Drama, intrigue and subterfuge. That's what the ABC portrayed as happening at Woman's Day and New Idea under Nene King and Dulcie Boling. But what do their modern counterparts, Fiona Connolly and Kim Wilson have to say?
It was catty, it was personal and it made for oh-so-good TV. ABC's Paper Giants: Magazine Wars portrayed the intense rivalry between King and Boling as they sought to put their titles on top. So apart from toe-sucking royals, big hair, shoulder pads, simmering personal rivalries - and of course, circulation numbers - has anything changed?
Yes and no.
“In terms of energy, nothing has changed. Everyday is crazy. I'm not as much of a clown as Nene but it's still as energetic. That dynamic in the newsroom does exist,” confessed Woman's Day editor Fiona Connolly.
Her counterpart at New Idea, Kim Wilson, agreed. She said: “I loved [Paper Giants]. The passion, the adrenaline and crazy characters are still very true of the industry that I'm fortunate enough to work in today. I've seen the mad stories, the challenges and the deadlines.”
Wilson said the way Paper Giants portrayed the delivery of the circulation numbers is still a tense moment every week. Except now it comes in an email and not in a pristine envelope. “The circ numbers still come every week, we open an email and have that moment of holding your breath,” she said.
But what is different is the personal rivalry. Both Connolly and Wilson said there was healthy, professional competition between the two titles but they're certainly not out to destroy each other like King and Boling.
Connolly said: “Obviously the rivalry is very strong – that's not changed, but in a corporate and commercial sense. It's not personal.”
In fact, Connolly said her deputy, Clare Isaac, has previously worked with Wilson and has suggested the two would get along quite well. That is, if they socialised.
Wilson added: “There's certainly a lot of manoeuvring with stories and it's competitive, but it's within the realm [of professionalism].” She said she hasn't skulked down any alleyways like in the show, but she will if need be. That and dancing on the tables. Connolly admitted she had yet to take to the table, but did not rule it out entirely.
An example of today's rivalry is how both titles leveraged the publicity from Paper Giants: Magazine Wars. Woman's Day had Mandy McElhinney (the actress who played Nene King in the show) as a guest editor while New Idea scored an exclusive interview with the actual King (who is also a columnist for the Pacific Magazine title). Surely the winners of that particular circulation battle will trumpet it?
The other difference, contended Wilson, is the sensationalism and tabloid nature of the magazine content compared to 20 years ago. Some commentators have suggested King and Boling's rivalry led to a race to the gutter in their efforts to outsell each other. Nothing was off-limits.
“It's been scaled back a bit and that's a reflection of our readers and where Australia has gotten to. It's all handled with a little bit more decorum. I think people are more media savvy generally and that's perhaps meant things are handled differently to back then,” said Wilson.
But the passion and the frenzy remains. And thanks to technology, editors are even easier to reach than before. No faxes in the corner of bedrooms are necessary thanks to smartphones.
Wilson added: “I love the enthusiasm and passion that comes through in Paper Giants. We don't get into this game because of good money or good hours. If you don't love the rush and adrenaline, you're not in the right game. You should be an accountant or something.”
So really no spying, subterfuge or general skulduggery in order to steal a story from under each other's nose? "No, no. I don't have my head turned by the competition," said Connolly. "Here it's all about remaining number one."
Now that's an example of rivalry, corporate style.
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