Some of your thoughts on the sale of Crikey.

Best wishes from a critic and a fan

As one of your very earliest subscribers, I’ve seen you develop from the somewhat silly (the Crikey foam suit; Quixotic tilts at Bolkus/Price) to the more sensible (Hillary/Christian; shareholder activism; real news). I haven’t always agreed with you but you’ve always helped stretch my mind. And you’ve been instrumental in changing my mind on occasion (not /too/ often, I hasten to add…). I trust that your ideals will endure. Best wishes to you and your family for the future.

Cheers,
Subscriber 57

The Crikey emperor has no clothes

You stopped publishing the results your stock market dabbles – because you performed so badly in a bull market. And as for the rest of your finances!

Thus, by your past record, your sale of Crikey has probably inspired the phrase from Eric Beecher “A Stephen Mayne only comes into your life once”, to paraphrase Kerry Packer when he bought back his TV station from Alan Bond at a bargain basement price.

But as always, 10/10 to Crikey for self promotion! Me thinks the emperor never had any clothes and will now be seen to be naked!!

Best of luck in the future, Alan

Bouquet from a normally harsh critic

Our most regularly critical subscriber writes:

Hi Stephen

You’re probably sick to death of hearing from me but, having recovered from the shock of your news, I just have to tell you how grateful I am for you (and Paula) having taken the huge personal risks you took to create something really unprecedented and so thoroughly worthwhile in the Australian media.

I really do understand why you have sold Crikey, and I wish you both the best for your future endeavours. I’m only glad that you will be sticking around for a while yet. I must say it won’t be the same ‘yelling’ at perfect strangers. 🙂

Once again, well done, and all the best for the future.

Mike

Mayne the self-obsessed media tart

Dear Crikey

How extraordinary for Stephen Mayne to comment (3 Feb) on “the media being obsessed with the media”. For the past year the proportion of Crikey’ output commenting, in obsessive – and exceedingly boring – detail, on the media has all but eclipsed comment on any other aspect of contemporary economic, political and social life.

This has been accompanied by an, again, increasingly boring, self-congratulatory volume of material outlining Mayne’s own media performances. If anyone is “obsessed with the media” it is clearly Stephen Mayne.

I trust the new owners of Crikey will start to produce something worth subscribing for, with a substantially smaller proportion of items merely recycling material which we have already read in the morning papers.

Yours hopefully,
David Robinson

Di Gribble a worthy successor

Sad sad sad news!!!! But congratulations on your brave – foolhardy? – tilting at windmills over so many years and under such difficulties. Entertaining, informative, challenging, titillating – what more could one ask of any publication? Best wishes for your future – poor Mrs C! She deserves a medal! – And I can’t think of a more worthy successor than Di Gribble. Thanks you for the information horizons you have broadened for me on a daily basis.

Warm regards, Ann

Support from an overseas hack

An experienced journalist writes:

Many congrats on your coup. More power to your elbow. I think Crikey is a very positive force in Australian media and it’s down to you and your team. I shall continue as a subscriber, of course, and hope that the new management keep up your high standard and breadth of ideas.

Best regards from (cold) London,

John

Great choice of purchaser

A top lawyer fund manager writes:

Congratulations! You’ve earned this – and more. Great choice of purchaser, hopefully they’ll maintain the Crikey courage and edginess moving forward!

The legal fundie

The hard work pays off

A big four banker writes:

Great news for you and your family. As a father of 4 under 10 I well understand your situation and I congratulate you on holding things together as well as you have these past 5 years. Crikey is a unique publisher and I’ve greatly enjoyed its refreshing style over the past few years of my subscription.

I intend to continue to do so. Also refreshing is your further proving to me that persistence, hard work and dedication in the face of adversity can and often does pay off. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.

Kind regards, Guy

Looking forward to the new version

A former regular contributor writes:

The end of an era – and the start of a new one!!! Congratulations mate – you took an extreme gamble and have single-handedly changed media reporting in this country for the better. I am glad to see you reaping some financial rewards from it. I look forward to the new version with anticipation. Finally – thanks.

Michael

Keep up the intense scrutiny

A Crikey Lifer writes:

Congratulations Stephen and Paula on getting your lives back. I’ll never understand how you managed an emerging business and emerging family at the same time. But I’m glad you did, as I think Crikey.com.au performs an extremely valuable function in business and politics in Australia. I hope the intense scrutiny will continue and that you both will now get some free time to enjoy some life outside of the bunker. Best wishes for more success in the future.

Gerry

I can see the synergies with The Reader

Stephen – congratulations on the decision to follow a strategy for Crikey to evolve. I’ll look forward to continuing my support of this vital service. As an avid subscriber to The Reader – I can understand the synergies. Cheers and well done to you, Paula and your team.

Jo (Crikey & The Reader subscriber)

A Mr G missive from Byron

Congratulations Crikey! Excluding possible, future ideological changes at Crikey, you (and Mrs Crikey) deserve it! Having witnessed the hard work and seen the pale, ghostly Crikey face pre Steve Price trial, good luck to you. As an occasional contributor on travel and sports, it’s been one hell of a ride.

Mr G (former Yoursay editor, now enjoying Bryon Bay)

Crikey: Indeed I remember bumping into Mr G just outside the old Shell building on Flinders St on the day our house sale was injuncted and had to quickly shuffle on for fear of bursting into tears

I see that Crikey has finally succumbed to corporate Australia by selling off for 1 million. To think that I had finally found a space free from corporate and political influence was obviously too good to be true. To those who will get rich out of this deal, I hope that you are not the same people who have been advocates of Crikey’s ideals, lest we forget that hypocrites and rank capitalists are the two biggest contributors to corruption and world poverty.

Dave Te

Good luck mate, good call. Having spent four years running my own business I now how it finally does you in.
Keep doin’ yr best. In the end your family is all that matters.

G’day Crikey crew,

Heard the interview on ABC radio today and wanted to say good onya for an outstanding and very inspirational run in independent media so far. Sad about the defamation cases but sometimes those things work out for the better. Good luck with the next eighteen months and your wife sounds awesome!

Andrew

While financial constraints have caused me to hold off becoming a regular paying member I am very pleased that I have been an Alertee for some time now. You have the guts to talk about and analyse events without fear or favour and I think this is an element sadly lacking in the mainstream media in this country. God help us if the media cross ownership laws are changed to help the likes of Murdoch and other predators. Finally congratulations on the sale of Crikey to Eric Beecher and Di Gribble. They are surely like-minded media operatives and we would hope continue the enlightening outlook engendered by yourselves. Good luck and keep those stodgy company directors and boards on their toes at their annual meetings.

Des Keenan

Crikey here we go! So you’ve up and sold to the Kim Beazley of publishing….how many more safe hand chances will the Beecher have to sink how many more “Quality” vehicles? (Kezza said “You only get one Alan Bond in a lifetime,” but the Beecher would seem to give the lie to this pithy observation!). Anyway if that egg-heads’ Readers’ Digest, “The Reader” is still around in July, I’m a Dutchman, and if Crikey don’t sink without trace by Dec then I’m doubly so. (No more libel suits!! c’mon…you can’t be serious). Nice knowing yez but and good luck with the kids and Mrs Crikey’s new career…glad one of ya will have an income to keep them fed.

Brian D