Fairfax Community Newspapers Online

For, in all that it does today, the group draws on the heritage of one of its 18 mastheads - - The Dandenong Journal - which has been publishing continuously for more than 135 years.

Launched as the South Bourke and Mornington Journal in 1865, just 30 years after the founding of Melbourne, the modern-day version of The Journal is a highly-regarded flagship publication for FCN Victoria whose newspapers, at the start of the third millennium, are read by more than 1.2 million** people throughout most of metropolitan Melbourne. (** Source: Roy Morgan Suburban Readership Survey Oct 98 - Sept 00).

It is The Journal's unbroken tradition of true community service that underscores FCN's overall approach and which has helped establish it as one of Australia's foremost suburban newspaper publishers.

FCN Victoria's mastheads have a vast reach, as is evidenced by their titles - viz. The (Dandenong) Journal, The (Footscray) Mail, the Altona-Laverton Mail, the Williamstown Advertiser, The (Brimbank/Sunshine) Advocate, The Werribee Banner, the Melton-Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph, the Sunbury-Macedon Ranges Telegraph, the Knox Journal, the Whitehorse Journal, the Maroondah Journal, the Yarra Ranges Journal, the Monash Journal, the Community News (Moreland Edition), the Community News (Moonee Valley Edition), The Frankston Journal, and House and Land (south-eastern region).

While the entity known today as Fairfax Community Newspapers Victoria has operated under other several other names over the years, the desire to be of genuine service to local communities has always been the driving force. As far as FCN is concerned, it is not what's in a name that matters: rather, it is what's behind the name. In FCN's case, it is the desire to publish the best and the most relevant community newspapers possible.

In May, 1999, FCN took the first of several additional major expansionary step in recent years when it purchased the then Brimbank Independent and the Melton-Bacchus Marsh Independent to absorb them into three FCN mastheads, The Advocate, the Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph and the Melton Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph. The move created three stronger community newspapers better able to meet the needs of readers and advertisers in one of Melbourne's fastest-growing regions.

Later the same year, FCN expanded further with the acquisition and incorporation into its operations of five independent papers published by the former Post group. Serving the Knox, Monash, Maroondah, Yarra Valley and Whitehorse regions, these papers now publish under the Journal banner. At the time, their inclusion into the FCN stable increased the number of FCN Victoria mastheads by 50 per cent - from 10 to 15 - and it was the single-biggest acquisition in the group's long history.

At the start of 2000, FCN entered new territory with the publication of House & Land, a dedicated real estate publication serving the burgeoning south-eastern region of Melbourne. House & Land includes a self-contained section exclusively for buyers of new homes and land and is enormously popular with readers, real estate agents and developers. House & Land circulates within The (Dandenong) Journal and as a stand-alone publication. Various versions of House & Land publish in other FCN Victoria papers.

In July, 2000, FCN Victoria acquired two prestigious papers serving Melbourne's inner north-western region - the Community News (Moonee Valley) and the Community News (Moreland).

The Journal in the East

In 1865 Mr Harvey Roulston launched the first Journal as the South Bourke and Mornington Journal. Ten years later he would move his headquarters and set up printing in Dandenong.

Mr Roulston's four sons all took some interest in the company and in 1892 ownership passed onto Messrs M. and F. Roulston, with youngest son William as publisher. Only four years after passing on the company Mr. Roulston died at the age of 68. Through the years that followed the company would change hands numerous times among the brothers before landing in the hands of William Roulston in 1910.

In 1938 the Roulston's 73-year association with the Journal end when William H. Bennet purchased the company. 18 months later the company would again change hands, with Greg Dickson making the purchase.

The West Side

Meanwhile to the west of the city Whyte and Wilson first began publishing the Mail in 1924 serving Footscray and the adjoining suburbs. That same year saw C. G. Carlton and Co bring the Sunshine Advocate into circulation, covering suburbs including St Albans and Braybrook.

Both the Mail and the Advocate were sold newspapers until the 1960's when David Syme & Co brought the Mail and Rupert Murdoch's Camberland Newspaper brought the Advocate converting them into free publications.

The Journal in the East

Throughout the 1960's the Journals popularity grew and in 1965 the paper changed from a weekly to a bi-weekly. The 1960's also saw another change when in 1968 the paper was sold to the Dandenong Journal with Murdoch as chairman

The West Side

The 1970's saw Syme & Co purchase Camberland Newspaper, as well as the Williamston Advertiser, first published in 1854 and the Werribee Banner first published in 1902.

David Syme & Co. through Syme Community News (now Fairfax Community News) entered into a joint venture to publish the Mail-Express in the Baccus Marsh and Melton areas. It was not untill 1984 that Syme Community News took over as sole publisher and has now amalgamated the two titles.

The Journal in the East

Syme and Co. brought the Journal in the early 1970's and in 1976 moved the company out of Dandenong proper into its present location on Frankston-Dandenong Road near the corner of Greens Road. After five years as a part-free/part-paid paper the Journal became a fully-free paper in 1980

1996 saw the expansion of Fairfax Community News with the expansion of the Telegraph group of newspapers, consisting of the Telegraph in Bacchus Marsh, Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges. This move saw the merging of the Melton Bacchus Marsh Express with the Bacchus Marsh Telegraph to create the Melton Express Telegraph and the Bacchus Marsh Express Telegraph.

Today Fairfax Community News Victoria now has 20 publications contributing to a circulation of 881,000 with nearly 1.4 million readers.

FCN New South Wales

In 1960 Packer and Fairfax organisations joined together to launch a newspaper in competition with Murdoch's Cumberland Newspapers.

The new Packer/Fairfax company, Suburban publication, started with little more that loose change and looked to create a product that reported real news instead of filler between advertisements. The new company looked at St George and Southland and within the year the Leader was in circulation.

After the establishment of the leader the next step was to expand, papers were launched in Parramatta, Ryde and Burwood forcing Cumberland into a fierce war. Through out the 70's while papers folded both companies still endeavoured to expand.

The company's newspapers grew as publications in Penrith and St Marys were launched. The 1970's also saw the company move into the computer age, building a reliance on computers that lasts to this day.

Through the 1980's further change effected the company. Packer's organisation ceased all interest in newspapers, allowing Fairfax to obtain sole ownership of Suburban Publications, renaming the company Fairfax Community News.

Fairfax Community Newspapers now has ten newspapers around the Sydney region with a circulation of 561,867 and a readership of 934,000

Who We Are?

Fairfax Community Newspapers aim to provide our costomers with products and services that meet a highest standard of quality. It is important to us that our staff is highly motivated and willing to serve your needs to the best of their abilities.

We ensure that our staff is well trained and continually educated so that the product that reaches you is of a level of excellence that you come to expect.

FCN believes community newspapers have never been more relevant, a premise supported by the fact that people are turning in ever-increasing numbers to their "local paper" for news and all types of general information. The group sees the Melbourne and Sydney markets for community newspapers as being particularly strong, with growing demand for publications providing a personalised, very targeted service that cannot be matched by daily newspapers in terms of direct local relevance.

Naturally, FCN takes great pride in the fact that its papers and staff regularly win industry awards for excellence in all facets of community newspaper production. In addition, FCN is a member of the Australian Suburban Newspapers' Association (ASNA), an Australia-wide group dedicated to furthering the role and significance of suburban newspapers.

Not only are FCN's many mastheads renowned for serving their communities outstandingly well, the group is a recognised leader on the technology front. In that respect, the introduction of new information processing and production techniques have resulted in major improvements to the great benefit of FCN's readers and advertisers alike, as well as to customers of FCN's commercial production division, Creative Media Solutions.

FCN Victoria has started the third millennium in a position of strength, determined to build on the traditions that have underpinned its operations as a suburban newspaper publisher for so many years.

Few, if any, suburban newspaper groups can boast a history as long, as colorful and as significant as that of FCN. On the strength of that unrivalled heritage - and as the 21st century unfolds - the group and its many publications will continue to adapt and evolve in order to meet the constantly changing needs and expectations of a metropolitan-wide audience.

Mission Statement.

"To ensure that the product produced it of a level of excellence satisfying to our readers, clients, investors and staff."

Key Contacts

FCN Victoria

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Head Office
142-144 Frankston-Dandenong Road, Dandenong, 3175.
Telephone. (03) 9238 7777 Fax. (03) 9238 7682

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Knox
Level 1, 420 Burwood Highway, Wantirna, 3152
Phone. (03) 9837 7000 Fax. (03) 9801 2890

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Footscray
100 Paisley Street, Footscray, 3011
Phone. (03) 9278 7777 Fax. (03) 9278 7700

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Werribe
Suite 7, Ballan House, 5 Duncans Rd, Werribe, 3030
Phone (03) 9741 3411 Fax. (03) 9741 7925

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Melton
Shop 3, 342 High Street, Melton, 3337
Phone. (03) 9747 3066 Fax. (03) 9747 3192

Fairfax Community Newspapers - Gisborne
52 Aitken Street, Gisborne, 3437
Phone. (03) 5428 2600 Fax. (03) 9334 5451

FCN New South Wales

Head Office
47 Allingham Street, Condell Park, NSW 2200
Ph. (02) 9794 6999 Fax. (02) 9794 6951
(Private Mail Bag 9 Bankstown 2200)

Leader Hurstville
182 Forest Road, Hurstville NSW 2220
Ph. (02) 9598 3999 Fax. (02) 9598 3985
(PO Box 210)

Leader Miranda
50-52 Uranga Parade, Miranda, NSW, 2228
Ph: (02) 9526 5022 Fax: (02) 9540 3210
(PO Box 309)

Macarthur Advertiser
263 Queen Street, Cambelltown, NSW, 2560
Ph. (02) 46 405 151 Fax. (02) 46 405 128
(PO Box 234)

Liverpool Champion
203 Northumberland Street, Liverpool, NSW, 2170
Ph. (02) 9602 9111 Fax. (02) 9824 1053
(PO Box 62)

Fairfield Champion
55A Smart Street, Fairfield, NSW 2165
Ph. (02) 9725 6755 Fax. (02) 9727 6281
(PO Box 905)

Camden & Wollondilly
142 Argyle St, Times Camden, NSW, 2570
Ph: (02) 4640 5151 Fax: (02)
(P O Box 243)

Penrith City Sun
Camina Arcade, 498 High Street, Penrith, NSW, 2750
Ph: (047) 322 600
Fax: (047) 312 153

Blacktown City
13 Kildare Road, Sun & Parramatta Blacktown, NSW, 2148
Ph: (02) 9852 2888 Fax: (02) 9852 2855
Sun (PO Box 874)

Hills News
3 Gladstone Rd, Castle Hill, NSW, 2154
Ph: (02) 9899 8599 Fax: (02) 9899 8818