Australia’s Catalano-Waislitz duo is accentuating the positive, announcing new appointments for their View Media Group days after Southern Cross Austereo had revealed an approach by their regional news business.

Earlier this week, SCA reported an offer to sell Australian Community Media’s print and digital newpapers in exchange for a share of its equity.

Now Antony Catalano – who owns ACM with Alex Waislitz – has turned the focus on their property-focussed View Media Group with a cluster of “significant new appointments” aimed at underpinning its growth and emphasing points of difference including a partnership with the ANZ Bank.

Catalano says the relationship is a “key differentiator” in its strategy, allowing it to “play seriously” in the financial services space. Financial services is the largest category in the “real estate superstore-of-the-future” which he describes as the centrepiece of View’s business plan.

Two former Domain staffers – Sian Rowlands and Damon Pezaro – are named for new roles, Rowlands as managing director for financial services and Pezaro as chief product officer. Additionally, Jordy Catalano moves from the chief product officer role to be director of consumer services and markets; Barrie Bowles has been appointed digital and data director; and former Domain executive editor Emily Rayner becomes head of content.

Southern Cross disclosed the approach on Tuesday, the proposed deal involving ACM’s 14 daily print and digital news publications, regional and metropolitan titles, and agriculture division, in exchange for an interest in SCA, which owns the Triple M and Hit radio networks, regional TV and radio assets. The SCA board said it would investigate the proposal and advised shareholders to take no action.

Catalano had been accumulating an interest in the company – which was the subject of an aborted takeover bid last October – and had proposed an earlier deal, from which, he says, the current proposal is “materially different”.

In an email to staff, he spoke of the “dynamic multimedia company” which could result, should the transaction proceed, to “truly answer advertiser needs”.