Woman's Day (Australian magazine)

Woman's Day is an Australian women's magazine published by Are Media. It is Australia's highest selling weekly magazine.[1][3]

Woman's Day
Woman's Day magazine from 2014
EditorFiona Connolly
CategoriesWomen's magazine
FrequencyWeekly
Circulation320,398 (July – September 2014)[1]
PublisherAre Media[2]
Year founded1953 (1953)
CompanyAre Media[2]
CountryAustralia
Based inSydney
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.womansday.com.au
ISSN0043-7328

History and profile

The magazine was previously part of ACP Magazines, which in turn was owned by Nine Entertainment Co which owns Australian television network Nine Network. Because of this, Woman's Day often featured many stories either based on or in partnership with a Nine Network program, such as A Current Affair. The magazine became part of Bauer Media Group in 2012,[4] after Nine Entertainment Co got into financial difficulties. It is published weekly by Bauer Media Pty Ltd and is headquartered in Sydney.[5]

Aimed at women aged 25 to 54,[6] it primarily features news, gossip and interviews about Australian and international celebrities, as well as some lifestyle and recipes.

Sales figures, readership and advertising revenue have fallen significantly in recent years, down from 405,000 weekly sales in 2010 to 330,000 in March 2014.[7] Readership fell another 14.6% in the year ended 2014.[8]

In early April 2020, Bauer Media Australia announced that it would be closing Woman's Day as well as several Australian and New Zealand brands including The Australian Women's Weekly and New Zealand Woman's Weekly in response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand.[9][10][11]

On 17 June 2020, Australian investment company Mercury Capital acquired Woman's Day as part of its purchase of Bauer Media's Australian and New Zealand assets.[12][13] On 17 July, Mercury Capital announced that it would be publishing Woman's Day and several other Australian and New Zealand titles.[14][15]

In late September 2020, Mercury Capital rebranded Bauer Media as Are Media, which took over publication of Woman's Day.[16][2]

Controversies

In 2007, the magazine settled out of court with New Zealand television presenter Charlotte Dawson, who had sued the magazine over its coverage of her divorce.[17]

The magazine underwent significant layoffs in 2008.[18]

In November 2013, Woman's Day came under fire from its readers after a story featuring Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, took issue with her appearance by comparing a photo of her before having her baby and after with the headline 'What's happened to Kate?' Criticism suggested that women who have just had a baby often look tired, and she was not wearing makeup in the second image like she was in the first.[19]

In 2014, television presenter Grant Denyer began legal precedings against the magazine after it claimed he and his wife were in a rehab facility in Thailand for meth addiction. Denyer claimed they had visited a rehab facility, but it was not for drug issues, and reaffirmed they did not have a drug addiction. The magazine backed the story saying Denyer's friends were their sources for the story.[20]

Woman's Day was criticised on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Media Watch, in which it was described as "garbage journalism" for the use of sensationalist headlines and content.[21]

References
  1. "Woman's Day Australia's highest selling weekly magazine brand". MPA. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. "Rebrand and Relaunch: Australasia's Bauer Media now titled Are Media". StopPress. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. "ABCs: Weekly magazines struggle with Zoo leading declines". Mumbrella. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  4. Merja Myllylahti (23 November 2012). "JMAD New Zealand Media Ownership Report 2012" (PDF). JMAD. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. "Factsheet. Women's Day". Publicitas. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  6. "Woman's Day". Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  7. Audited Media Association of Australia April 2014
  8. Roy Morgan research 'Australian Magazine Readership 12 months to Dec 2014'
  9. Edmunds, Susan; Nadkarni, Anuja; Cookes, Henry (2 April 2020). "Govt 'could have given half-a-million' to help Bauer but publisher didn't want it, Faafoi says". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. "Covid 19 coronavirus: Bauer Media closing - publisher of the Listener, Woman's Day, North & South". The New Zealand Herald. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. "Covid-19: Major magazine publisher Bauer Media closing down". Radio New Zealand. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. Kelly, Vivienne. "Bauer has left the building. What next for magazines in Australia?". Mumbrella. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  13. Whyte, Jemina (19 June 2020). "Magazine buyer writes new story". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  14. "Bauer resumes publishing of The Listener and NZ Woman's Weekly after Mercury Capital takes over". The New Zealand Herald. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  15. "Bauer Media Aust & NZ fire sale to Mercury Capital completes". Mediaweek. 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  16. Blackiston, Hannah (28 September 2020). "Bauer Media rebrands as Are Media". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  17. "Defamed Dawson collects payment". The New Zealand Herald. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  18. Tabakoff, Nick (14 October 2008). "ACP magazine job cuts my doing, says PBL chief". The Australian. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  19. "Woman's Day story about Kate Middleton looking tired prompts angry response". News Corp Australia. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  20. "Grant Denyer's manager says witness accusing TV presenter of ice addiction is a 'liar and a fraud'". News Corp Australia. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  21. ABC Media Watch 7/7/14
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