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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In 1941, the paper emperors of the Australian newspaper industry helped bring down Robert Menzies. Over the next 30 years, they grew into media monsters.
'This book reveals the transformation from the golden age of newspapers during World War II, through Menzies' return and the rise of television, to Gough Whitlam's 'It's Time' victory in 1972.
'During this crucial period, twelve independent newspaper companies turned into a handful of multimedia giants. They controlled newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations. Their size and reach was unique in the western world.
'Playing politics was vital to this transformation. The newspaper industry was animated by friendships and rivalries, favours and deals, and backed by money and influence, including from mining companies, banks and the Catholic Church.
'Even internationally, Australia's newspaper owners and executives were considered a shrewd and ruthless bunch. The hard men of the industry included Rupert Murdoch, Frank Packer, Warwick Fairfax's top executive Rupert Henderson, and Jack Williams, the unsung empire builder of the Herald and Weekly Times.
'In Media Monsters, Sally Young, the award-winning author of Paper Emperors, uncovers the key players, their political connections and campaigns, and their corporate failures and triumphs. She explores how the companies they ran still influence Australia today.'(Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Murdochs and Others
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , November vol. 67 no. 11 2023; (p. 95-96)
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism 'Media bosses, like policemen, are not always loved but they do a difficult and essential job. The “monsters” in the title refers to the size media companies have reached over the years though, not to the personal characteristics of the leaders. That, as the saying goes, is another story—and a lively one.'(Introduction)
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The First Succession… and Its Consequences
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Inside Story , August 2023;
— Review of Young Rupert : The Making of the Murdoch Empire 2023 single work biography ; Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'Two new books reveal the intriguing origins of Rupert Murdoch’s global empire'
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‘Nasty, Brutish, and Banal’ The Ploys of Media Moguls and Politicians
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 455 2023; (p. 15-16)
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'In 1968, Rupert Murdoch was one step from acquiring his first international media holding, in the British tabloid The News of the World. That Murdoch was so close was a personal coup, given that his press ownership had begun sixteen years earlier with a much-diminished inheritance, largely based in Adelaide. To pull off the News of the World acquisition, however, Murdoch needed government approval to transfer $10 million Australian offshore. Speed, secrecy, and surety were pivotal, and in search of all three Murdoch went to John McEwen, the deputy prime minister and leader of the Country Party. The two had an enduring bond: McEwen had helped Murdoch buy his grazing station and family bolthole, Cavan, and when McEwen was appointed acting prime minister after the death of Harold Holt in 1967, Murdoch had argued in The Australian that McEwen should be prime minister in his own right. Now, in 1968, McEwen took Murdoch to the prime minister, John Gorton, who was also familiar with the young press baron. Gorton had briefly been lined up to work for Murdoch’s father in the 1930s and owed something of his present job now to the influence Murdoch had wielded when it became clear that McEwen could not remain prime minister.' (Introduction)
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A Reciprocating Engine of Money, Power and Influence : How Australia’s ‘media Monsters’ Used Journalism to Cement Their Empires
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 19 June 2023;
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'Carl Sagan said that in order to understand the present, it’s necessary to know the past. Nowhere does this apply with greater force than to the Australian media and its place in the nation’s power structure.'
-
A Reciprocating Engine of Money, Power and Influence : How Australia’s ‘media Monsters’ Used Journalism to Cement Their Empires
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 19 June 2023;
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'Carl Sagan said that in order to understand the present, it’s necessary to know the past. Nowhere does this apply with greater force than to the Australian media and its place in the nation’s power structure.'
-
‘Nasty, Brutish, and Banal’ The Ploys of Media Moguls and Politicians
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 455 2023; (p. 15-16)
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'In 1968, Rupert Murdoch was one step from acquiring his first international media holding, in the British tabloid The News of the World. That Murdoch was so close was a personal coup, given that his press ownership had begun sixteen years earlier with a much-diminished inheritance, largely based in Adelaide. To pull off the News of the World acquisition, however, Murdoch needed government approval to transfer $10 million Australian offshore. Speed, secrecy, and surety were pivotal, and in search of all three Murdoch went to John McEwen, the deputy prime minister and leader of the Country Party. The two had an enduring bond: McEwen had helped Murdoch buy his grazing station and family bolthole, Cavan, and when McEwen was appointed acting prime minister after the death of Harold Holt in 1967, Murdoch had argued in The Australian that McEwen should be prime minister in his own right. Now, in 1968, McEwen took Murdoch to the prime minister, John Gorton, who was also familiar with the young press baron. Gorton had briefly been lined up to work for Murdoch’s father in the 1930s and owed something of his present job now to the influence Murdoch had wielded when it became clear that McEwen could not remain prime minister.' (Introduction)
-
The First Succession… and Its Consequences
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Inside Story , August 2023;
— Review of Young Rupert : The Making of the Murdoch Empire 2023 single work biography ; Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism'Two new books reveal the intriguing origins of Rupert Murdoch’s global empire'
-
Murdochs and Others
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , November vol. 67 no. 11 2023; (p. 95-96)
— Review of Media Monsters : The Transformation of Australia’s Newspaper Empires 2023 multi chapter work criticism 'Media bosses, like policemen, are not always loved but they do a difficult and essential job. The “monsters” in the title refers to the size media companies have reached over the years though, not to the personal characteristics of the leaders. That, as the saying goes, is another story—and a lively one.'(Introduction)
