Media Quotes of the Week

Noel Gallagher on the Independent's new i newspaper: "It's a top idea to have a paper for clever people who can't be arsed to spend hours reading every day."
Independent editor-in-chief Simon Kelner on the i launch: "The baby is doing pretty well, and managed its first smile yesterday with the news that circulation figures for the first issue surpassed our most bullish expectations.”

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear on union members at the BBC rejecting the new pension proposals: “This massive vote against the BBC’s latest proposal comes as no surprise, given the fundamental ‘pay more – work longer - get less’ nature of the offer. NUJ members across the BBC have consistently dubbed the proposals a ‘pensions robbery’. That hasn’t changed. The BBC have now left members with no choice but to take action to defend their pensions."

Roy Greenslade on his MediaGuardian blog: "Remote subbing" can work (and has worked). But I just wish that it didn't have to mean a reduction in editorial staff. Newspapers are fond of saying that there should be more bobbies on the beat (rather than at the station). The analogy should apply to papers. Saving desk jobs by utilising new technology is fine. But that should mean getting more reporters on to the streets (well, on the phone, at the computer, wherever necessary). It's just important to have more of them because news-gathering is the name of our game."

Stephen Glover in the Independent: "By 2015, the income of BSkyB could be twice that of the BBC. Rupert Murdoch can charge his subscribers what they are prepared to pay, whereas the BBC can charge its customers only what the Government says it can. It is a hopelessly unequal fight. The lesson of last week is that the BBC will survive and thrive only if it has a direct relationship with its customers. It should supply a variety of services, and they should pay for what they want."

Conrad Black hints on a BBC Radio 4 Media Show interview that he may be back: "I think they [newspapers] have been so devalued that some of them are bargains now. Many of these great American newspapers are now in the hands of receiver managers, if they can be had for almost nothing they are a bargain."