Everyone knows the regional press is facing huge problems in the digital age but why can't the managements just admit it rather than dressing up every disaster as a triumph.
Maybe turning small daily newspapers weekly is the only way for them to survive but please spare us all the management speak about improving the product by being more "focused" and "flexible" when journalists are being sacked to save money.
For example, commenting on the "re-launch initiative" of turning the Scarborough Evening News weekly, Stephen Plews, managing director, said: “Our publishing strategy going forward will ensure that we give our local audiences what they want.
"While providing our existing audiences with an even better product, both in print and online, we will extend our audience by increasing our online content and making it easier to access in the most relevant ways as technologies continue to evolve.
"Our focus has always been on local and we will increasingly benefit from that core expertise with the rapid growth in both social media and in demand for access from mobile devices.”
Plews quote is identical to other Johnston Press mds who announced their daily papers were going weekly today with the loss of an unspecified number of journalists jobs.
New Johnston Press ceo Ashley Highfield says in a statement: “In my first few months at Johnston I have been greatly encouraged by what I have seen in our local operations. Our publishing strategy going forward will ensure that we give our local audiences what they want.
"While providing our existing audiences with an even better product, both in print and online, we will extend our audience by increasing our online content and making it easier to access in the most relevant ways as technologies continue to evolve.
"Johnston’s focus has always been on local and we will increasingly benefit from that core expertise with the rapid growth in both social media and in demand for access from mobile devices. We are committed to remaining a local company: that means local journalists and sales people working across the UK and Republic of Ireland, staying close to the communities and businesses they serve.”
And take the announcement last week that up to 20 jobs will be lost as Northcliffe's Bristol Evening Post axes its Saturday edition and moves to morning publication.
That's bad news, right?
Not according to Bristol News and Media publisher Alan Renwick, who said: “We have undertaken an exhaustive review of our portfolio and the changing needs of readers and advertisers in our market.
“These planned changes give us a more focused and flexible set of publications which are much more closely aligned to our customers and give us a better platform for future growth.”
Finally, how's this for a bit of management speak about the departure of the John McLellan from The Scotsman?: "Johnston Press has announced that John McLellan’s role as Editor-in-Chief is to be discontinued."
It sounds like some cut-price offer at the local supermarket that has come to an end.
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1 comment:
It's a modern day version of Orwell's Politics and the English Language. It may be 80 years on, but old George's anaylsis of 'dead' words is still spot on.
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