NATIONAL media identity Mike Carlton has told a South East audience there is a future for regional newspapers.
Mr Carlton said such newspapers had to be focused on their communities and be well-run.
“They have to have a strong sense of community,” Mr Carlton said.
“There is an old saying that all news is local.
“People want to read about their towns.”
Mr Carlton was responding to a query posed in a public gathering by The South Eastern Times.
Last week he addressed a 70-strong audience in Mount Gambier in a meet-the-author forum staged by the Mount Gambier Library.
His views on major city newspapers were downbeat as he believed daily printed editions would cease within a decade.
According to Mr Carlton, the News Corporation newspapers would continue as proprietor Rupert Murdoch wanted to maintain political power while the merger of Channel Nine with Fairfax would lead to the “death” of the latter.
Mr Carlton said social media was unavoidable, had produced a new player and helped public discourse but its long-term impact was not yet known.
“It is like throwing a bucket of golf balls into the air.
“You do not know where they are going to land.”
The forum lasted 90 minutes and was moderated by retired ABC regional manager Alan Richardson.
Mr Carlton promoted his autobiography On Air, which was recently published.
After joining the ABC as a 16-year-old cadet in 1963, Mr Carlton became one of the nation’s leading media figures.
He has been a radio and television news and current affairs reporter, foreign correspondent, radio host and newspaper columnist.
Another interest has been naval history and he has published books about the ill-fated HMAS Sydney and HMAS Perth.
The audience warmed to his clever mimicking of such past prime ministers as Sir Robert Menzies, Sir William McMahon, Bob Hawke and Gough Whitlam.
Another lighter moment of the evening came when Mr Carlton removed his shirt to reveal a large tattoo of an anchor on his upper arm.
Now retired, Mr Carlton is still connected to the media through his wife, who is a senior executive with ABC’s Four Corners.
He surfs each day, keeps house and looks after their nine-year-old son.
