Posted by
Press Gazette
on 2 December 2009 at 11:06
Tags: Free Newspapers, National Newspapers, Newspapers
Stefano Hatfield, former editor of the now defunct thelondonpaper, has been appointed to a new role with The Times. (more…)
Posted by
Press Gazette
on 2 December 2009 at 08:44
Tags: Free Newspapers, Newspapers
The London Evening Standard is considering increasing its free distribution but has yet to take a final decision. (more…)
Posted by
Press Gazette
on 2 December 2009 at 08:28
Tags: Free Newspapers, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
The backers of the London Weekly, a new freesheet newspaper set to rival the London Evening Standard, confirmed yesterday that it would launch on 1 February. (more…)
Posted by
Gary Neale
on 12 October 2009 at 17:05
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Free Newspapers, Journalism, Media Business, Radio, Television
As the Evening Standard goes free today and also begin a series of scathing special reports about the BBC.
Today’s report is all about the money. Stephen Robinson writes about the wages claimed by the upper echelons of the BBC management, pointing out that 47 BBC executives earn more than the PM.
Taking the example of Jana Bennett, Head of Vision, he asks: “What is the point of her?” (more…)
Posted by
Gary Neale
on 12 October 2009 at 12:42
Tags: Free Newspapers, Media Business, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, press freedom
News Corp. head, Rupert Murdoch, has again spoken out against free news content on the web, now calling search engines such as Google and Yahoo “content kleptomaniacs”.
Murdoch was speaking at the World Media Summit in Beijing and promised that “the aggregators and plagiarists will soon have to pay the price for the co-opting of our content”, while other News Corp executives have called search engines “vampires” and ”tapeworms” the Independent reports.
The call to take control of online news was supported by Associated Press head, Tom Curley, and Gavin O’Reilly, CEO of Independent News & Media.
Google say they encourage people to click onto a newspaper website, and only provide a snippet of news to promote 300 million hits a month on news websites.
Posted by
Gary Neale
on 7 October 2009 at 15:24
Tags: Free Newspapers, Newspapers, Online
Rupert Murdoch’s biographer, Michael Wolff, has mocked the News Corp chairman over his plans to charge for online news with a piece in the latest edition of Vanity Fair headlined: Rupert to Internet: It’s War.
Murdoch plans to start charging for online content at all his newspapers, starting with a brand new Sunday Times website. (more…)
Posted by
Oliver Luft
on 3 September 2009 at 11:39
Tags: Free Newspapers, Media Business, Newspapers
In little over two weeks thelondonpaper is expected to cease publication.
The announcement last month that News International was closing its weekday freesheet because it had “fallen short of expectations” led many to assume Associated Newspapers would quickly follow suit and close its loss-making London Lite. (more…)
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 18 August 2009 at 08:50
Tags: Free Newspapers, Journalism, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
Birmingham city council is considering whether to scrap its £600,000 a year fornightly newspaper in order to cut costs.
The paper had a circulation of 400,000 and competed with commercial news providers for advertising.
It has not been published since June when the printing contract with Trinity Mirror ended, the Birmingham Post reports.
Politicians from all sides have condemned council-owned newspapers for bias and for further undermining already under-threat local newspapers.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 10 August 2009 at 09:18
Tags: Free Newspapers, Journalism, Media Business, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
Financial soothsayer Claire Enders has told Peter Kirwan (writing in The Guardian) that “we are going to end up with a very small number of national newspapers”.
And she believes that half of the UK’s 1,300 local newspapers will close between now and 2013 – destroying 20,000 media jobs.
Does she see any positives Kirwan asks? “No. Like fax machines and CD players, local newspapers and commercial radio are victims of change. These are long-term economic cycles.” (more…)
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 5 August 2009 at 10:31
Tags: Free Newspapers, Journalism, Regional Newspapers
Doncaster’s new mayor has scrapped a council-run monthly newspaper making a saving, he said, of £67,000 a year.
Peter Davies told the Doncaster Free Press: “It is simply council propaganda and an exercise in distorting unpalatable truths.”
The latest move comes after Government culture secretary Ben Bradshaw voiced his opposition to council-run newspapers in the Sunday Mirror this week.
He said: “They remind me of (Soviet state newspaper) Pravda and papers I knew from my times in East Germany as a BBC correspondent. If the only information you’re getting is misleading propaganda put out by politicians from one particular party, I think that’s very dangerous.”
Many fear they are providing unfair competition for established local papers. But some councils argue that with regional newspaper circulations declining, they need to find alternative ways to get their message across.
Posted by
Oliver Luft
on 3 August 2009 at 16:56
Tags: Free Newspapers, Media Business, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
Independent newspaper publisher Chris Bullivant has attempted to prove he was serious about buying a series of weekly newspapers from Trinity Mirror by allowing the publication of a series of confidential emails he sent to the regional publishing giant.
Last week Press Gazette revealed how Bullivant felt he could have helped save a number of the nine papers earmarked for closure by Trinity Mirror, had it sold them to him.
The suggestion brought a stormy response from Trinity Mirror.
Today MediaGuardian.co.uk published emails Bullivant sent to Trinity Mirror director of corporate development, Phil Machray, about his interest in the titles.
In one email Bullivant suggests his company has secured a line of finance of up to £400,000 “for this or and/or other potential acquisitions and are genuinely interested in purchasing some or all of your titles”.
What appeared to be the biggest bone of contention between the two was over Bullivant’s apparent failure to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which would have allowed access to sensitive financial records.
However, the first email, dated 17 July, suggests how the board of Bullivant Media “may be unable to meet until late next week which may delay our response to the questions you ask.”
The second email, dated 23 July, was sent by Bullivant to registering his “genuine bemusement” at statements appearing in some of the papers he was interested in buying saying they would close.
Bullivant goes on to say that the closures left him with the opinion that “there was never a chance of your board realistically contemplating a sale to me.”
However, the responses from Trinity Mirror are not included, so it is impossible to make a complete assessment of the correspondence and any response to the points Bullivant raises.
A Trinity Mirror spokesman told Press Gazette this afternoon: “The key point, despite Mr Bullivant’s protestations, is that he never made an offer for these newspapers.”
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 3 August 2009 at 11:10
Tags: Free Newspapers, Journalism, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has issued a scathing condemnation of the council-owned “propaganda sheets” which are replacing independent newspapers in many areas.
Speaking to Sunday Mirror political editor Vincent Moss the former local newspaper reporter and BBC journalist said: “You’ve got local authorities that are spending a considerable amount of council taxpayers’ money employing armies of press officers to produce these propaganda sheets masquerading as newspapers.
“They remind me of (Soviet state newspaper) Pravda and papers I knew from my times in East Germany as a BBC correspondent. If the only information you’re getting is misleading propaganda put out by politicians from one particular party, I think that’s very dangerous.”
He said council bosses should “very seriously consider” their spending on these papers.
In an investigation for the Evening Standard last week, Andrew Gilligan revealed that council-paid journalists and press officers may not outnumber independent local newspaper journalists in London.
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 2 June 2009 at 09:37
Tags: Free Newspapers
News International is reported to be considering launching a morning edition of thelondonpaper if it wins the London Underground distribution contract currently held by Metro.
Media Week claims two other options being discussed are turning the title into a morning paper or launching an entirely new title in the mornings.
A morning edition of thelondonpaper could use copy from The Times and The Sun. Associated Newspapers says it will distribute Metro by hand if it loses the Tube deal.
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 29 May 2009 at 16:13
Tags: Free Newspapers, New Media, Online
Associated Newspaper is preparing to relaunch the website for free title Metro later this year.
According to Marketing Week, the new site - Metro’s first since 2006 - will include more aggregated content from outside the Associated Newspapers empire and more opportunities for personalisation.
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.”
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 5 February 2009 at 11:13
Tags: Free Newspapers, Media Business
Free newspaper publisher Metro International made a €20m (£17.7m) operating loss last year on a like-for-like basis, according to figures released this morning. This compares to a 2007 loss of €18.6m (£16.5m).
Total revenues fell 11 per cent year on year to €295.5m (£261.8m).
Metro is published in more than 100 cities in 20 countries across Europe, America and Asia. The group claims a global reach of 20 million readers a day.
Last week, Metro International announced it was closing its Spanish free newspaper operation with immediate effect.
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 19 January 2009 at 12:20
Tags: Free Newspapers
London free business paper City AM has been forced to find new offices - after its existing base was demolished.
The Feral Beast reports that City AM was one of the last two companies to be moved out on Friday from New London Bridge, a Seventies tower block outside London Bridge station.
A Gorkana alert this afternoon confirms the title is now based on Dowgate Hill, near Cannon Street station.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 5 December 2008 at 09:49
Tags: Free Newspapers, Newspapers, People, Regional Newspapers
The journalist who helped found Britain’s first free newspaper has died aged 77.
Tony Mather had been a sub-editor on the Derby Telegraph for 15 years when he founded the Derby Trader with Derby County football club chairman Lionel Pickering in 1966.
He become editorial director of a gorup which comprised weekly titles across the Midlands. Pickering sold the group for £30m in 1989, according to Mather’s obit on www.lastingtribute.co.uk.
Posted by
Rachael Gallagher
on 27 November 2008 at 11:47
Tags: Free Newspapers
Daily freesheet for commuters, Metro is having a revamp and a boost in celebrity content, reports Roy Greenslade.
The pagination and editorial/advertising ratio will remain the same, the listings pages will reduce and celebrity news pages “Guilty Pleasures” will increase from two to four pages.
A spokesman told Greenslade it was a “little makeover”, and added that the Metro remains profitable despite the decline in newspaper advertising “for the time being, anyway”.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 24 November 2008 at 11:57
Tags: Broadcast, Free Newspapers, National Newspapers, Radio
Sun columnist and former TalkSport presenter Jon Gaunt is taking legal action after the station sacked him for calling a guest on his show a “Nazi”.
He told the Independent:
“When I found out I was shocked, amazed, bemused. I thought what would happen is that they’d say, ‘We are now going to start a disciplinary process’, at which I would have been allowed to have trade union representation, a colleague or my legal adviser. They just said ‘We are terminating your contract’.”
Revealing his reaction to the news that he had initially been suspended over is comments to a councillor who supported a ban on smokers being foster parents he said:
“I laughed. I said ‘Don’t suspend me.’ Cynically I said, ‘It will bring more heat to the story, reprimand me, fine me, do whatever you want to do, there’s no need for an investigation, listen to the tape’,” says the presenter.
“They ignored me. I’m bemused. I’ve got the biggest audience that they’ve ever had in that slot, I make them an awful lot of money in their competitions. I’ve got quite a high profile in the media. I’ve never been reprimanded, let alone sent a letter about my behaviour. I have been positively encouraged to be Gaunty.”
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