One year ago today, June 14, Kinglake Ranges News went live providing the districts first local, live and independent news and information service.
“G’day and welcome to Kinglake Ranges News, ” we said.
From The Mountains to Melbourne, It’s Your Local News.
Kinglake Ranges News began following a university requirement for online reporting and continual failure of local media outlets (some over a decade) to pay reasonable rates (MEAA rural weekly newspaper rates) for copy and photographs of local events – expecting work for free.
Some newspaper proprietors claimed “to make no money from their advertising,” so Kinglake Ranges News was born, with basic Google advertising introduced in September 2017.
“It will never work … a waste of time,” said a local newspaper editor who then used and copied the idea himself in September.
For an “idea that would never work” on a platform “that would never work” many rural media outlets use the Kinglake Ranges News and Geelan Media platforms or variations of today.
Imitated by others since June 14, 2017.