Sound Communication

LOCAL newspapers have become amongst the first victims of the global recession with major job losses, pay freezes and closures announced.

Some commmentators are already predicting that the future for local papers is bleak, almost terminal, as they are hit both by the economic downturn and the march of the internet.

Editorial quality is always one of the first things to be sacrificed it seems, as newspaper ‘bean counters’ cut jobs and titles to reduce costs and maintain profits for their shareholders.

Here in the North West, for example, 43 journalist jobs are going at Trinity Newspapers on Merseyside, publishers of the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post; the Guardian Media Group, publishers of the Manchester Evening News, has closed local paper offices all over Greater Manchester and the Newsquest-owned Bury Times is now being moved to Bolton! The same story is being repeated all over the country. [Read more →]

Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility (Sound behaviour), Media relations by Matthew Finnegan
No Comments »

MEET the Sound Communication team:

Matthew Finnegan - former Director of Communications for Liverpool between 1999-2006, Matt was part of the team which helped win the Capital of Culture title for the city. A respected journalist in the North West for 20 years – 15 at the Guardian & Manchester Evening News – he is a former Parliamentary candidate and member of Labour’s legendary Millbank team during the 1997 General Election campaign. As a PR specialist, he worked on the campaigns to deliver two key regeneration  projects for the North West - The Lowry in Salford and the Imperial War Museum-North, in Trafford.
Expertise: Media Relations, Public Affairs, Crisis Management, writing

Miles Barter - Journalist, broadcaster and former newspaper and magazine editor. Miles worked in local and national radio for ten years hosting radio and TV shows. He has impressive experience as a sports commentator, broadcasting from Lords, Wembley and Twickenham and interviewing one of his all-time heroes, Muhammed Ali. Miles has also worked in communications for both private and public sectors, including local government, and was latterly a full-time trade union organiser.
Expertise: Media Relations, Internal Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility.

Susan Press – Journalist and copywriter with over 20 years’ experience working for national and regional newspapers, including the Daily Express, Manchester Evening News, and Liverpool Daily Post. Previous clients have included the Government News Network, Manchester City Council, Manchester University and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Part-time lecturer in Media Studies and Journalism at the University of Huddersfield.
Expertise: Media Relations, Public Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility.

Chris Horkan – Web developer and journalist. He has been building web sites for 10 years, with clients including The North West Enquirer (a regional weekly), How-Do.co.uk (the North West’s media and PR web site) and TheDailyMash.co.uk (the satirical Scottish news site). He also built the Sound Communication web site. Chris is an experienced trainer, running regular workshops on blogging, social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, and other aspects of digital communications.
Expertise: Digital communications, journalism, music.

Steve Morgan – acclaimed photographer who has worked in war zones such as Bosnia and Somalia. Steve has been capturing Greenpeace’s climate change campaigns in the Arctic and Antarctica since 1985 and also counts the World Wildlife Fund and Friends of the Earth among his high-profile clients. A former press photographer with the Independent, Steve specialises in reportage and corporate photography with a twist.
Expertise: Location portraiture, environmental campaigns, documentary work.

Darren Alawi - creative web, brand and graphic designer. Darren has spent more than 10 years designing brands, graphics and web sites, with major clients such as Royal London and Scottish Life. He is at the cutting edge of the digital revolution and is driven by a fascination for technology and a love of good design. Perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to step into the clients shoes and help them chart their way though the digital jungle.
Expertise: The world wide web, brands, graphics.

Craig Matthews – studied under world-famous photographer Robert Jacobs in New York, film-maker Craig has an MA in Multimedia Design & Production in which he has specialised for the last 10 years. Produces interactive CD/DVDs, 3D animation, interactive panoramic photography, time-lapse photography and video. His clients have included local authorities on Merseyside as well as the Chase Manhattan bank, the Environment Agency and the North West Development Agency.
Expertise: DVD and video, interactivity.

Tags: Media relations by Matthew Finnegan
No Comments »