The Age

The Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. It is one of Australia's most influential newspapers, as well as one of the most consistently profitable.

The modern Age

Oswald Syme retired in 1964, and his grandson Ranald Macdonald became chairman of the company. He was the first chairman to hand over full control of the paper to a professional editor from outside the Syme family. This was Graham Perkin, appointed in 1966, who radically changed the paper's format and shifted its editorial line from the rather conservative liberalism of the Symes to a new "left liberalism" characterised by attention to issues such as race, gender and the environment, and opposition to White Australia and the death penalty. The Liberal Premier of Victoria, Henry Bolte, called The Age "that pinko rag," a view conservatives have maintained ever since.

Related Topics:
1964 - Ranald Macdonald - Graham Perkin - 1966 - Death penalty - Liberal - Premier of Victoria - Henry Bolte

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perkin's editorship coincided with Gough Whitlam's similar modernisation of the Australian Labor Party, and The Age became a key supporter of the Whitlam government which came to power in 1972. Contrary to subsequent mythology, however, The Age was not an uncritical supporter of Whitlam, and played a leading role in exposing the Loans Affair which led to the demise of the Whitlam government.

Related Topics:
Gough Whitlam - Australian Labor Party - 1972 - Loans Affair

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Perkins's early death in 1975 The Age returned to a more moderate liberal position. It supported Malcolm Fraser's Liberal government in its early years, but after 1980 became increasingly critical and was a leading supporter of Bob Hawke's reforming government after 1983. But from the 1970s the political influence of The Age, as with other broadsheet newspapers, derived less from what it said in its editorial columns (which relatively few people read) than from the opinions expressed by journalists, cartoonists, feature writers and guest columnists. The Age has always kept a stable of leading editorial cartoonists, notably Bruce Petty, Ron Tandberg and Michael Leunig.

Related Topics:
1975 - Malcolm Fraser - 1980 - Bob Hawke - 1983 - Bruce Petty - Ron Tandberg - Michael Leunig

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1966 Macdonald took the fateful step of allowing the Fairfaxes to acquire a stake in the paper, although an agreement was signed guaranteeing the editorial independence of The Age. In 1972 Fairfax bought a majority of David Syme shares, and in 1983 bought out all the remaining shares. David Syme and Co. became a subsidiary of John Fairfax and Co. Macdonald was denounced as a traitor by the remaining members of the Syme family (who nevertheless accepted Fairfax's generous offer for their shares), but he argued that The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald were natural partners and that the greater resources of the Fairfax group would enable The Age to remain competitive. By the 1980s a new competitor had appeared in Rupert Murdoch's national daily The Australian. In 1999 David Syme and Co. became The Age Company Ltd as part of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd., finally ending the Syme connection.

Related Topics:
1966 - 1972 - 1983 - Rupert Murdoch - The Australian - 1999

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since the 1980s The Age, despite the loss of its corporate independence, has remained a highly influential and generally successful newspaper. Under strong editors such as Creighton Burns and Michael Gawenda, it has attracted a range of high quality contributors. The research efforts of the "Age Insight" team have broken a number of major stories. Its arts and lifestyle content - increasingly important in all newspapers as the leading role in news coverage is lost to television and the internet - is generally regarded as excellent. Its sports journalism is also extensive, although it does not try to compete with the Herald Sun in volume of sports coverage. Its classified advertising section remains the foundation of its prosperity. The status and profitability of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review continue to make Fairfax one of Australia's most desirable public companies, as evidenced by several titanic takeover battles.

Related Topics:
Creighton Burns - Michael Gawenda - Television - Internet - Herald Sun - The Australian Financial Review

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nevertheless The Age is under challenge, as are all major daily newspapers, from new trends in media. Its dependence on classified advertising for a large part of its revenue makes vulnerable to the growth of online classified alternatives such as Seek, realestate.com.au and eBay. The Sydney media magnate Kerry Packer, long considered to be interested in acquiring Fairfax, is reportedly no longer interested because of this, and has extensively invested in online competitors of The Age.

Related Topics:
Seek - Realestate.com.au - EBay - Kerry Packer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004 Gawenda was succeeded as editor by British journalist Andrew Jaspan. Jaspan has aroused controversy by sacking Gerard Henderson, a prominent conservative columnist, from the paper and by making remarks critical of Douglas Wood, an Australian who was held hostage in Iraq. These actions were seen by some as marking a new "shift to the left" at The Age.

Related Topics:
2004 - British - Andrew Jaspan - Gerard Henderson - Douglas Wood - Iraq

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The relationship between The Age 's political views (or perceived views) and its commercial success remains complex. Although the Liberals under John Howard have won four federal elections since 1996, the tertiary educated middle classes of Melbourne, who are the bedrock of The Age 's readership, are generally seen as holding liberal views on many issues, which The Age continues to reflect, particularly on "conscience" issues such as the treatment of asylum seekers. Although The Australian and The Herald Sun offer outspokenly conservative alternatives, The Age has generally maintained its circulation share and its domination of the classified advertisment market.

Related Topics:
John Howard - 1996 - Asylum seekers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Age was published from offices in Collins St until 1969, when it moved to its current headquarters at 250 Spencer St (hence the nickname "The Spencer Street Soviet" favoured by conservative critics). Recently The Age has opened a new printing centre at Tullamarine. The Age currently has a Monday to Friday readership average of 658,000, reaching an average of 1,049,000 on Saturdays (in a city of about 3 million). The Sunday Age attracts an average of 666,000 readers.

Related Topics:
1969 - Tullamarine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~