MX (newspaper)

mX was an Australian free afternoon daily newspaper in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, owned and produced by News Corp Australia. Targeted at commuters, its main channels of distribution were inner-city railway stations, tram and bus stops, and major CBD intersections. The last edition of "mX" was published on 12 June 2015.
Beginnings.
The first "mX" was published in Melbourne on 6 February 2001, hoping to capitalise on the Metro format, popular in Europe. The paper contained lighter news and sports articles, often containing strange stories and facts from around the world (under the headings "Nice One" and, "What The?"). The newspaper's approach was a much greater focus on entertainment than news than broadsheet newspapers, or even other tabloids.
"Melbourne Express", published by rival Fairfax Media, was this paper's competitor. Initially it used the same format, although it was released in the mornings rather than the afternoon. It began publication the day before "mX", but was soon overtaken due to "mX"'s much broader use of colour, its greater availability, and its lighter tone. In addition, "mX" had no explanation at its launch, allowing readers to assume that it stood for "Melbourne Express" and that it was the paper known by that name. "Melbourne Express" ceased publication on 7 September 2001.
The broad success of "mX" contributed to reduced sales of the afternoon edition of News Corporation stablemate the "Herald Sun", its last edition being published on 21 December 2001.
Sydney and Brisbane editions.
Following the success of "mX" in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane editions were launched.
On 4 July 2005, "mX" launched a Sydney edition. Sydney City Council was considering a tender to lease Sydney footpaths to News Corporation for $362,000 annually, and charge other free daily newspaper a similar fee if they use the same location more than 40 times a year. Other newspapers, that are distributed by sellers on streets, are concerned about the possibility that they may be required to also pay such fees.
The Brisbane edition of "mX" was launched on 5 March 2007, with an expected distribution of 40,000 copies per day.
Format and content.
Being a commuter newspaper, "mX" was much thinner than other daily newspapers.
Central themes of most articles included U.S. celebrity gossip, new product lines, controversial events, rumours, celebrity trivia, and readers' gripes, amongst other attention-grabbing stories. Large photographs often appeared without any related story, only a caption describing their contents; conversely, news stories were rarely accompanied by photographs. Small, large, and full page advertisements were also a major contributor to the paper's overall make-up.
The newspaper launched an app in 2013.
Sections.
Staples.
Some "mX" editions had been stapled, as they tended to remain contained and not blow around as much. This decision was also based on the capabilities of publishing equipment and whether binding systems were installed at the production facilities.
Theming.
Occasionally the "mX" masthead was modified to capitalise on major events, such as a tennis ball and racquet during the Australian Open, and love hearts and using rose scented ink during Valentine's Day. On the day of the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the x was changed to a Union Jack and many pages said "The royal wedding" other pages said "Not the wedding". In the lead-up to both the 2007 federal election and 2010 federal election, the front page of each issue bore a "disclaimer" warning of the number of election stories (if any) contained within.
Closure.
On 28 May 2015, News Corp announced that the newspaper was closing down. The final edition was printed on 12 June 2015, and the corresponding mobile app was also closed down.
Revival.
In 2018 "mX" was briefly revived in Melbourne as part of a promotion by Carlton & United Breweries. Published on four consecutive Wednesdays from 26 September, it was only available at Flinders Street, Flagstaff, Melbourne Central, Richmond and Southern Cross stations.