Sydney’s booming greater west is a new focus for the Sydney Morning Herald, with the opening of a Parramatta bureau focussed on attracting new readership.

In an INMA ‘Satisfying Audiences’ blog, Fairfax Media senior audience editor Nick Calacouras says the development has required a targeted paywall strategy that “made the most of conversion opportunities from big exclusives, but also gave non-subscribers access to enough stories to understand the value on offer”.

An economic, demographic, political and cultural colossus that he says will “shape the future of Australia’s largest city”, the 9,000km2 region is home to 2.6 million people and is the country’s third-largest economy.

“As it continues to grow, so does its prominence in the news,” he says. “This includes a new international airport, the construction of Powerhouse Parramatta (the largest cultural investment in Sydney since the Opera House), significant housing developments, and the expansion of public transport networks.

Bucking a national trend of industry contraction, the Herald announced a plan in 2025 to expand its presence into Parramatta. The newsroom argued that developments playing out in western Sydney could no longer be adequately covered from the city offices in North Sydney.

Parramatta is booming, with nearly half a million people expected to live there by 2040. “If you include the 22 surrounding suburbs, the population will grow 73 per cent to 892,000,” he says.

The goal of the bureau is to expand the Herald’s readership into this growing region of Sydney, primarily through attracting new readers and ultimately converting them into subscribers.

The bureau launched in April 2025 with a chief and two reporters. Backed by a strong marketing campaign, it led a grassroots campaign of networking in the region, ensuring they were reporting from within the community and not just on it. They developed a strong social media presence, publishing street-level videos, and recently started connecting with local readers directly via WhatsApp.

Bureau chief Anthony Segaert says it was crucial for the team to embed itself in the community. “The three of us live in different parts of the west, and have different connections and interests,” he said. “But we all want our readers, our sources, and our communities to know that we’re invested in their lives and suburbs, and want to help raise their voice across the city.”

The team started having coffees and catch-ups with community groups, developing relationships that not only led to story tips, but ensured those stories were told from these local cultural perspectives.

In its first year, the bureau was responsible for 181 stories, with a strong focus on Parramatta Council and urban development. These topics are commonly reported on by Sydney newsrooms but often with a focus on inner-city or east coast suburbs.

However, there has also been attention given to city life, with stories offering colour and personal identities from western Sydney, such as a look inside an abandoned theatre or a profile on an influencer dubbed Sydney’s most irritating (or popular) gardener.

Segaert says the Herald is treating western Sydney “like home, not a foreign bureau.

“I think readers have come to notice the difference,” he said.

The bureau’s focus on attracting new readership has required a targeted paywall strategy that made the most of conversion opportunities from big exclusives, but also gave non-subscribers access to enough stories to understand the value on offer.

The bureau quickly developed a strong following from Herald readers. The articles far surpassed traffic expectations, satisfying existing Herald subscribers, finding new audience, and converting readers into subscribers.

A review taken a few months after the bureau launched of the postcodes where Herald digital subscribers reside saw a significant increase in Parramatta and the surrounding suburbs compared to a year earlier. Parramatta itself saw a 18 per cent increase in subscribers while Auburn rose by 22 per cent. Penrith and Granville both saw a 14 per cent increase.

Targeting a growing geographic region was originally pursued as a new audience opportunity, but along the way we discovered our existing subscribers also appreciated the extended coverage of our city. The bureau’s success paves the way for further exploration of areas that offer the chance for us to grow and deliver journalism that matters to underserved communities.

Pictured: Parramatta Bureau members Mostafa Ranchwani, Anthony Segaert, and Ellie Busby