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rdrd July 2018 17ththJan July -- 323 27 Feb 2014
FIRST ON THE STREET
www.lwb.co.nz
No No 434 659
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
14 J IN O 5 SI BS D E
enquiries@lwb.co.nz
2018 has so far been a topsy-turvy year for local media. In May, Fairfax, the Australian parent company of Stuff and a number of print publications announced it would be axing 28 titles, including the Queenstown Mirror. At the same time, the Cambridge analytica scandal was unfolding and how digital giants like Facebook sell our data and manipulate how we consume media was brought into the spotlight. Both instances show a lack of care and understanding from large multi-nationals. They fail to fully understand the elements of local business. The rationale from Fairfax is that the rise of digital media has changed consumer behavior and rendered the print version as unviable. While this is true to an extent, the decision has clearly been made to reduce costs and ‘streamline’ their operations – but in their haste, there hasn’t been an easy migration from the Mirror to Stuff. It’s likely the Mirror’s audience hasn’t gone online, but elsewhere and the community has lost a strong, local voice in the exchange. It’s another example of a multi-national forcing scale and a cookie-cutter agenda on a deeply local enterprise – a tactic that’s rarely successful. Radio hasn’t been immune to the changes. Queenstown has recently lost full-time local journalist capability within the broadcast media; the national radio broadcaster has none and there’s only six hours of local radio broadcast per day from the national radio networks. Despite a token visit from the AM Show earlier this month, national networks and broadcasters seem mostly uninterested in local programming. Businesses and media have begun to rely heavily on Facebook and Google to share community news and messages. Local advertisers have been pushed into spending their advertising dollars with these international behemoths who have zero local presence. The playing field is about to change (again) now that Facebook is promising users fewer content posts from businesses, brands and media in the wake of data misuse scandals. This spells trouble for local business reliant on Facebook as there are no competitors – many have been putting all their dollars into one digital basket. Interestingly, at a similar time the Mirror’s final print issue was being distributed, local newspaper Mountain Scene was once again awarded Best Community Newspaper at the NZ Media Awards. Owned by regionally-based Allied Press, the newspaper has remained true to the local market and has a strong local editorial policy. Digital media is here to stay, but our relationship with how we consume both print and digital media is changing. Globally, niche media outlets are on the increase as readers and consumers prefer honesty, good content curation and privacy over mass media and hidden agendas. We’re at a junction in the way our local media platforms operate. Will they continue to be sucked up into multi-national leviathans and centralised platforms like Fairfax and Facebook? Or will we see a push back towards more locally owned and managed media like Allied Press? What is obvious is that as a community, we should care. Because if we lose our unique voice, a source that supports our community and advocates our events, we’ll eventually lose an important part of the glue that makes us a community. The Mirror disappeared with barely a whisper and we’re all poorer as a result. David Gibbs Commercial and Operations Manager, Global Publications
The diaries down under boys launched into winter with the release of their first episode of diaries down under 2018. Pictured with sponsor, Destination Queenstowns Diana Mendes
(Photo: Jodi Walters)
NOW OPEN @ REMARKABLES PARK dinein #takeaway #vietnamese
#
THROWBACK THURSDAY
Shop 2, Building 8, Remarkables Park Town Center Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown
OLD SKOOL GARAGE EDITION
www.qac.co.nz
WITH BANGERS AND MASH - THURSDAY JULY 26 - FROM 9PM
JOHN RAVENS WEATHER Last week John was 100% correct
RENTAL PROPERTIES
See inside back cover for our full list
TUES
WED
THUR
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
Fine with morning frosts.
Fine, morning frost. Northerlies.
Partly cloudy. Northerlies.
Mainly fine. Northerlies.
Rain with little wind.
Cloudy with not much wind.
Cloudy with not much wind.