NZ Listener hopeful of new owner
Popular magazine New Zealand Listener may rise from the ashes after an indication it might have found a buyer.
The publication’s German owner, Bauer Media, abruptly closed its New Zealand operations earlier this month citing financial problems caused by Covid-19. The closure resulted in the loss of 237 jobs and the company listed a number of its popular publications for sale.
But last week subscribers of the magazine received an email from Bauer indicating New Zealand Listener’s sale process was ‘‘progressing well’’.
‘‘In our previous update to you we advised that we were hopeful of securing new ownership for the magazine so that your subscription can continue with new publishers,’’ Bauer said in the email. ‘This sale process is progressing well and we remain optimistic that your subscription will be able to resume in the not too distant future.’’
A week after the closure an email mix-up revealed potential buyers. Media companies that received the email included The Spinoff, Newsroom, Business Desk, National Business Review, and Star Media, which owns several Canterbury community newspapers and magazines including Rugby News and Home & Leisure.
Several smaller magazines were copied into the email, such as Mindfood, Uno, and Remix. Other high-profile businesspeople and investment groups who were sent the email included Trade Me founder Sam Morgan and entrepreneur Derek Handley.