Murray Bridge News turns four

Managing editor Peri Strathearn looks back, and ahead, on this publication’s fourth birthday.

Peri Strathearn

Apr 23, 2024 — 3 min read

Peri Strathearn reflects on four years of Murray Bridge News. Photo: Jacob Jennings.

Four years after launching this local news service, I reckon we’re getting somewhere.

It’s funny: sometimes I’ll find myself in conversation at a local event, talking about all the things I wish Murray Bridge News could do, or things I admire about other publications.

I’m a bit like that – I can always see opportunities for improvement.

“Nah,” a reader will say, “we only follow you guys these days.”

That’s true for a great many people in our region, it seems.

I’m proud to say that we get more traffic than any other local news website, our email edition has a higher circulation than any other local publication, and our Murray Bridge News Network helps us reach more than 20,000 people every week.

Thanks to you, we can quite reasonably describe ourselves as the Murraylands’ number-one news publication.

Even so, asking for advertising or subscriptions still feels like asking people to validate our existence, and the work to which I’ve devoted the last 15 years of my life.

“See, local news has value,” I say.

“It needs your support!”

Stories create community. You can help Murray Bridge News tell our community’s stories.

Many of you, dear readers and business owners, have answered the call over the past four years – we couldn’t tell our community’s stories without you.

What we need next is for the federal government to get on board.

As I and other have told them in submissions to two recent inquiries, “getting on board” would mean:

making news subscriptions tax deductible by introducing a new DGR category
providing ongoing funding for all news publishers, not just those who publish in print, through competitive grants or another process
helping small online publishers access state and federal government advertising, since we don’t get any
avoiding any confrontation with Meta which could result in news being removed from Facebook and Instagram, as it has been in Canada

I’m told by people I respect in this industry that Murray Bridge News has done almost everything right, that we’re a shining example of what could be possible in communities across Australia.

Yet without changes like those I’ve listed above, it will be a challenge even for us to achieve sustainability.

Here’s me at an industry thing in Adelaide last year. Photo: Community Broadcasting Association of Australia/Facebook.

In the meantime, I’m grateful that a third year of support from the Walkley Foundation, via the Meta Australian News Fund, has allowed us to hire a journalist, Liana Webster, this month.

I’m grateful for each of the organisations that has advertised with Murray Bridge News in 2023-24, and especially big supporters like the Murray Bridge council, Raine and Horne, the Bridgeport Hotel, Andersons Solicitors and Newbridge.

I’m grateful for the folks who have contributed to Murray Bridge News in various ways: Jane with her magazine dreams, Michael and Glenn with their many stories, and everyone who has sent us words, photos or tips.

I’m grateful for the unending support of my family, from Keren tolerating the odd hours I keep to Miss Audrey helping me write down names when I’m out taking photos.

And I’m grateful to you, dear reader: for your attention, your support and your well-wishes.

There’ll be much to look forward to over the next 12 months, including a new look for our website and email edition in a few weeks’ time – more on that in the very near future.

But for now, thank you – and happy birthday to us!