'Manchester Evening News should be owned and managed in Manchester'

This is part of one of the best posts on MediaGuardian's blog on the future of regional journalism. It suggests that the best option for the Manchester Evening News would be to stand alone from Guardian Media Group and be owned and managed in Manchester.
Sensi posts: "Newspapers may be in decline, but a lot of them are still profitable. Their owners have creamed off massive profits in the good times, but their expectations must change now and they must be willing to acept lower margins if the industry is to survive.
Either that, or the paradigm of consolidation and mergers should be turned on its head and local papers and regional publishers should be allowed to go it alone outside these super-group structures, operating within a more realistic framework of expecation.
People have said on this site a number of times that the MEN has propped up the Guardian for years, and are particularly angry that GMG is not now returning the favour, if you could call it that. Maybe if the MEN can stand on its own, the best thing would be to let it do so; a Manchester paper, 100% owned and controlled here. That doesn't sound too radical, does it? It would be welcomed by so many.
Journalists and the Union have a role to play in this too and they should meet management half way. In return for a more honest, realistic approach to profitabilty from management, journalists must agree to be (even) more flexible, innovative and embrace the many different communication platforms used by their readers. They should help the paper thrive in other areas away from print and draw new readers to their activity. Too many journalists don't do this, in my view. Yes, I accept that there are time pressures (God knows I understand that), but some regional journalists are making a great job of integrating social media with old media activities. It can be done. It has to be done.
If some of this was to happen, the regional press may have a future."