Media experts are cautiously optimistic about the News Corp buyout of APN's regional newspapers, but say it could harm media diversity in Queensland.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave News Corp the all clear to buy APN's Australian Regional Media on Thursday.
The $36.6 million deal includes the take over of 12 daily newspapers, more than 30 websites and 60 smaller publications.
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance spokeswoman Katelin McInerney said the journalists' union raised concerns about the loss of diversity in Queensland media with APN and News Corp prior to the merger's approval.
"The union is very concerned with these kinds of changes where we do see a potential loss of diversity in media organisations," she said.
"The concerns with any kind of takeover like this is centred on maintaining a vibrant and dynamic media scene, which includes having a multitude of voices with different views and different stories."
However, with regional media struggling from a downturn in advertising revenue, Ms McInerney said at this point, "maintaining mastheads is a positive sign".
Queensland University of Technology media professor Brian McNair said diversity was a problem with local journalism in Australia, but said there was also a question of keeping regional journalism alive.
"It's wrong to take the knee jerk reaction and say it's bad; it may be the only route for survival," he said.
Professor McNair said jobs could be on the line, but that was just part of the current media industry.
"Media jobs, obviously when you get a merger, are very vulnerable at the moment," he said, pointing out most media organisations had been shedding jobs.
"Given News Corp's track record they will seek to make savings and journalists will have to do more with less, as has been the case for the last 10 years."
Ms McInerney said the idea of losing regional journalism jobs was an "alarming prospect".
"We definitely didn't want to see the papers in the former APN group disappear," she said.
"We've conveyed our concerns and hope News Corp does invest in the journalism in these newsrooms.
"It certainly does seem to be the intent of News Corp at this stage to continue those mastheads."
Professor McNair said while there would most likely be efficiency savings, Rupert Murdoch's media empire would be able to bring new tools to the regional outlets.
"Something that these mergers do allow for is opportunities for digital transformation, offers the opportunity to capitalise on technology and to create content in different ways," he said.
"It was probably a necessary or at least rational move for both companies."
APN mastheads included the Sunshine Coast Daily, Mackay's Daily Mercury and the Bundaberg News-Mail.
