The Newcastle Herald
Encyclopedia
The Newcastle Herald is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle
, New South Wales
, the largest non-capital city in Australia
. It is the only local newspaper that serves the entire Hunter and Central Coast
regions six days a week. It is owned by Fairfax Media
.
(with readership figures showing an 20% increase in Sydney readership on Saturdays) and interstate, and is usually seen as an accurate record of business and local data for those looking to relocate to the region.
The paper features the only classifieds section published six days a week across the region.
The Herald, along with its sister free weekly The Star, employs more than 310 full-time staff, and injects $17 million into the local economy each year.
In mid-2008, the paper was forced to sell its free weekly Post publication to Newcastle Jets owner Con Constantine following the merger between Fairfax and Rural Press. Rural Press owned the competing Star newspaper and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruled that the conglomerate was not allowed to own two such similar publications.
Established in 1858, the Chronicle began as a weekly journal carrying mining, shipping, court and some small items of local news. It cost just sixpence. In the years that followed it took on more of the appearance of a newspaper, became a bi-weekly and then tri-weekly, and by 1876 its last edition was priced at two pence.
Some of the paper's first articles document the Newcastle Earthquake of 1868, riots, severe storms and the Sinking of the Cawarra
, the worst shipwreck in Newcastle's history that claimed the lives of sixty passengers on the Brisbane-bound passenger ship. It was also during the paper's infant years that the Newcastle rail line was extended to Watt Street (1858), Newcastle became a municipality (1859), the Miners' Federation was formed (1860) and gas lighting was introduced to the city (1875).
In 1873 in Nelson St, Plattsburg (now part of Wallsend
), The Miners Advocate and Northumberland Recorder was first published. Under the guidance of founder John Miller Sweet, the paper flourished and by 1876 it was a tri-weekly selling for three pence and with a circulation of 4000 copies a week.
John Sweet's father-in-law, James Fletcher
, believed the region was ready for a bigger newspaper published daily and persuaded his son-in-law to expand. The Advocate moved to Bolton St, Newcastle, and on April 3, 1876, the first copies of The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate hit the streets. The first Herald and Advocate masthead was ornate and carried a sketch of a colliery pit-top, including poppet head and chimney
. Such ornate mastheads stayed with The Herald for 104 years, the last major change being on October 6, 1980, when a more modern and simpler masthead was introduced, dropping the "Morning" and "Miners Advocate" from the title.
As with the Chronicle the first years of The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate were to be also marred by tragedy. Some of the first stories printed by the newly named paper included the sinking of the Yarra Yarra off Newcastle with no survivors, a fire in Scott Street, deaths at the Greta coal mine, coal stikes and the beginning of the Boer War
. Among other stories of local importance were the sinking of the Newcastle-Stockton ferry Bluebell in 1934, The Newcastle Tragedy of 1927 and the Japanese attack on the city's East End and dockyards in 1942.
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, the largest non-capital city in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the only local newspaper that serves the entire Hunter and Central Coast
Central Coast, New South Wales
The Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie....
regions six days a week. It is owned by Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
.
About The Herald
The Herald is the largest local media organisation, and enjoys a long affinity and reader involvement with the region's residents. It is also well read in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(with readership figures showing an 20% increase in Sydney readership on Saturdays) and interstate, and is usually seen as an accurate record of business and local data for those looking to relocate to the region.
The paper features the only classifieds section published six days a week across the region.
The Herald, along with its sister free weekly The Star, employs more than 310 full-time staff, and injects $17 million into the local economy each year.
In mid-2008, the paper was forced to sell its free weekly Post publication to Newcastle Jets owner Con Constantine following the merger between Fairfax and Rural Press. Rural Press owned the competing Star newspaper and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruled that the conglomerate was not allowed to own two such similar publications.
History
The Herald had its origins in two early newspapers, The Newcastle Chronicle and Hunter River District News and The Miners Advocate and Northumberland Recorder.Established in 1858, the Chronicle began as a weekly journal carrying mining, shipping, court and some small items of local news. It cost just sixpence. In the years that followed it took on more of the appearance of a newspaper, became a bi-weekly and then tri-weekly, and by 1876 its last edition was priced at two pence.
Some of the paper's first articles document the Newcastle Earthquake of 1868, riots, severe storms and the Sinking of the Cawarra
SS Cawarra
The Cawarra was a paddle-steamer that sank in 1866 in Newcastle harbour, New South Wales, Australia with the loss of 60 lives. The sinking was one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history....
, the worst shipwreck in Newcastle's history that claimed the lives of sixty passengers on the Brisbane-bound passenger ship. It was also during the paper's infant years that the Newcastle rail line was extended to Watt Street (1858), Newcastle became a municipality (1859), the Miners' Federation was formed (1860) and gas lighting was introduced to the city (1875).
In 1873 in Nelson St, Plattsburg (now part of Wallsend
Wallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
), The Miners Advocate and Northumberland Recorder was first published. Under the guidance of founder John Miller Sweet, the paper flourished and by 1876 it was a tri-weekly selling for three pence and with a circulation of 4000 copies a week.
John Sweet's father-in-law, James Fletcher
James Fletcher (Australian politician)
James Fletcher was an Australian coalminer and owner, newspaper proprietor and politician.Fletcher was born in Dalkeith, East Lothian, Scotland and migrated to Australia in February 1851, first working in the goldfields and later in the Newcastle area as a coalminer. He married Isabella Birrell...
, believed the region was ready for a bigger newspaper published daily and persuaded his son-in-law to expand. The Advocate moved to Bolton St, Newcastle, and on April 3, 1876, the first copies of The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate hit the streets. The first Herald and Advocate masthead was ornate and carried a sketch of a colliery pit-top, including poppet head and chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
. Such ornate mastheads stayed with The Herald for 104 years, the last major change being on October 6, 1980, when a more modern and simpler masthead was introduced, dropping the "Morning" and "Miners Advocate" from the title.
As with the Chronicle the first years of The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate were to be also marred by tragedy. Some of the first stories printed by the newly named paper included the sinking of the Yarra Yarra off Newcastle with no survivors, a fire in Scott Street, deaths at the Greta coal mine, coal stikes and the beginning of the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
. Among other stories of local importance were the sinking of the Newcastle-Stockton ferry Bluebell in 1934, The Newcastle Tragedy of 1927 and the Japanese attack on the city's East End and dockyards in 1942.