Did the Fairfax newspaper organisation use its muscle to drive out a small competitor? After almost three years in business, Melbourne magazine is folding, and according to its founder, Steve Harris, it rival –The Age’s(melbourne) magazine – is to blame. Harris, former editor and publisher at The Age and the Herald Sun,
and now CEO at Melbourne Football Club, says the introduction of the
Fairfax rival created considerable confusion in the marketplace – “and
that was their intention.”

Melbourne magazine launched in 2002 as an independent glossy monthly with a focus on Melbourne lifestyle. When The Age
launched its similarly-named free monthly lift-out two years later,
Harris says he was mistakenly congratulated for selling his mag to
Fairfax, and approached by advertisers wanting to know if he was still
in business.

Harris says Fairfax refused to co-operate when asked by Melbourne
magazine to consider a name change, and the ACCC wasn’t interested in
their concerns. The legal costs involved with taking on Fairfax over
the Melbourne name were prohibitive for what Harris terms a
“modest start-up,” and he and his mag were left to cop it on the chin.
Harris also claims that Fairfax used discounted advertising strategies
to dig in to Melbourne’s market.

While not the death-knell for Melbourne magazine, The Age’s
freebie proved to be “something south of helpful” to the venture, says
Harris. And while it failed financially, he believes that Melbourne succeeded in establishing an appetite for city-based content, and spawning imitators – not only at The Age, but also the Herald Sun’s“City Style” section.