Journalists at Newsquest's centre in Swindon have been told that most of the subbing operation is being switched to a new hub at the company's Oxford office.
It is understood that Newsquest wants to reduce the "head count" in its subbing operations in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire by six. There are currently eight subs based in Swindon. Consultations with staff have just started.
Newsquest has already switched most of the subbing operation at The Argus, Brighton, to Southampton.
Yes, it will work, of course 'it will work', but when will regional newspaper groups learn that this kind of measure alienates readers in the long run, reduces readership, reduces circulation and finally kills off the publication whose future it is intended to secure. But they won't learn: the bottom line is all, and here the bottom line will improve by a few thousand in the short term while in the long term the tide will lap ever closer. The secret of 'local' newspapers is to keep them 'local', to provide 'local' news which is of no interest whatsoever to those outside the locality, but which those in the locality cherish. But with remote subbing names are misspelt and local detail not appreciated and slowly, but surely, the reader loses faith then interest. But will they be told? Will they fuck. Their attitude is 'we know best', to which the only response could be 'well, why are all your operations such a disaster?' Regional newsgroups will blame everything for the decline in their industry - TV, the internet, free sheets, whatever occurs to them - except their own cackhanded management and terminal lack of imagination.
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