Comments on: Is this the death of local newspapers? http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/2009/01/18/is-this-the-death-of-local-newspapers/ Ethical PR, marketing and communications services from a social enterprise Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:47:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Bro Chris Youett http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/2009/01/18/is-this-the-death-of-local-newspapers/comment-page-1/#comment-675 Bro Chris Youett Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:38:50 +0000 http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/?p=160#comment-675 The trouble with newspapers is that there is current NO recession; the real problem is that banks are still playing silly burghers in then US sub-prime market instead of using taxpayers' funds to get lending to industry going again. The three-day week was far harder than industry is currently experiencing - and the highly-profitable UK media has not been helped by loads of ill-informed remarks by ill-trained journalists (that is management's fault for not keeping experienced hacks). There are structural problems in the media which do need resolving. The main two are still a massive surplus of press capacity - why isn't the Mirror being printed at Fort Dunlop, for example - and cover prices are still far too low (index link cover prices of 40 years ago to see how far they have dropped). The other shot in the foot which is still completely unnecessary is the way that media owners almost give away digital coverage. Typically they are charging £5 per month for the online version of a morning or evening paper. This is costing them at least £20 per month - or £120 per year. Therefore each 1,000 online readers is costing £120K a year - or four NUJ jobs. The sooner the EEC investigates this blatant breach of the Treat of Rome the better. The trouble with newspapers is that there is current NO recession; the real problem is that banks are still playing silly burghers in then US sub-prime market instead of using taxpayers’ funds to get lending to industry going again.

The three-day week was far harder than industry is currently experiencing – and the highly-profitable UK media has not been helped by loads of ill-informed remarks by ill-trained journalists (that is management’s fault for not keeping experienced hacks).

There are structural problems in the media which do need resolving. The main two are still a massive surplus of press capacity – why isn’t the Mirror being printed at Fort Dunlop, for example – and cover prices are still far too low (index link cover prices of 40 years ago to see how far they have dropped).

The other shot in the foot which is still completely unnecessary is the way that media owners almost give away digital coverage. Typically they are charging £5 per month for the online version of a morning or evening paper. This is costing them at least £20 per month – or £120 per year.

Therefore each 1,000 online readers is costing £120K a year – or four NUJ jobs.

The sooner the EEC investigates this blatant breach of the Treat of Rome the better.

]]> By: Rich Simcox http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/2009/01/18/is-this-the-death-of-local-newspapers/comment-page-1/#comment-674 Rich Simcox Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:48:16 +0000 http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/?p=160#comment-674 The truth is capitalism has failed. It was bound to fail. Capitalist media owners have not only failed to invest in staff and resources, they have cut back to protect massive profits for their shareholders - in some cases, margins of up to 30%. This is obscene. Are there any alternatives? Well, I think there are. And the NUJ Left group is calling a public meeting in London to discuss them. There's probably never been a better time to have this discussion. The meeting, which has a working title of 'media ownership: on whose terms, in whose interests?', will be at: London Welsh Centre, Gray's Inn Rd, King's Cross, London http://tinyurl.com/bhcgmm 7pm - 9pm, Tuesday 17 February Speakers tbc For more info email nuj.left@googlemail.com and visit http://www.nujleft.org The truth is capitalism has failed. It was bound to fail. Capitalist media owners have not only failed to invest in staff and resources, they have cut back to protect massive profits for their shareholders – in some cases, margins of up to 30%. This is obscene.

Are there any alternatives? Well, I think there are. And the NUJ Left group is calling a public meeting in London to discuss them. There’s probably never been a better time to have this discussion.

The meeting, which has a working title of ‘media ownership: on whose terms, in whose interests?’, will be at:

London Welsh Centre, Gray’s Inn Rd, King’s Cross, London
http://tinyurl.com/bhcgmm

7pm – 9pm, Tuesday 17 February

Speakers tbc

For more info email nuj.left@googlemail.com and visit http://www.nujleft.org

]]> By: Hilary Burrage http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/2009/01/18/is-this-the-death-of-local-newspapers/comment-page-1/#comment-627 Hilary Burrage Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:02:57 +0000 http://www.soundcommunication.org.uk/?p=160#comment-627 Matt, you are of course right that this is happening all over the place - and is not much being reported (for obvious reasons; oh, the freedom of the press...). It does occur to me however that we may see a lot more 'social enterprise' print media before long; surely some of the journalists with time now on their hands will in one way or another convert their skills so that they become 'reporteurs' of their local communities, guiding and training others also in writing skills as they do so. This would be a reversal of the usual route - from social to 'hard' business activity - but it wouldn't surprise me; and it wold make for jolly interesting reporting, if it's from the grassroots 'up', rather than top down (with all the restraints which sometimes arise from that). Just a thought... Cheers, Hilary Matt, you are of course right that this is happening all over the place – and is not much being reported (for obvious reasons; oh, the freedom of the press…).

It does occur to me however that we may see a lot more ‘social enterprise’ print media before long; surely some of the journalists with time now on their hands will in one way or another convert their skills so that they become ‘reporteurs’ of their local communities, guiding and training others also in writing skills as they do so.

This would be a reversal of the usual route – from social to ‘hard’ business activity – but it wouldn’t surprise me; and it wold make for jolly interesting reporting, if it’s from the grassroots ‘up’, rather than top down (with all the restraints which sometimes arise from that).

Just a thought…
Cheers, Hilary

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