Local Media Pty Ltd publishes a local North-West edition of The Local Paper. It circulates in the municipalities of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Maribyrnong, Melton, Merri-bek, Moonee Valley, Moorabool and Wyndham.

It incorporates the traditions of the Brimbank Messenger, Broadmeadows Observer, Essendon Gazette, Hume Observer, Moonee Valley Gazette, Werribee Express, Western News and Western Times.

Local Media Pty Ltd Publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Bacchus Marsh Express and Melton Express newspapers in 1982-83. He was instrumental in organising its merger with the Melton-Bacchus Marsh Mail (Syme) in early 1983.

The Bacchus Marsh Express was a weekly newspaper,  founded by George Lane, and first published in July 1866. From October 1866, the paper was published by Christopher Crisp (pictured) and George Lane, with Crisp acting as editor, and Lane as the printer.

The paper later became known as The Bacchus Marsh express and general advertiser for Ballan, Melton, Myrniong, Blackwood, Gisborne, Egerton and Gordon districts after absorbing the Melton and Braybrook Advertiser, the Werribee Advertiser and the Bacchus Marsh Advertiser.

Christopher Crisp was made a member of the Australian Media Hall of Fame. The citation says that he “typifies the contribution that regional newspaper journalists made to the development of Victoria in the 19th Century. An assisted migrant from London, Crisp worked first for the Melbourne Herald before moving to Bacchus Marsh to work as a compositor in 1866. Soon, he was editor of the Bacchus Marsh Express. The Werribee Express and The Melton Express expanded his reach. He campaigned for local reservoirs, a new railway, the forming of agricultural societies and the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia. The words of this small-town editor were read by some of Australia’s most influential politicians and judges.”

Long was also Editor of News-Pix Weekender in September 1983, and the Western News in the late 1980s.

The origins of the Broadmeadows Observer, Keilor Messenger and Sunbury Regional News (as well as the Essendon Gazette) are linked with Broadglen Publishing Co. A sound example of local newspaper business was when some Leader staffers, Ray Foletta and Bob Grant, joined production man Ian Nankervis, in producing the Broadmeadows Observer newspaper.

The ‘Broadglen’ group, later in partnership in Leader, went on to include the Essendon Gazette, Keilor Messenger and The Regional (a merger of papers from Sunbury, Macedon Ranges, Lancefield and Kyneton).  Ralph Wilson, a 64-year-old English-born journalist was based at Leader’s Northcote office, writing for the Coburg and Brunswick papers on a lineage basis. Always alert for fresh copy, he turned his attention to the area north of Coburg just awakening from the sleep of the post-war years – Broadmeadows. The people who should have been reading the Wilson reports were neglected because Leader’s Coburg Courier distribution stopped short of the Broadmeadows shire boundaries.

Bob Grant, as News Editor of the Leader group, began reporting the events of Broadmeadows Council on Monday nights. In the early morning hours he hand to handwrite ‘lead’ stories from the council meeting and have them available in Tuesday’s Courier. It wasn’t long before stories from Broadmeadows were taking frontpage prominence.

Wilson suggested to Leader management that they start a newspaper in Broadmeadows, but it failed to interest a company in the throes of its own rapid expansion. Wilson and Grant then began discussions with Ray Foletta, who was advertising production manager at Leader and it was agreed that they all
put themselves out of a job and “abandon the substance of their careers for the shadow of a newspaper enterprise in Broadmeadows,” they recalled in
their 21st birthday souvenir of their Broadmeadows Observer in April 1977.

Two other Leader people were also recruited for the plunge – Perce Robertson, who was employed on a casual basis for selling tradesmen ads and writing local news items; and George Elliman, an assistant in the advertising department. The trio had a name, expertise, enthusiasm, faith and courage – but definitely no money. However, their severance pay enabled them to spend a couple of weeks selling ads, insisting on clients signing an order book, which they took to the Glenroy branch of the Commonwealth Bank.

They showed the order book proudly to Bank Manager Joe Lonergan, who provided a £400 overdraft for one month. The first issue ‘went to bed’ at Standard Newspapers, Cheltenham … and the rest became history. The Broadmeadows Observer expanded, with an St Albans-Deer Park and Outer Western Suburbs Observer edition from November 19, 1958. This later became the Keilor Messenger.

The company – which became Broadglen Publishing – tried the Essendon News against the established Essendon Gazette. They lasted five weeks, but
had to close because of lack of working capital. Instead, they purchased the Gazette! The Essendon Gazette, Flemington Spectator, Broadmeadows and Keilor Reporter was established on August 23, 1888.

Next takeover was Eric Boardman’s Sunbury News, Lancefield Mercury, Gisborne Gazette (1892-1965) and Romsey Examiner, to create the Regional News Gazette. Later, a 20 per cent share in the Ballarat News was purchased. Other holdings included a photographic store headed by Kevan Evans, stationery and printing businesses, toy shops, and other retail businesses.

The Mott Family at Leader increased links with Broadglen, after becoming printer for the newspapers. Broadglen papers were also marketed under the Leader group banner.