History

Neos Kosmos is Australia's largest circulation Greek newspaper and by all accounts the largest and most influential Greek publication outside Greece.

THE EARLY YEARS
Cramped into a tiny office in Melbourne's Niagra Lane the founder of Neos Kosmos, Dimitri Gogos, gathered a handful of dedicated volunteers enshrouded with the toxic fumes of melting metal plates to produce the first four-page edition of Neos Kosmos on 13th February 1957.

Neos Kosmos evolved in response to the mass migration of Greeks to Australia in the late 1950's. It provided a bridge between the homeland of these new migrants and their new home in Australia. It delivered news and information from Greece in the days when communications were scarce or often non-existent.

Due to government indifference and the economic crisis of 1961 the office of Neos Kosmos acted as a welfare agency to thousands of Greek Australians. From providing basic information to job seeking and informing people of their rights Neos Kosmos ensured that people were informed and accounted for in the wider community.

The 1960's saw even greater mass migration, and with that the significant growth of the newspaper. It soon outgrew its surroundings and moved to a larger office in Little Bourke Street, doubling its staff in the process.

NOT JUST A NEWSPAPER
In the crowded Greek media scene Neos Kosmos had gained the community's trust with its professional and timely reporting. Significantly though, Neos Kosmos was the first newspaper in Australia to advocate for migrant rights and to bring to the forefront the endemic racism that existed in some sections of Australian society at the time. It became an important voice in the debate on creating a multicultural nation.

By the early 1970's Neos Kosmos had established itself as the de facto voice of the Greek community. It continued to play an active role in representing the community as a member of the committee for the self-determination of Cyprus and for the restoration of democracy in Greece.

Neos Kosmos was instrumental in bringing the world renowned composer Mikis Thoedorakis to Australia who had become the people's voice against the military dictatorship in Greece. It also welcomed Andreas Papandreou to Australia during his time in exile before returning to Greece to become Prime Minister in 1980.

Closer to home Neos Kosmos helped establish the first Modern Greek choir at Melbourne University, the Australian Greek Welfare Society, the Greek Song Festival, the Antipodes Festival, Greek Language studies at La Trobe University and successfully advocated for the portability of migrant pensions from Greece.

The 1970's saw Neos Kosmos establish itself in the heart of Melbourne's Greek precinct at 235 Russell Street. In 1976  Publisher, Dimitri Gogos established an English page of news in Neos Kosmos. Though criticised by some in the community it proved to be a wise move. The waning of Greek migration and the establishment of new Australian born Greek Australians saw Neos Kosmos retain its link both with the community and expand out to non-Greek readers.

The circulation of Neos Kosmos was at its highest in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Selling over 30,000 copies a week it not only spoke to its readers but became an important communication tool for business and government.

ENGLISH EXPANSION AND THE DIGITAL AGE
The newspaper developed a significant revenue stream with both large display advertisements and several pages of classifieds. This important income ensured the long-term prospects of the publication by reinvesting in people and establishing new ventures, such as the English Edition of the newspaper and its move to online publication.

This growth instigated the move in the 1990's to new offices away from the city centre to where they are today at 600 Nicholson Street in North Fitzroy. By the mid 1990's communication and technology were moving rapidly. Colour advertising was becoming ever more important for the newspaper and its clients, and readers' expectations had also shifted.

In this new era of satellite TV, radio and the world wide web Neos Kosmos began to shift its priorities. It developed its first website in 1996 and moved its reporting focus to more local news and events where journalists could connect closer with the community. Meanwhile the English Edition continued to develop and expand establishing a unique readership of its own.

Neos Kosmos English Edition (NKEE) grew to establish its own team of editors, journalists, contributors and production staff. Its objective was to provide the same level of objective coverage of news and events that Neos Kosmos had established, but to also be the preeminent forum for Hellenic debate and information in Australia.

Strong circulation numbers continuied into the 21st century with growth especially in Monday's publication of Neos Kosmos English Edition. 2000 also saw the launch of Neos Kosmos' new web presence at www.neoskosmos.com.au This proved to be an important move in reaching out to the audience beyond the distribution points of the newspaper. In fact 30-35 percent of the traffic came from beyond Australia, including Greece, Cyprus and USA.

THE WAY FORWARD
Neos Kosmos remains the communication lifeline of the Greek community, informing, debating and communicating news and opinion. 

In May 2009 the current website was launched at www.neoskosmos.com with a major expansion of content offering in both English and Greek. This new dynamic site has been embraced by the Greek Australian community and readers from Greece and the diaspora with sustained growth since its launch. 

In 2010 Neos Kosmos enhanced its English language offering by producing a new compact format newspaper on Saturday's in English and Greek. This radical shift away from our traditional large broadsheet Monday and Thursday editions has introduced our quality content to a new generation of readers.

With its ongoing emphasis of the English language Neos Kosmos believes the growing Greek Australian audience will continue to interact both in print and various digital platforms. Neos Kosmos also sees its future globally as an advocate for Hellenic news and thought in English and Greek.

First edition: 13 February 1957

Neos Kosmos Thursday Edition 
(2 October 2012)

Neos Kosmos Saturday launch edition (3 July 2010)

Two of four commemorative magazines produced for our 50th birthday celebrations in 2007.