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landmarks
This chronology is indicative only. Context is provided
by the broader communications and media timeline
on this site.
 Founding
Fathers
1828
John Fairfax launches Leamington Spa Courier in
UK, subsequently emigrates to Australia
1831 Ward Stephens, William McGarvie and Frederick Stokes
start The Sydney Herald
1841
John Fairfax and Charles Kemp buy The Sydney Herald
from Frederick Stokes for £10,000
1842
Sydney Herald becomes The Sydney Morning Herald
(SMH)
1844 Fairfax launches Shipping Gazette
1851
Ebenezer Syme assists publisher of the Westminister
Review
1853 Ebenezer establishes short-lived Diggers Advocate
in Victorian goldfields
1853 SMH becomes first Australian newspaper printed
with steam
1854 Williamston Advertiser launched in Victoria
1855 Illawarra Mercury founded
1856 John Fairfax & Sons established when partnership
is formed with John and sons James & Charles
1856 Ebenezer and brother David Syme buys The Age
and start The Leader
1860
Ebenezer Syme dies aged 34, David halves price of paper
1860 Fairfax launches weekly Sydney Mail
1868 Syme buys Melbourne Herald
1870 Fairfax's Afternoon Telegraph expires within
year
1872 first Reuters news arrives
at SMH
1875 Fairfax launches Sydney afternoon Echo
1876 Newcastle Morning Herald launched by James
Fletcher
1876 David Syme writes Outline of an Industrial Science
1878 David Syme and Ebenezer's heirs form David Syme &
Co
1881 David Syme writes Representative Government in
England
1881
David Syme writes vitalist tract On the Modification
of Organisms
1893 Sydney afternoon Echo ceases
1899 The Sydney Morning Herald evening edition
established
1902 Werribee Banner launched
1903
David Syme writes The Soul
1906 Wellington Publishing Company founded in New Zealand
to publish morning daily The Dominion
1908 David Syme dies, company controlled by trust
Next
Generation
1910 The Sun launched as broadsheet by Hugh Denison
1916
John Fairfax & Sons changes from partnership to private
company as John Fairfax & Sons Ltd
1926 Shakespeare founds Canberra Times
1934
Fairfax buys Home and Art in Australia
1935 Australian Associated Press formed
1937 group becomes John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd
1938 Australian Newsprint Mills formed
1938 Sydney Mail ceases
1947 The Sun relaunched as tabloid
1948 Syme trust relaxed, with The Age transferred
to David Syme & Co Ltd
1949
Sunday Herald launched
1950-1970
1950
Woman's Day and Home merged
1951 The Australian Financial Review launched as
weekly
1952 Woman's Day sold to Herald & Weekly Times
(H&WT)
1953
Fairfax buys Associated Newspapers,
becomes publisher of Sydney Sun newspaper
1953
Sunday Herald and Sunday Sun merge to form
The Sun-Herald
1955
Fairfax subsidiary Amalgamated Television Services gains
commercial television licence
1956
Fairfax buys Woman's Day and Associated
Newspapers
1956 GTV-9 Melbourne launched by General Television (consortium
inc The Argus, Syme, Hoyts,
Greater Union)
1957 Syme closes The Leader
1957 Fairfax-controlled television station ATN-7 goes
live
1958 Fairfax buys Norton's Sydney Daily Mirror
1958 sells Sydney Daily Mirror to Murdoch
1960 Fairfax and Packer's Consolidated
Press establish Suburban Publications
1961
AFR published twice a week
1961 Fairfax buys 45% stake in Newcastle Morning Herald
and Newcastle Sun
1963
AFR becomes a daily
1964 News buys 29.8% stake in
Wellington Publishing Co (later INL)
1966
Fairfax acquires a stake in David Syme & Co
1968 Syme takes stake in radio station 3XY
1969
Fairfax acquires South Coast Times, publisher of Illawarra
Mercury
1969 Canberra News launched (closes 1974)
1970-1980
1970 Fairfax buys 25% of The Land
group, subsequently increased
1971 National Times launched
1972 Fairfax increases stake in David Syme to over 50%
1977
Sir Warwick Fairfax ceases to be chairman, replaced by
son James
1978
Fairfax acquires full ownership of Newcastle Herald
and Macquarie Broadcasting Holdings radio group
1979 Fairfax buys 14.9% of Herald & Weekly Times.
Murdoch takeover bid unsuccessful
but News subsequently gains control
1980 Fairfax sells Canberra tv station CTC-7 to Kerry
Stokes
1981
Business Review Weekly launched as a magazine (previously
an insert in The National Times)
1981 Syme suburban papers merge with Murdoch's Cumberland
as Syme Community Newspapers
1983
Personal Investment magazine launched
1983 Fairfax moves to full ownership of Syme
1984
Good Weekend launched as insert magazine
Failed
privatisation
1987 Murdoch sells HSV-7 to Fairfax for $320 million
1987 Fairfax sells Seven Network stations to Christopher
Skase's Qintex group
1987 Warwick Fairfax Jr launches $2.25 billion privatisation
bid, rest of family sells (one arm rebuilds interests
around Rural Press group),
new board installed
1988
Sydney Sun closed
1990
Warwick sacks board to become CEO and chairman
1990
Fairfax put into receivership, ending relationship with
family
1991
major stake acquired by Conrad Black
1992
John Fairfax Holdings floated
1996
Brierley Investments buys Black's stake
1996 Fairfax Community News buys Telegraph Bacchus Marsh,
Sunbury and Macedon Ranges newspapers
1998
Fred Hilmer appointed as Fairfax CEO
1998
Fairfax buys back 10% Brierley stake
1999 Personal Investment magazine relaunched as
Personal Investor
1999
TV Now relaunched as Television
1999 Fairfax buys Brimbank Independent and Melton-Bacchus
Marsh Independent
1999 merges those titles with The Advocate, Bacchus
Marsh Express Telegraph and Melton Bacchus Marsh
Express Telegraph
1999
BRW relaunched
2000 INL sells Gordon & Gotch Australia to News spin-off
PMP
2000 INL sells Terabyte Interactive
2000 Fairfax launches House & Land in Melbourne
2000 Fairfax buys Community News (Moonee Valley)
and Community News (Moreland)
2001 launches and folds Melbourne Express
2002 Wellington's Evening Post merges with The
Dominion to form The Dominion Post
2003 acquires most publishing interests of New Zealand's
Independent Newspapers Ltd (INL), at that time around
50% owned by News, in $1bn deal
2003 buys Text Media
2005 pays $38.92 million for dating site RSVP.com.au
2005 buys publications of Rodney Times newspaper group
in New Zealand (inc Rodney Times, weekly Coaster
and Outlook regional real estate guide) for c$10m
2006 buys Trade Me (est 1999) for $625m
2006 pays $155 million for regional publisher the Border
Morning Mail and a controlling stake in its printing
presses
2006 News buys 7.5% stake in
Fairfax for $360m
2006 Fairfax acquires Rural Press
in a friendly takeover
2007 Macquarie Media and Fairfax
Media announce joint $1.35 billion acquisition of Southern
Cross Broadcasting
2007 Fairfax sells Newcastle & Lake Macquarie
Post and Hunter Post to Con Constantine's
Camillaro.
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