Fairfax set to axe 144 jobs under Nine deal

NINE Entertainment will make 144 positions redundant following its merger with Fairfax Media.

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks, who will lead the combined company post-December 10, has told staff 92 people will be affected by the reduction in roles, with Sydney and Melbourne most affected.

Mr Marks said some staff could be redeployed but others would leave the media giant, while some vacant positions would no longer be filled.

Decisions on affected roles are expected this week.

“We have spoken to or will speak to those affected as soon as possible so that all employees have clarity and certainty before we commence operations as a combined business,” Mr Marks said in a letter to all Nine and Fairfax staff.

Mr Marks said, however, that no decisions had been made on how best to combine other support operations including IT, HR and payroll.

“The focus has been on critical day-one needs and we are yet to decide the best path forward for duplicate systems,” Mr Marks said.

“We will stay in touch with the relevant teams as we work through those decisions.”

The Federal Court approved the merger last week.

Mr Marks also outlined the combined business’ leadership team, with Fairfax metro publishing head Chris Janz staying in charge of mastheads including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review.

Allen Williams will continue to lead the community media business, with NZ boss Sinead Boucher reporting to Mr Williams. Nine director of television Michael Healy will continue in the role, Stan boss Mike Sneesby will stay in place, Domain and Macquarie Media will go unchanged, and Greg Barnes will be chief financial officer.