Change of publishers at Cook Islands News
Title -- 5379 COOK IS: Change of publishers at Cook Islands News
Date -- 16 March 2008
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- Cook Islands News 8/03/08
Copyright - CIN
Status -- Unabridged
Post a comment on PMW's Right of Reply: PMW feedback pmc@aut.ac.nz
CHANGE OF PUBLISHERS AT COOK ISLANDS NEWS
www.cinews.co.ck/local.htm#6
AVARUA, Rarotonga (CI News Online/Pacific Media Watch): A change of ownership took place at the Cook Islands News yesterday.
Editor John Woods and his wife Liz, the advertising manager, have acquired the interest of Phil and Wendy Evans.
The national daily newspaper is now jointly owned by the Woods with existing partner and shareholder Lawrance Bailey, a former editor of CINews.
The former government newspaper was privatised in 1989 when Bailey and the Evanses formed Cook Islands News Ltd.
Over the past 18 years the newspaper has consolidated itself as the primary news source in the country, providing market saturation in Rarotonga.
The business has 18 fulltime staff, its own purpose-built premises in Taputapuatea, advanced computer networks and systems, and two Heidelberg printing presses.
The company website www.cookislandsnews.com is one of the most popular websites in the country, getting more than 1.5 million hits per month.
Woods says the company plans a number of development projects, but its priority is to maintain strong daily news coverage.
All staff have been retained in the venture, and there will be new job opportunities in the near future.
Phil and Wendy Evans plan to retire from what has been a hectic 18 years running a morning daily newspaper.
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. It is now published by the Pacific Media Centre at New Zealand's AUT University. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Programme at the University of the South Pacific, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG) and the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. The website is hosted by the Association of Progressive Communications (APC).
© 1996-2008 Copyright - All rights reserved. Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members. Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW.
For further information and joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve,
go to http://lists.apc.org.au/listinfo.cgi/pacific_media_watch-apc.org.au:
Email: pmc@aut.ac.nz
Pacific Media Centre
Fax: (+649) 921 9987
Mail: PO Box 92006, Auckland 1142, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Website: www.pmw.c2o.org
Return to Pacific Media Watch