Tough times in the media business

According to the article, several Australian media stocks lost ground over the past 12 months, including Fairfax, APN, Network Ten and Consolidated Media Holdings.

Fairfax fell from about $1.35 at the start of fiscal year 2011 to roughly $0.98 by the end of that year (around a mid‑20% decline based on those prices).

APN dropped from almost $2.00 a share to about $1.32, a notable decline over the 12‑month period covered in the article.

Network Ten's share price fell from approximately $1.46 to about $1.06 over the fiscal year discussed in the article.

Consolidated Media Holdings slipped from about $3.15 to $2.61 during the fiscal year covered by the article.

Yes — News Corp recorded a marginal rise over the period, edging up from roughly $16.54 to about $16.64.

The phrase means that, for the 12‑month period reported, the majority of measured media companies saw lower share prices at the end of the fiscal year than at the start. For investors, that highlights sector weakness during the period and is a prompt to review any media exposure against personal investment goals.

Investors can compare the reported opening and closing prices (for example, Fairfax from ~$1.35 to ~$0.98, APN from ~ $2.00 to ~$1.32, Network Ten ~ $1.46 to ~$1.06, Consolidated Media ~ $3.15 to ~$2.61, and News Corp ~ $16.54 to ~$16.64) to gauge which stocks fell the most and whether the sector as a whole weakened over the fiscal year covered by the article.