Sly Bailey: 'Time is running out...mergers and combinations of newspaper groups offer only chance of survival for some titles'

Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey has given a blistering response to the publication of the interim Digital Britain report, HoldtheFrontPage reports today.
She welcomes the move to review the merger ownership rules (see post below) in the regional newspaper sector but accuses the government of a lack of urgency.
Bailey says: "We, of course, welcome the commitment to investigate the potential for changes to merger regulations in the local and regional media sector. But how long will the process take following the full report in May? One or two years?
"Frankly time is running out. Regional newspaper publishers are facing the most challenging times in their history, mergers and combinations of newspaper groups offer the only chance of survival for some titles. Merger regulations need to change to enable the regional newspaper industry to survive in the digital age, rather than conspiring to strangling it out of existence."
In another broadside, she added: "We are bitterly disappointed that the report makes only passing reference to newspapers - the word is used just four times - and the crushing lack of understanding of the urgency required for changes to merger regulations in the local and regional media sector."