Comments on: Five Johnston Press daily newspapers to go weekly next month

By: Soon To Be Unemployed

Soon To Be Unemployed — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:32:57 +0000

In response to Simon: “Up your game folks to retain the readers and keep your job. ”

Thanks for your support mate. It really counts when we are facing redundancy and wondering how we’ll pay our mortgages.
Is your real name Lord Voldermort?

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By: snappymcsnap

snappymcsnap — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:25:02 +0000

Interesting that Radio Two’s Jeremy Vice show picked up on the daily-to-weekly change for these papers this afternoon.
Naturally it was a typical cutting-edge Beeb report, the basis of the story being ‘oh no, the paper boys and paper girls will be out of work.’
Nuff said mehtinks.

Remember, it’s our BBC thanks to the unique way the corporation is funded.
That’s why their websites knock spots of anything the newsprint world can create

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By: Ex JP snapper

Ex JP snapper — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:40:45 +0000

Thank god I left JP some 12 years ago after working at Peterborough, Kettering and Northampton. My thoughts are with the photographers about to become jobless. Many of them have been on these newspapers for their whole working life.

The best days for local newspapers are long gone, EMAP sold to JP at the right time.

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By: modernista

modernista — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:40:21 +0000

Simon says up your game.
Oh how I wish we could! We know our papers are becoming crap but a combination of the hated Atex system and severe staff shortages and an obsession with digital (also under staffed!) makes it impossible.
Are you listening JP? Invest NOW in more staff (despite the wool being pulled over eyes of the top bosses morale is rock bottom) or papers and digital will perish.
You didn’t read it here first. JP workers have been saying it for ages.
No-one is listening.

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By: hacked off

hacked off — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:44:13 +0000

Re InDesign is likely to be taken away from editors: For anyone left it will be like trying to bring out papers with their hands tied behind their backs. For example, imagine not being able to even make a caption box bigger if there are 10 people to name in a particular picture. Anybody with any real knowledge of print-based journalism and how newspapers are put together would not go down this draconian route.

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By: innocentbystander

innocentbystander — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:02:51 +0000

Let’s face facts: regional journalism as we used to know it is in the last thoes of terminal decline. The old model of newspapers in all our big towns and cities is dead. The market moved on some time ago, a reality not seriously acknowledged by newspaper proprietors who until very recently were intent only on squeezing out the last drop of profit.
The biggest mistake made over the years was acceptance of mediocrity, especially in management, which became the preserve of advertising staff. Sadly, this tendency is also true of editors – with some honourable exceptions, there just aren’t as many truly talented people at the top any more, and the few that get there tend to be dispensed with quickly.
Equally sadly, and again with exceptions, the content of many regional papers is appalling. Why should people buy poorly written and shoddily presented products? Why would they even want to read it for free on the internet?
Whatever the platform, content is king, The only way to succeed is by providing products people want – that means supplying interesting information, well-written articles and great pictures. There’s no secret about this, so why don’t more people do it?

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By: tide-timez

tide-timez — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:15:57 +0000

Ironic headline over JP’s bullish press release in last night’s Blackpool Gazette: ‘Newspaper publisher’s bold vision for the future’ with an even bolder (but grimmer vision) for the future in the adjoining share watch column: Johnston Press: 6 pence. With share price at rock bottom, what’s the betting the creditors will call in the administrators before any ‘platform neutral’ newsroom sees the light of day?

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By: Once a journalist, always a journalist

Once a journalist, always a journalist — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:30:28 +0000

I was one of the subs cut by JP back in 2009, when the first centralised hubs were brought in. Faced with redundancy or a 120-mile a day commute to one of these hubs, I took a pay cut and returned to my newspaper’s newsdesk as a reporter. Less than six months later those subbing hubs (which, although not perfect, at least employed skilled sub-editors) were axed when Atex was introduced.
At the end of 2010, increasingly dismayed by poor standards of copy, increased workload and JP’s overall attitude to its staff (work them to the bone, who cares about the product) I quit journalism for a comfortable job in PR.
I still miss local journalism. But I don’t miss the constant fear of redundancy. And the constant feeling of always playing catch-up with my workload.
What JP forgets is that readers notice all the literals, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation and headlines that make no sense.
It also forgets that its remaining staff, while loyal, cannot realistically be pushed much further before they start to jump ship in their droves.

I sympathise with everyone affected by this move. Sadly, journalism is not the career it once was, and the future for local newspapers does not look good.

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By: modernista

modernista — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:30:55 +0000

dave scarborough; on the subject of mistakes it is “its” not “it’s” in your case.
I am always wary of having a pop at people for mistakes; make a few of my own too!
But I wish JP executives on fat salaries would start writing in English and not using crap clever-dick jargon like “neutral platforms.”
Makes you fear for newspapers..

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By: an observer

an observer — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:11:24 +0000

Nothing wrong with change and if the revenue is not there then the sinking ship has to be kept afloat somehow.
However, “We are committed to remaining a local company: … sales people staying close to the communities and businesses they serve.”,
how does that work with the announcement to centralise sales in Sheffield? Local knowledge, local empathy, worked well for me when I was a rep, a manager, a director and MD. Will that be lost?
Is what is happening at JP a Flash in the pan? Time will tell but yes be worried, worried employee, North East.

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By: Erico

Erico — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:21:08 +0000

It’s a shame, but sometimes the Evening Telegraph in Peterborough is so thin in pagination, news and ads that it seems a waste of time picking it up. At least a weekly would offer a package that feels like value for money. What’s important is to get the feel of the weekly right – the over-sensationalism of news stories in the daily, just won’t work. Higher story count and less hype please.

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By: onlooker

onlooker — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:04:39 +0000

inevitable sadly – daily newspapers are finished – killed by social media

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By: ginger whinger

ginger whinger — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:54:12 +0000

Has anybody got any retention figures for sales and ad revenue for other dailies that have gone “weakley” …….

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By: worried employee

worried employee — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:05:01 +0000

Everyone have mentioned the loss of jobs in Editorial, Journalism, Subs etc, what about us poor telesales who work for JP??? Mr I brought up the North East, they’ve already started up here mate. Telesales, managers etc found out last Thursday…. I don’t know how long it will take to move up the ladder to Journalists in the North East but I think its really sad. We promote “stay local” and “support your local businesses” etc. I’m all for re-launching the local newspapers and the website and usually hit my sales targets in both, I don’t think we do enough promotions for our brand but I definately don’t agree with a call centre in Sheffield!!!! How is Sheffield local to the North East??? Local businesses prefer local offices to place their adverts, they don’t want to speak to a stranger over the telephone miles away who couldn’t care less who they are or what they do, I read HTFP comments the other day and someone mentioned “why not Mumbai” Sheffield might as well be Mumbai, they’re both too far away to call in and can both be reached on the phone. Its all well and good giving Sales Executives Ipads and phones to deal with the larger companies who get full page adverts for peanuts but what about the smaller businesses, the roofers, joiners, garage services, plumbers etc who pay the full ccm rate for their little ads making up for the money lost to the ccm discounts given to the bigger companies. Do you honestly think the Reps are going to visit the “little guys” who cover the costs of the bigger companies. In the last few years JP have centralised the production department to Leeds and the quality of advert design is shocking, and the Accounts department, well, I don’t know (and wouldn’t like to guess) how many customers and advertisers we have lost through bad customer service from the accounts department sending out threatening legal letters to people who HAVE paid their bills.
When the newspapers in the North East had their own departments, accounts, production etc it ran efficiently and profitably (and with very little complaints and refunds), I’m sure it is the same for the other offices around the country. JP bought the company when it was profitable, they made some really bad changes and purchases and now we’re paying the price for it. Its really sad. If JP lets their newspapers go down the pan and continue to promote online news not everybody has access to the internet or mobile phone so our customers will buy other newspapers or listen to the radio to keep up with the news and the smaller businesses in the area will go back to word of mouth, advertising in shop windows, leaflet distributers or advertising on sites like Gumtree which is FREE OF CHARGE. The North East branches have some excellent platforms, our newspapers are up to date with local news (along with some spelling mistakes unfortunately), we actively promote our magazines, DealMonsters, Reader Travel, Reader Offers etc but our website advertising is not the best in the world and definately needs a revamp. National advertisers seem to take up all the advertising space on our websites, even when our advertisers pay money to appear online they can never see their adverts for ppi claims companies, national advertisers etc or they don’t see any leaderboards, skyscrapers, or videos if their computer system doesn’t allow it so we take their money but don’t some people don’t receive the service they are paying for, at least in the newspapers they can see their advert and monitor the response.
Like other print companies who thought they would do well and save money online they neglected their other print platforms and their newspapers and circulation/distribution have dropped dramatically, they’ve lost money, give away their print adverts for next to nothing and more jobs are lost through falling profits, is this really what JP and the shareholders want??? I’ve watched Mr Highfields videos and he seems really eager to make positive changes but we are local to our areas and should be left local, a call centre in Sheffied isn’t the answer, maybe try 1 call centre in the North East and 1 call centre in each of the other areas instead of offices dotted around the country may work, it would be worth a try, but putting all your eggs in Sheffield??? what happened to offering Excellent Customer Service and Loyalty to your staff and advertisers when you are planning on taking everything away from them. Once it’s done there will be no turning back. The loyalty will be gone, what then Mr Highfield???.

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By: Son of Nixon

Son of Nixon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:19:22 +0000

Good luck to all Scabbybarbara. Got some good memories of that newsroom.

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By: furryoldgreybadger

furryoldgreybadger — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Sad, I was Circulation Manager at the Northampton Chronicle & Echo from 1978 – 1981 when ABC sales topped 50,000 copies a day! Great place to work, fond memories

By: Newshound

Newshound — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:33:41 +0000

When are staff in Leeds going to find out their fate?

Disgusting that everyone else knows what is happening to their jobs but we don’t.

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By: Soon to be Unemployed

Soon to be Unemployed — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:21:28 +0000

Never thought a career in journalism would end like this. Next stop JobCentre Plus it seems. With JP loyalty doesn’t count for much

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By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:17:10 +0000

Every single management post at the two papers I know about has been ‘protected’, even the vacant roles! The only people losing their jobs are reporters, features staff, sports reporters and photographers. There are going to be as many senior managers at at least one of the papers as there are going to be reporters.

Too many chiefs, not enough injuns. Do we learn no lessons from the past?

There is also no plan as to what the new paper will look like, or how the 100-odd pages of content will be produced by such a small staff.

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By: Dying breed

Dying breed — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:45:26 +0000

Am I the only one amazed by the lack of joined up thinking displayed by newspapers executives?
There are so many people in top jobs not fit and proper people to hold them!
I met with the head of one of the regional publishing powerhouses last year and is lack of foresight was astonishing!

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