Macarthur region. The blog post received international attention. That did surprise me. It ended up with an invitation to write an article for Media History an English academic journal. Local and provincial newspapers seem to be defying the odds.

This week I visited Goulburn and spoke to the editor of the Goulburn Post and how the tri-weekly masthead is surviving and doing well. Her office is the regional hub for around 10 different regional and local newspapers. The Post is part of the Fairfax Media group.

The appearance of the Nepean News is an interesting addition to the story of local newspapers in the Macarthur area. It is free fortnightly masthead stapled 32 pages of glossy colour in a tabloid format published on Thursdays. The edition at the Camden Produce Market was Issue 215 dated Thursday 7 December 2017.

The Nepean News is an independent published by the Western Sydney News Group which has a stable of three mastheads: Nepean News; Western News; and St Clair and Erskine Park News. The group of newspapers has a considerable footprint across Western Sydney.

The Nepean News is centred on Penrith and is distributed from Luddenham in the south, west to Emu Plains, east to Mt Druitt and north to Castlereagh. The footprint of the Western News is east of the Nepean News and stretches from Vineyard in the north, to Rouse Hill and Seven Hill in the east, in the south to Eastern Creek and in the west to St Marys.  The third masthead has a smaller circulation and is centred on St Clair.

The Nepean News boasts that it ‘is not tossed onto your front lawn’. ‘Crisp’ free copies can be obtained from ‘local newsagents, service stations, libraries, council and shopping centres’. The newspaper is supported by a bright and lively website.

 

 

Nepean News editor Kerrie Davies states on the newspaper’s website that initially she launched the newspaper after being made redundant from another newspaper.  That was eight years ago. She is in partnership with Bart Bassett, general manager, and sales manager, Korena Hale.

The Western News is free, was launched about two years ago and published fortnightly on a Friday of 16 pages. The latest edition is Issue 50 for 22 December 2017. The St Clair and Erskine Park News is a free monthly of 16 pages and the latest edition is Issue 28 for December 2017.

The format across all three mastheads is similar with a number of sections: local news; entertainment; history; and sport. Editorial content is shared as is advertising.  Advertising is a mix of display full page to small quarter, half page and smaller, with a trades and services section.

The newspapers are community focused with a lively mix of local newsy stories and photos, an entertainment and a history page compiled by the local historical society and a strong presence of local sporting stories.

 

There are strong connections between the Camden LGA and Penrith going back decades. Many local families have relatives and friends in the Penrith area and some like taking in the shopping and other facilities.

The appearance of the Nepean News makes an interesting addition to the story of local newspapers in the Macarthur region. It will be even more interesting to see if makes another appearance. Keep your eyes open.