The Leader Community Newspaper group publishes 20 digital titles covering metropolitan

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. The group was downsized in 2016 and in 2020. Prior to this, it published 33 weekly print titles which were delivered to over 1.4 million homes. In early 2016, it had 569,000 digital unique audience each month.

History

In the early 1850s George Mott arrived in the Colony of Victoria and began work as a journalist with the ''

Melbourne Argus ''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...

''. In 1854 he started publishing newspapers in the Victorian goldfields near

Beechworth Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,859. Beechworth's many histor ...

and Chiltern. George Mott's two sons commenced publishing newspapers in

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

and one brother's branch of the family until recently (2005) published ''

The Border Mail ''The Border Mail'' is a daily newspaper and online news brand published in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, serving the twin cities and the surrounding region. It was originally published as ''The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times'' and later a ...

'' in that town. The other brother, Decimus Mott, left the Murray area in 1924 and, with his sons, took over the established ''Northcote and Preston Leader'' (first published in 1888). From this paper, the Leader Community Newspaper group grew into its present stable of 33 separate mastheads. In 1986 the group was sold to

The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd The Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987. Newspapers The HWT's newspaper interests date b ...

. With the acquisition of The Herald and Weekly Times by

News Corporation News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Ne ...

later that same year, the Leader Newspaper group became a part of News Limited Community Newspapers with a total of 95 publications throughout Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Tasmania. In 2016, the group ceased producing seven newspapers. In April 2020,

announced that it would only be producing digital editions of newspapers, which required a subscription, from 6 April with printing suspended due to the impact of the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. In May 2020, News Corporation announced that it would cease producing seven newspapers even in digital editions from 29 June.

Publications

Inner East

* ''Progress Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Stonnington Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

Inner South

* ''Bayside Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Phillip Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Mordialloc Chelsea Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Moorabbin Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

East

* ''Heidelberg Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Manningham Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Monash Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Whitehorse Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

North

* ''Diamond Valley Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Melbourne Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Northcote Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Preston Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020) * ''Whittlesea Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

North West

* ''Northern Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Moonee Valley Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) (formerly the ''Essendon Gazette'') * ''Moreland Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Leader'' (ceased publication June 2020)

Outer East

* ''Free Press Leader'' (last edition 29 June 2016) * ''Knox Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Maroondah Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

South East

* ''Berwick Leader'' (last edition 28 June 2016) * ''Cranbourne Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Greater Dandenong Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Frankston Standard Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Mornington Peninsula Leader'' (Digital only April 2020)

West

* ''Brimbank Leader'' (last edition 28 June 2016) * ''Hobsons Bay Leader'' (last edition 28 June 2016) * ''Maribyrnong Leader'' (Digital only April 2020) * ''Melton Leader'' (last edition 28 June 2016) * ''Wyndham Leader'' (Digital from June 2020) (previously reported last edition 28 June 2016)

References

External links

Leader Community Newspapers website
* Digitise
''World War I Victorian newspapers''
from the State Library of Victoria {{News Corp Australia Newspapers published in Melbourne Free newspapers