Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 24 November 1953, page 2


THE NEWSPAPERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

By the Chairman of Advertiser Newspapers Ltd.

The 'Mail' last Saturday published a statement which calls for some comment. Ordinarily, items of this nature would pass unnoticed, as they are of small concern to

the public. However, as this item seemed to suggest that while News Ltd. was a wholly South Australian owned company, Advertiser Newspapers Ltd. was somehow dominated from outside the State, it is as well to get the record straight. Here are the facts.

'The Advertiser' was purchased in 1929 from the late Sir Langdon Bonython by a syndicate headed by the late Sir Keith Murdoch. The Herald & Weekly Times Ltd.. of which Sir Keith Murdoch was then Managing Director, invested some of its reserves in the venture. It owns a large block of the ordinary shares, but not a majority. The remaining shares have been widely dispersed among something like 1,300 shareholders. The chairman of directors of Herald & Weekly Times Ltd. (Mr. H. D. Giddy) occupies a seat on the Board of Advertiser Newspapers Ltd., and I have a seat on the Board of Herald & Weekly Times Ltd. We are the two mysterious 'directors from Melbourne' referred to by the 'Mail.' . The other directors are Sir Lavington Bonython, Mr. John Bonython, and Mr. K. A. Wills. All four of us were born in South Australia. The policy of 'The Advertiser' is known to all our readers. It is the same today as when the late Sir L a n g d o n Bonython was in sole control. It is based upon a profound pride and belief in South Australia, and the system of private enterprise which has made this State what it is. On more than one occasion 'The Advertiser' has opposed policies advocated in the Melbourne 'Herald,' and vice versa No one in Melbourne has ever sought to influence the policy which is laid down by the Adelaide Board, and no one would ever dream of doing so. All the facts given above are well known and would not have been re peated if there had not been an attempt to misrepresent them.What What is not so well known is that, in the later years of his life, the late Sir Keith Murdoch acquired personally the majority of the ordinary shares in News Ltd.. Those shares are now held by his family company in Melbourne, which is represented on the Board of News Ltd. by his son Mr. Rupert Murdoch, who came to live in Adelaide a few weeks ago. Also on this Board is the Editor-in-Chief, a young Victorian journalist appointed by Sir Keith not long before his death. These are two estimable young men who will become good South Australians, and they are backed by a staff who will produce good newspapers. These facts are mentioned only to put straight the distorted picture presented in the 'Mail.'

The decision to produce 'The Sunday Advertiser' as soon as newsprint was available, was reached last year when Sir Keith Murdoch, then in active control of News Ltd., was still alive. Sydney had four Sunday papers and Brisbane two, and it was felt that 'The Advertiser,' with its big stake in South Australia, should prepare to extend its own activities into this field. These things take a lot of preparation and arrangements were made for the present editor (Mr H. Plumridge) to travel abroad to study the best Sunday newspapers in the world. It was then that Sir Keith Murdoch died suddenly. Some time later, the Board felt that Sir Keith's death had altered the situation, and that it would be fair to tell his widow of its decision, and give her and her family an opportunity to dispose of their shares if they desired to do so. The approach was on a personal and friendly basis The proposal was considered and a decision not to sell was reached. All of these facts are irrelevant to the present position. They are related only ' because the 'Mail' has sought to suggest something sinister in the background. There are now two Sunday newspapers published in South Australia, and the public will eventually decide which it prefers. 'The Sunday Advertiser' did not claim that it would start with a circulation of 120,000. It had to fix some advertising rate, and said it would, to begin with, charge the ordinary rates applying to 'The Advertiser' less a rebate for each 10,000 below 120,000. No new newspaper expects to begin where it aims to end. As soon as possible after December 31, an audited certificate will be issued giving the net circulation from the first issue to the end of the year. The 'Mail' has issued a certificate for the first two issues after 'The Sunday Advertiser' appeared when many people were taking both: and had not made up their minds. The real comparison will come in, say, six months. After five weeks, we can say that we are gratified with the measure of support we have had as a new paper in the field, and that we face the future with the greatest confidence. We are certain the public is concerned only with the quality of the newspapers which serve it. We shall hope, by giving superior service, to win public support.