Lloyd's List DCN

Infobox_Newspaper
name =
caption = The front page of "Lloyd's List DCN" on October 4, 2007.
type = Weekly newspaper
format = Tabloid
foundation = 1891
owners = informa
headquarters = flagicon|AUS 120 Sussex Street,
Sydney, NSW, Australia
publisher = Peter Attwater
editor = Sam Collyer
website = [http://www.lloydslistdcn.com.au/ www.lloydslistdcn.com.au]
price = AU$7.85

"Lloyd's List DCN" (LLDCN) is a weekly Australian shipping, trade and transport focused newspaper, published by Informa Australia in tabloid format. Formed in 1999 by a merger of Lloyd's List Australia Weekly and Daily Commercial News, which was first published in 1891, Lloyd's List DCN is one of Australia's longest running national newspapers.

Daily Commercial News

Founded by Howard Moffat on April 13 1891, Daily Commercial News (DCN) ran for 108 years under its original banner. During this time it occupied a unique position amongst a very select group as one of only three national Australian daily newspapers alongside The Australian and Australian Financial Review - yet with a much more tightly defined market and readership than its colleagues.

Lloyd's List in Australia

Early in 1993, "Lloyd's List", the world’s oldest daily newspaper and the bible of international maritime journalism, investigated a bold plan to extend its international publishing service. The proposal was to launch a weekly version of its newspaper in Australia combining Lloyd’s List’s traditional international coverage with an extensive coverage of national shipping events in Australia.

Under the guidance of Publisher and Chief Executive Lloyd's of London Press (LLP), David Gilbertson, a joint venture was formed with a private Australian publishing company, Westonprint, of Kiama on the south coast of NSW. Westonprint already provided print and distribution services for several international weekly versions of well known newspapers, including The Guardian and Scottish Daily Record.

At the time, the Australian maritime media market was dominated by the Daily Commercial News (DCN), a five-day weekly newspaper, owned by the international O’Reilly group through its Australian media arm, Australian Provincial Newspapers (APN). Following extensive local market research by LLP through Lloyd’s List’s Managing Director, Ian Ormes, Advertisement Director, John Quilter and Peter Attwater (Managing Editor of Westonprint) David Gilbertson authorized the decision to enter the Australian market with a weekly newspaper.

The newspaper was called Lloyd’s List Australian Weekly (LLAW). It was first published on Monday, August 30, 1993.

A senior journalist on Lloyd’s List, Leigh Smith, was chosen to head the project as editor. He was joined by Advertising Manager, Adrian Pickstock, who had recently joined LLP in London. Initially, they set up an office in a rented home in the Sydney metropolitan coastal suburb of Maroubra. There, articles were written and advertisements sold. Amazingly, the newspaper was in profit from the outset.

The stories were transmitted back to Lloyd’s List in London where the compilation of the newspaper took place by Lloyd’s List production staff. The completed editorial pages of the newspaper were then transmitted back to Westonprint in Australia where advertisements were manually inserted and production completed before printing and distribution took place.

Smith and Pickstock carried the entire editorial and advertising project for several months and when it became clear that LLAW was making headway, they were joined by their wives – but not just for comfort. Smith’s wife, Claire Longley, was an accomplished journalist and joined the editorial team while Pickstock’s wife Ellen, briefly joined the sales team.

The Maroubra house was abandoned for a new office in Bondi Junction which was to serve as the home of LLAW until 1999.

Leigh Smith continued as editor of LLAW until 1995 when he returned to London to join corporate public relations with BP. He was replaced by Kevin Chinnery, then the editor of Lloyd’s List Maritime Asia who continued as editor of LLDCN until the end of 2006. Adrian Pickstock left LLAW in June 1997.

Merger and formation of Lloyd's List DCN

1998 was a pivotal year for LLAW, and as it transpired, for the DCN.

By 1998, David Gilbertson had successfully led a management buyout of LLP and the company was successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange. Now cashed up, LLP made a play to acquire LLAW’s dominating competitor, the DCN. It was a long process and complicated by the decision of LLP to merge with a London-based international conference company, IBC Conferences. This merger was completed at the end of 1998 and resulted in the creation of Informa plc, now one of the leading media stocks on the London Stock Exchange.

Under the Informa banner, the acquisition of the DCN was completed in early 1999. For several months, the DCN and LLAW continued to publish on their normal schedules until the newspapers were merged. On Monday April 12, 1999, the first edition of the now Lloyd’s List DCN was published by an editorial, advertising, subscriptions and production team made up a staff from both the DCN and LLAW.

Today, Lloyd’s List DCN operates from its Sydney headquarters in the CBD with bureaus in Melbourne and Brisbane. It remains a totally subscribed weekly newspaper with a daily e-mail newswire service to several thousand readers.