Increased newspaper advertising is being hailed a factor in a profits surge for the first half of the financial year at Scottish Radio Holdings.

Its radio ventures have also improved their advertising figures with the result that pre-tax profits were up to £6.9m – from £3.4m this time last year.

Turnover from continuing operations rose 28 per cent to £41.5m, with like-for-like revenues up seven per cent.

At the company’s Score Press unit, which owns newspapers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, advertising revenues climbed nine per cent, and like-for-like unit revenue was up seven per cent.

The local newspapers are the Brechin Advertiser, Deeside Piper, Donside Piper, Forfar Dispatch, Inverurie Herald, Kirriemuir Mearns Leader, Stornoway Gazette, Galloway Gazette in Scotland, Morton Newspapers, Ballymena Times, Ballymoney Times, Banbridge Leader, Carrick Times, Coleraine Times, Dromore Leader, Farm Week, Larne Times, Londonderry Sentinel, Lurgan Mail, Midulster Mail, Portadown Times, Tyrone Times and Ulster Star in Northern Ireland, and six more in the Irish Republic.

At the company’s radio unit, its largest division, local advertising rose three per cent and national advertising climbed eight per cent. Including acquisitions, radio broadcast revenues were 33 per cent higher than the year-earlier period.

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