Grey Cardigan on Northcliffe's future: 'Some big dailies could go weekly plus talk of local MBOs'

Grey Cardigan in his latest Press Gazette column is predicting difficult days ahead at Northcliffe's regional newspapers, which are undergoing a major review under new boss Steve Auckland.

Grey says the next round of cuts at some of the bigger Northcliffe titles are going to be very painful and he also poses a question about the frequency of the group's newspapers.

"Can we really envisage a major title like the Nottingham Evening Post going weekly?," Grey asks. "Apparently, yes we can. It's the big beasts that are really struggling, while many of Northcliffe's smaller dailies are still in modest profit."

Grey also claims that "at least one regional exec team is trying to put together a management buy-out, the theory being that once central costs have been stripped out and a sensible profit margin agreed, the balance sheet might look a bit healthier."

• Press Gazette magazine and the Grey Cardigan column are not online.