Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers has been asked to allow the South Manchester Reporter and the Heatons and Reddish Reporter to be taken over by the Guardian Media Group without a Competition Commission inquiry.
GMG intends to merge the South Manchester Reporter with one of itsexisting titles, the South Manchester Express, to form three new localtitles.
The changes would also mean closure of the Heatons and ReddishReporter.
The Trader was acquired in a package with 13 other newspapers in the east of England from Southnews in June.
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