Australian Associated Press customers are being asked to pay the same price for services although there is less frequent newswire content coverage and fewer staff.
New chief executive Emma Cowdroy, will also need to secure contracts with former clients of AAP to boost funding for the organization. Negotiation of these new contracts will be vital for the newswire because it is operating without funding from its two former shareholders Nine Entertainment Co and News Corp.
While some subscribers are happy to continue paying the same price, others were concerned they were being asked to pay the same amount for reduced coverage as job cuts were announced across all divisions with international correspondents also being affected.
Cowdroy said:
“The former AAP company is in the process of transferring its customer contracts to the new AAP as is standard practice in any sale process. AAP’s new service is focused on the highest value elements of the Newswire’s offering such as courts, sports and politics. These are the very elements that our customers told us they rely on heavily.
“It is in the interests of all of AAP’s customers that we are commercially sustainable so that their newsrooms can continue to depend on AAP as the most cost-effective means of obtaining truly independent and accurate news reporting. AAP has been in contact with its customers and we continue to liaise with them throughout the transfer process.”
