To rewrite a popular adage, ‘build an audience, and advertisers will come’.  

Some news startups might pin their hopes on that line of thinking, but in an era where a social media ad campaign is just a click away, an ad in the local paper is not always an appetising prospect for businesses. 

Peter Holmes, founder of the now-defunct Orange News Examiner, found that out the hard way. 

“I was the worst ad salesperson to have ever walked the earth,” he tells PIJI. 

“I didn’t have the skill to extract money out of people and get signatures on contracts, so that was one problem. And I couldn’t afford to hire someone to sell ads.” 

“But also, what I came up against was the fact that so many businesses either … just used [their own social media accounts] to promote their business [or bought] advertising through Facebook, through Google, through Instagram.” 

His experience represents a larger trend; although Australian media agencies spent a record $9 billion on ads in the last financial year, ad spending in news publishing declined while digital ad spend climbed. 

Starting out  

Coming from newsrooms including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sunday Telegraph, Holmes was writing for Buzzfeed News when the company pulled the plug on its Australian operation in 2020 amidst an industry-wide Covid-induced advertising slump. 

Having lived in New South Wales regional city Orange for a few years, he felt there was a gap in the market for free news that went beyond reciting press releases.  

Holmes launched the Orange News Examiner in January 2022.  

Self-funded and getting by “on the smell of an oily rag”, he quickly attracted an audience as he learned what content locals wanted to read. 

“There was a real hunger for news about what was happening in their city, that wasn’t just press release news, that took the time to dig a little further and cast a kind of a sceptical eye over a lot of things,” he says. 

“Things like crime, but more in-depth crime stories, actually talking to victims. 

“Food, retail – people are always fascinated about what’s opening and what’s closing, so I would try and drive around town at least once a day … because you’d always see things going on, whether it was something being knocked down, something being put up.” 

But providing a free news service came at a cost. 

Fishing in a small pond 

Holmes spent the next two years publishing about 1000 stories, including in-depth features. 

But he says he only earned about $450 per week at the Orange News Examiner’s peak, even with the support of a core group of advertisers ranging from a real estate agent to a local state politician. 

Many businesses in small regional areas do not feel the need to advertise, Holmes tells PIJI. 

And he found those that did seek advertising would rather the ease of social media campaigns or the perceived bang-for-buck from off-peak regional TV station ads than a six-to-12-month commitment of $20 a week to a local news outlet.  

With such a small supply of potential advertisers in the area, Holmes had to balance his responsibility as a journalist to report stories that some businesses would rather keep quiet.  

He also maintained an ethical standard, refusing to take advertising from gambling companies, or pubs that had pokies. 

“There was plenty of times where you knew you’d really pissed someone off in the local community who was a businessperson, so there was no chance you’d ever get them … and probably every other business owner that they know as an advertiser,” Holmes says. 

“The major challenge is, how do you get small [news] operators who are doing the right thing, who are informing their community … enough revenue to survive?” 

“It highlights the massive issues that face independent media organisations because you don’t have any access to those big national advertising clients like Harvey Norman or Bunnings … because you’re not big enough, and then that means you’re relying on local businesses. But getting them to commit is incredibly difficult.” 

Holmes attempted to pursue some grants, and wrote to the likes of Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull and Judith Neilson for support, but says he did not have enough time to fully give chase and jump through hoops while running a news outlet solo. 

When it comes to measures like the long-awaited News Media Assistance Program and News Bargaining Incentive, he feels most small and independent newsrooms are likely too busy getting by to try and have their voices heard in industry consultations. 

He also thinks these are “band-aid” fixes, with something bigger needed to give independent media operators some surety of income.  

He is uncertain what that should look like, but says it could have something to do with redirecting large advertising revenue. 

“It gets really complex, but you don’t want to always be having your hand out begging, because it’s exhausting,” Holmes says. 

Pushed into a farewell 

Throughout the Orange News Examiner’s life, Holmes had to work several other gigs to make ends meet.  

By the end of 2023, he was drained, and the death of his brother in early 2024 was a “knockout blow”. 

Holmes “battled on” for a few more months and even put his content behind a paywall, letting readers access the same content for whatever they were willing to pay between 99 cents and $4.99 a week.  

The move was supported by loyal readers, but Holmes still faced another couple of stressful years without super contributions or holidays before hopefully reaching a liveable wage. 

So he walked away.

He is now an editor at startup Gazette News.  

“Ultimately, it was a terrific experience, I really loved doing it,” he says. 

“But in the end, I can’t compete with Google and Facebook and [Instagram] … It didn’t matter how hard I worked or how well-read stories were, it just didn’t translate into businesses being prepared to stump up cash every week. 

“The big thing is Meta and Google, they just suck the life out of everything, and they don’t contribute much in terms of journalism.” 

Holmes took down the Orange News Examiner website due to cost and the effort necessary to remove the paywall. 

Fellow local news outlet The Orange App also announced its closure in 2024 due to “a lack of support from the business community”.  

This left Orange locals to be largely serviced by Central Western Daily; behind a paywall and owned by Australian Community Media, the print publication appears to be focused on original local reporting, but the website appears to heavily rely on state, national and international news. 

Written by Sezen Bakan