The Times: UK local press heading into the abyss

Posted by James Michael on 9 April 2009 at 17:03
Tags: Free Newspapers, Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers

Martin Fletcher has a grim perspective on the future of regional journalism in today’s Times.

His report focuses on the rapid decline of south-western publications, the Bristol Evening Post and the 150-year-old Western Daily Press.

Some 40 of the 154 editorial staff at the two newspapers have recently lost their jobs, while a further 36 were casualties from a similar redundancy cut back three years ago.

Fletcher says: “What is happening in Bristol is happening all over the country, of course. Scores of local papers have closed in the past year. More than 1,000 provincial journalists have been made redundant.

“Across all Northcliffe’s regional papers, advertising dropped by about 37 per cent in the first quarter of this year. There is scarcely a title that is not struggling, and many more will fold.”

Johnston Press journalists in Lancashire vote for strike

Posted by James Michael on 8 April 2009 at 12:27
Tags: Journalism, Media Business, National Union of Journalists, People, Regional Newspapers

NUJ members employed by Johnston Press in east Lancashire have voted in favour of industrial action over the company’s growing job losses and possible merger plans .

Journalists from the Burnley Express, Clitheroe Advertiser and Nelson Leader voted 90 percent for strike action, and 100 percent for action short of a strike. The chapel only won recognition from the union a few months ago.

The NUJ say that management want to restructure the way they manage all their papers and websites across the north west of England.

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern Organiser, said: “This is a very solid result. The chapel will not accept anything less than a proper negotiated agreement on the future of their titles and no compulsory redundancies.”

Journalists at Johnston Press in Leeds, Trinity Mirror in Glasgow and Newsquest in York are already taking industrial action against redundancies.

Estate agents threaten TV licence boycott

Posted by James Michael on 8 April 2009 at 12:26
Tags: Advertising, Agencies, BBC, Broadcast, Media Business, Television

Estate agents are threatening to withhold their BBC licence fees in protest against a BBC television programme that encourages people not to use them, the Daily Telegraph reports today.

The BBC One programme ‘Axe the Agent?’ has been criticised for the way that it instructs viewers to buy and sell property and avoid paying agents fees.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Lee Bramzell, chief executive of the property industry website propertyindex.com, said that the programme’s premise and title were “deliberately antagonistic”.

“This is the kind of irresponsible broadcasting one might expect to see on Channel 5 but not from the state broadcaster,” he said.

Bramzell has written a letter of complaint to Mark Thompson, the director-general of the BBC.

But a BBC spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: “The programme has no intention of depriving estate agents of their livelihood and it complies with the BBC’s editorial guidelines. The question mark in the title is deliberate in making this a question and not a statement.

“At the beginning of each episode we also make it clear that not using an agent is a huge step and not to be taken lightly.”

Ofcom proposes radio reform

Posted by James Michael on 7 April 2009 at 13:25
Tags: Advertising, Broadcast, Journalism, Media Business, Radio

Ofcom has offered a blueprint to reform commercial radio, which it hopes will make local networks a more attractive investment, the Financial Times reports today.

The broadcast industry is currently struggling with the financial void left by the decline in advertising, the FT says.

Under the proposal, Ofcom would permit broadcasters to consolidate further into regional centres, which could allow them to save money.

FT: Pension liabilities could scupper media deals

Posted by James Michael on 7 April 2009 at 13:22
Tags: Broadcast, Media Business, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers, Television

The depth of pension liabilities at some of the UK’s largest media companies could derail merger and acquisition activities, the Financial Times warned today.

Michael Rudberg, a partner at Ernst & Young said: “Pension plan deficits have ballooned in recent months, particularly for companies with large legacy plans in the media sector.

“Not only does this increase demands on future cash flows, but it is also one of the most critical factors in executing a sale transaction in what is an already challenging deal environment.”

Daily Mail & General Trust, Trinity Mirror and ITV were among those singled out as of particular concern by some financial analysts.

The report says that older media companies tend to be harder hit by pension issues as they are more labour intensive, tend to have quite large pension funds and generally have unionised work forces, which can make it trickier to cut back on staff benefits.

The gloomy forecast will undoubtedly fuel the growing belief in the media industry that the so called “big four” regional newspaper groups (Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press, Newsquest and Northcliffe Media) should become a big two - the FT says.