Rural Press
Rural Press Limited is an Australian media company, trading as Australian Community Media, which owns approximately 170 newspaper and magazine titles, The Canberra Times being the most prominent. These are predominantly in rural Australia, though it also owns a number of agricultural publications in the United States and New Zealand. It also owned radio stations in regional South Australia and Queensland, a range of Australian classified advertising websites, and Australian commercial printing plants. It was formed in 1988 when Fairfax, then owned by Warwick Fairfax, sold some titles to Warwick's half brother John B. Fairfax.
On 6 December 2006 it was announced that Rural Press Limited and John Fairfax Holdings would merge to form a new company estimated in value at $12 billion. Under the deal, the family company of Rural Press chairman John B. Fairfax would take a 13.5 per cent stake in the merged entity. This was just short of a controlling interest, but gave Fairfax a potential blocking stake if Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, News Corporation, the Seven Network or a private equity raider embarked on a hostile takeover, as had been widely anticipated following the Federal Parliament's passage of new media laws on 18 October 2006.
The merger with Fairfax was completed on 8 May 2007. The entity is generally known under the name Australian Community Media.The Land
The Land is an Australian rural newspaper, founded in 1911 and was also the original name of the Rural Press Limited until 1981.
