Comments on: Oakley: Time has run out for regional dailies

By: Digger

Digger — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:02:34 +0000

Ex-Courier “Journo”: I don’t live in a glass house. “Fuller” is a perfectly appropriate word. I suggest you consult any reputable dictionary.
Additionally,no journalist worth his (or her) salt would use two words where one suffices.

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By: The barber of Seville

The barber of Seville — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:21:30 +0000

In fairness, ‘Danny’, Htfp HAVE challenged Chris Oakley. See their front page and they now have another story containing a series of quite tough questions from their blogger Steve Dyson, who apparently worked under Oakley back in the 90s.

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By: sub-normal

sub-normal — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:12:09 +0000

At least Del Boy had a plan and the vision to think as far ahead as next year.

From what I’ve seen and heard, I’m convinced that Highfield is making it up as he goes along.

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By: Ex-Courier journo

Ex-Courier journo — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:11:33 +0000

Digger – Rather than ‘fuller’ wouldn’t you rather use ‘more complete’? People in glass houses.

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By: furryoldgreybadger

furryoldgreybadger — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:24 +0000

Doomed, doomed, doomed…
It’s over for the regional dailies, Chris will be proved right you see!
Good weeklies will prosper.
Let’s stop blaming senior management all of the time please, I was a senior circulation executive in the regional press for many years and I worked with some fine editors and some right tw..ts with massive egos and no ideas about what readers really wanted.
Apologies for the typos, I am off out, in a bit of a rush

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By: Danny Lockwood

Danny Lockwood — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:46:55 +0000

As someone who was in the audience yesterday, can I recommend people to read the entire speech, also on HTFP? Oakley’s comment about building the regional press from the ground up was expanded on in the Q&A. I didn’t think he was talking about these debt-laden dinosaurs reinventing themselves but a publishing landscape once they’ve been broken up (or collapsed into their own black hole of debt) and a new generation of entrepreneur-led newspapers. As one of Oakley’s former editors who ended up on pretty shitty terms with RIM (I launched against them – not Johnston Press) I’ve no reason to be be a fan. But it was pretty inspirational stuff. And I remember his call when RIM took us over, asking me for a plan to break up the central subbing unit at Leeds. That was the central unit the editors of the YP, YEP, Sheffield Star, Lancashire EP, Blackpool Gazette etc etc all thought was such a good idea. If Oakley came back into UK publishing it would be a great day (well, based on his track record, it would be a great day for him and Candover at least).

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By: Danny

Danny — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:37:11 +0000

Why did papers move to overnight printing? Because it’s cheaper. Why do they need to do things for less money? Because the desire for unrealistic profits is all consuming. Why does that desire exist? Because greedy senior managers in the 1990s hooked the city and stock market into owning newspaper groups. Who helped that process? A certain Chris Oakley, who got rich in the process and now has the nerve to lecture those of us still in the industry on how we’re getting things wrong. We’re working in the mess he helped create, and I find it amazing that HTFP and others haven’t challenged him on that point, and even more amazing that the Society of Editors is giving him a platform to act like the Grim Reaper blaming others for a full graveyard.

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By: Curious

Curious — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:25:56 +0000

I don’t begrudge Chris Oakley a penny from selling off his empire at the peak of its value. Who wouldn’t do the same, apart from Spanner?
More importantly, he’s given both barrels to the dimwits who have taken their empires to the brink of extinction.
These greedy and clueless buffoons have rewarded themselves obscenely for a decade of decline – with the fall not far off, according to Chris.
They paid over the odds and saddled their companies with crippling debts. The staff have paid the penalty for their folly with wholesale slaughter in newsrooms across the land – plus, in Trinity-Mirror’s case, the axing of the final salary pension scheme.

They couldn’t have done more damage if they tried

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By: Observer

Observer — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:21:50 +0000

Dear Courier, It ain’t me wot’s chequing yer copy on a daily shedyule. However, let me commend you on a fine use of commas.

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By: sceptictank

sceptictank — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:11:02 +0000

regional dailies of all companies were doomed the day they stopped being evening papers. They lost their reason for existing; fast same day news instead of the stale stuff they offer now next morning. They are just glorified weeklies.
Also they have been stripped of some experienced staff. Great shame.

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By: Digger

Digger — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:03:19 +0000

Would that Ex-Courier Journo were the only contributor with appalling standards of grammar. A fuller list from this series of messages alone includes the following: “…….If it’s days are numbered, as Oakley claims, then it’s demise is still many years away”; “……its fine talk from a man who personally benefited by millions”; “The journo’s are just getting on with the job”; “…used his platform to say what us journalists at the bottom of pile have been saying for years”, and I’m sure more will follow.
It doesn’t matter how vehemently Ex-Courier Journo attempts to defend his slackness, the fact remains that standards are standards and must be maintained regardless of circumstances
Contributors cite all manner of reasons why the public is disillusioned with newspapers. I suggest that bad grammar, poor spelling and lax punctuation all help to fuel the fire.

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By: Ex-Courier journo

Ex-Courier journo — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:54:11 +0000

Observer – The message was typed rapidly while I was on a brief break. I know my grammar, and that it’s ‘its’ rather than ‘it’s', so there’s no need to be pedantic. However, I’m not going to faff about fine-checking a throwaway message on a web thread to the same level that I would if writing an article for publication. If you think I wouldn’t proof my own copy before submitting it for work, and that I wouldn’t pick up on simple grammatical slips like that when doing so, then you are very, very naive.

Duffo – Yes, they’ve made people redundant etc, but they are in a far, far better position than many other corners of the press. Having spent most of my career on the east coast of Scotland – prior to heading south for my current job – I can safely say that things are in much better shape up there than at my current employer. They aren’t saddled with debts, own all of their assets (rather than sub-contracting or leasing equipment etc) and have a mighty-fine pool of reporters. That pool of reporters is also considerably larger than many other titles of a similar size and, although there have been cuts, if you check Hold the Front page often enough you will notice that DC is one of the few employers advertising on here on a semi-regular basis. That’s not the attitude of a firm looking to constantly trim back its editorial team. The same can’t be said for the likes of JP, Northcliffe and Trinity, can it?

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By: Duffo

Duffo — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:14:20 +0000

Ex Courier – Didn’t realise things were that good in the North. Can you tell me if your company hasn’t made people redundant, hasn’t shut print plants and is not seeing a circulation decline in some of their biggest newspapers? I suspect the answer is no.

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By: Suedehead

Suedehead — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:07:04 +0000

I can honestly see a time when all regional newspapers go back to being owned by the local butcher, baker and candlestick-maker. Hopefully they’ll be a bit more caring towards their investments than these big groups have been.

There’s no room for big PLCs in our industry as the whole aim of the investment markets is to make money from firms with accelerating growth and quick profits, eg in the high-tech and the commodities sectors.

We’re a stable, middling industry and better off going back to our family-owned roots, perhaps championing local causes and issues instead of being part of the beige world of the Square Mile.

Of course, it’s not a cure-all. And as for some of those family proprietors…

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By: Lucy Lastik

Lucy Lastik — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:04:04 +0000

Stick a redundancy cheque in me pocket
I’ll fetch the P45 from the van
Cause if you wanted the best ‘uns
But you asked too many questions
Then you sure ain’t a JP man

Where the fat cats’ cash comes from Is a mystery
It’s from the pockets of the sales staff who’ve been chucked in the sea
But here’s the one that’s driving me berserk
Why do we mere minions do all the effing work?
La la lala – la la la la la (etc)

(With genuine apologies to the late John Sullivan)

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By: Observer

Observer — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:03:00 +0000

“If it’s days are numbered, as Oakley claims, then it’s demise is still many years away.”

With the grammar above I don’t doubt that you are an ex-Courier Journo

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By: Fresh Coriander

Fresh Coriander — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:52:07 +0000

How glibly the first poster in this thread, Mr Cooley, dismisses the many hopeful young journalists out there with the casual and easy insult “fools”. He also manages to insult the many people, old and young, who earn a living, poorly paid but honest, at places like Tesco.
Mr Cooley is typical of the on-line bully who tosses words like “idiot” and “fools” at other people he doesn’t even know – words that he would never say to their faces.
To the many idealistic and hopeful young journalists going through the training system I say this: There will always be a need for thrusting, creative, powerful journalism. There will always be a need and a market for the interesting truth, as opposed to the PR and corporate lies and the online fluff. It’s just the way of delivery that will change. And another thing, young journo. You will need to be good. The industry cannot “hide” the average performer any more.
Phew…I think I need to go and have a lie down now.

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By: another old hack

another old hack — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:36:10 +0000

Well, well what a surprise! He hasn’t reinvented the wheel – just used his platform to say what us journalists at the bottom of pile have been saying for years.
But of course we are just mere working hacks – what do we know about newspapers, readers etc? Let’s leave that to the highly paid executives, oh so qualified executives who know everything about what our audiences want and what makes them tick. I think not.

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By: Corporal Clegg

Corporal Clegg — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:42:59 +0000

At last a proper journalist speaks up for the industry!
Loving the Del Boy Highfield angle!

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By: Planning my escape

Planning my escape — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:38:25 +0000

I was fortunate enough to work for RIM when Chris Oakley and Ernest Petrie ran the show following the management buy-out of UPN. Yes they were tough taskmasters but they always put resources behind initiatives, rewarded staff well and built a team of well-motivated people who were willing to go that extra mile. Motivation and staff morale quickly disappeared once Bowdler and Cammiade got their hands on the titles and it’s tragic to see these once prized publications now on life support.

The analogy between Ashley Highfield and Del Boy Trotter is spot on.

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