Bridgetown’s community newspaper will hit the streets for the first time in nearly two years through a printing deal with Post Newspapers.
Bridgetown’s community newspaper will hit the streets for the first time in nearly two years next week through a printing deal with Post Newspapers.
The Bridgetown Greenbushes Star was established as a digital news outlet in 2020 by Mark Schneider, a semi-retired journalist, and moved into print in 2021.
In 2023 the paper folded when Mr Schneider could not find a new printer following the shuttering of IVE Group’s press in Mandurah.
Editor Mark Schneider said every country town deserved a professional newspaper.
“I think I have printer’s ink running through my blood – I just love doing newspapers, love the writing, the photography, the layout, and having a finger on the pulse,” he said.
“I was really upset when the whole thing went belly up.
“So [when Fair Maiden started] I thought about it carefully for about 15 seconds.
“I decided I was going to sell my framing business which wasn’t going well anyway and start [the Star] up again.”
The Bridgetown-Greenbushes Star’s first front page splash on its return will probe the impact of mining exploration between Bridgetown and Nannup.
Mr Schneider said he was eager to expand sports reporting and coverage of surrounding towns should the paper be supported.
The Star will be printed by the Post’s Fair Maiden Press, which was established last year in the fallout of Australian Community Media’s axing of its four print mastheads in the South West.
That decision in 2023 led to the closure of IVE Group’s press, which left Seven West Media’s Colourpress as the state’s only facility able to produce newspapers.
The Post, the Fremantle Herald and Nine Entertainment were critical of SWM’s newfound monopoly on the service – to the extent that Nine stopped printing the Australian Financial Review in WA citing an “abuse of power”.
SWM argued at the time printing cost increases were due to high demand for its service, and that the AFR was competing for space with SWM’s regional publications.
Post business manager Louis Bailey said the company was eager to back independent community media outfits.
“We are supporting the Bridgetown [Greenbushes] Star with some favourable pricing for the first few months to help them get established,” he said.
“I would also encourage people in Bridgetown and Greenbushes to support Mark's endeavour, because it is really important to the fabric of the community.
“We see a critical importance of having these independent voices in WA and making sure they can survive for this transition period.”
Fair Maiden Press now prints the Post, the Examiner, the Echo, the Fremantle Herald/Perth Voice, The Light Australia, Northam Advertiser, and the Bridgetown Greenbushes Star.
Mr Bailey said uncertainty about the future of The West Australian following SWM’s merger with Southern Cross Media Group was driving inquiries.
“We are in a position that we are comfortable with taking on more work and still deliver a high quality product,” he said.
“So we are going out to market a bit further now.
“The beauty with offset presses is that they can produce a lot of newspapers in a very short period of time.”
Mr Schneider said Fair Maiden’s costs were similar to that of IVE Group’s.
Bridgetown is covered by Southern Cross Media's (formerley Seven West Media) Manjimup-Bridgetown Times, which is produced in Bunbury and has a journalist in Manjimup.
