Mornington Peninsula News Group

What Mornington Peninsula News Group does

Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is an independently owned Australian community media company headquartered in Mornington, Victoria, and operating since 2006. The company publishes a portfolio of seven print titles serving the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston regions: five weekly community newspapers (Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times, and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News) and two glossy magazines (Peninsula Essence, a lifestyle title, and Peninsula Kids, a family-focused title). Coverage spans local government (Mornington Peninsula Shire Council), community events, sport, entertainment, and human-interest stories for residents of the peninsula and adjacent bayside suburbs.

MPNG's digital distribution is layered on top of its print footprint. The company operates mpnews.com.au as a unified news destination with categorized verticals (News, Sport, Entertainment, Local Lives & Landmarks), maintains social media profiles on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram, and distributes flipbook editions of all print titles through the third-party Issuu platform. The technology stack is conventional: a WordPress-based content site supplemented by Issuu for digital reading, with no proprietary platform, no mobile app, and no disclosed API or integration ecosystem.

The business model combines two revenue streams. Advertising is the primary engine, with a dedicated "Advertise With Us" page offering SMB and national advertisers placement across the five weekly papers and digital properties; visible banner advertisers include Woolworths (Hastings store). Consumer subscriptions represent a secondary stream, accessed through a dedicated "Subscribe" page on the website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional ownership, and headcount is reported in the 11-50 range.

Name

Mornington Peninsula News Group

Legal name

Mornington Peninsula News Group

Website

https://mpnews.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mornington Peninsula News Group is an independently owned Australian community media company, founded in 2006, that publishes five weekly community newspapers and two glossy magazines serving residents, SMBs, and local advertisers across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston regions of Victoria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Local journalism
• Regional news media
• Community magazines
• Hyperlocal news

Headquarters

HQ city

Mornington

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The company operates a subscription model where readers can subscribe to access content. The website features a dedicated 'Subscribe' page indicating paid subscription services for readers.
2. Advertising Revenue: The company generates revenue through advertising, with a dedicated 'Advertise With Us' page offering businesses the ability to advertise across their five weekly community newspapers and digital platforms.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mornington Peninsula News Group publishes five weekly community newspapers (Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times, Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News) and two glossy magazines (Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids) covering Mornington Peninsula news, sport, entertainment, and local features. Content is distributed in print and digitally via the company's website and the Issuu publishing platform, monetised through reader subscriptions and local business advertising.

Product overview

Mornington Peninsula News Group is an independent local media company offering a portfolio of five weekly community newspapers (Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times, Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News) and two glossy magazines (Peninsula Essence, Peninsula Kids). Content is distributed both in print format via Issuu digital publishing platform and through the company's website, with newspapers accessible online through Issuu viewer links.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Western Port News: Weekly community newspaper serving the Western Port area.
• Mornington News
• Southern Peninsula News
• Frankston Times
• Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
• Peninsula Essence
• Peninsula Kids

Products and services

• Western Port News Weekly community newspaper covering Western Port region news, sport, and local events for Mornington Peninsula residents.
• Mornington News Weekly community newspaper covering Mornington news, sport, entertainment, and local stories for residents of the Mornington area.
• Southern Peninsula News Weekly community newspaper covering Southern Peninsula news, sport, and feature stories for Mornington Peninsula residents.
• Frankston Times Weekly community newspaper covering Frankston area news, sport, and community updates for local residents.
• Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News Weekly community newspaper covering Chelsea, Mordialloc, and Mentone local news and sport.
• Peninsula Essence Glossy lifestyle magazine covering Mornington Peninsula features, dining, arts, and local culture for residents and visitors.
• Peninsula Kids Glossy magazine focused on children's content, family activities, and youth-focused stories for Mornington Peninsula families.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bendigo Advertiser: Regional Victorian newspaper covering Bendigo and northern Victoria with paid subscriptions and local advertising. Comparable regional content publisher with similar business model and audience to MPNG.
• Ballarat Courier: Regional daily newspaper serving Ballarat and central Victoria, distributed in print and online with subscriptions and advertising. Directly comparable as a Victorian regional news title relying on local advertiser and reader relationships.
• Geelong Advertiser: Long-established Victorian regional newspaper covering Geelong and surrounding areas with print and digital editions. Comparable as an Australian regional masthead monetized through local advertising and subscriptions in a defined geographic market.
• Australian Community Media (ACM): ACM is Australia's largest regional and community newspaper publisher, operating hundreds of mastheads across NSW, Victoria, and other states. It is the most direct comparable to MPNG as a multi-title community newspaper group monetized through subscriptions and local advertising.
• The Canberra Times: Capital-city regional daily newspaper with both print and digital editions, paid subscriptions, and local/regional advertising. Comparable as an Australian regional/sub-national masthead with a hybrid print-digital operating model similar to MPNG's.
• Leader Community Newspapers (News Corp Australia): Leader publishes a network of Melbourne suburban/community weekly newspapers directly overlapping with MPNG's Mornington Peninsula and Frankston footprint. It competes for the same local advertisers and household subscribers across Greater Melbourne.

Broad incumbents

• News Corp Australia: Australia's largest news media group, parent of Leader Community Newspapers and Herald Sun, with both metro and regional/community newspaper operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent that overlaps MPNG on community newspaper publishing and local advertising inventory.
• West Australian Newspapers (Seven West Media): Major regional newspaper publisher in Western Australia under The West Australian and The Sunday Times brands. Comparable as a large-scale regional news publisher with print, digital, subscription, and advertising-revenue models serving a defined non-metro market.

Others

• Country Press Australia: Industry association representing independent and regional newspaper publishers across Australia. Adjacent to MPNG as the representative body for community-press publishers and an indicator of the broader independent regional media ecosystem.

Regional players

• The Examiner (Launceston, Tasmania): Long-running regional daily newspaper serving northern Tasmania. Comparable as an Australian regional masthead with subscription and advertising revenue streams, but operating primarily in Tasmania rather than Victoria.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MPNEWSGROUP
• Facebookfacebook.com/MorningtonPeninsulaNewsGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mornington-peninsula-news-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mornington Peninsula News Group