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Trinity Mirror to adopt JP-style templated designs

Trinity Mirror is set to become the second regional newspaper publisher to move to a system of templated designs across its portfolio of titles.

Last year Johnston Press began a relaunch of all 170 of its paid-for titles with new designs drawn up by a leading international design agency.

However although the move was applauded by some readers, it proved controversial with journalists, with some claiming it restricted editorial freedom.

Now TM is to follow suit as part of the changes to its publishing operation unveiled last week which will see 92 jobs lost and 26 created across its 130 local and regional titles.

The plans were set out in a consultation document circulated to staff last week but only confirmed publicly by the company today,

A Trinity Mirror spokesman said: “We have created a set of five fresh, modern designs – one for each type of newspaper we publish that have strong reader appeal.

“Each type of title will have its own look – for example, the three Sunday titles will share the same, high-quality design.

“This is a framework within which editors will retain the flexibility to have key pages designed from scratch, where they feel it’s necessary.”

The consultation document also contains details of the new unit to be set up in Liverpool which will produce generic content across the group’s regional titles.

It will be headed by former Liverpool Echo features editor Jane Haase who will lead a team of six.

14 comments

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  • February 6, 2013 at 1:24 pm
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    A few people working for Trinity Mirror in Scotland (MediaScotland/Daily Record) might be spitting out their porridge at reading that opening paragraph and headline. “Set to…?” What then have my hard-pressed friends on these papers been working on since August last year?

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  • February 6, 2013 at 1:47 pm
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    Firstly, my sympathy goes to the 92 affected. Secondly, I hope that TM will not follow the JP route of outsourcing work to Spain and India, a real kick in the teeth for talented, hard-working, loyal and local staff. Why is it that “high quality design” is seen by some to come only from an agency, and worse still, a foreign agency? I’m sure in-house designers at TM could do as good a job (if not better) if given the same amount of time and budget (and trust), plus of course a decent brief. As with JP, management may not be fully aware of the talent within their design departments. (I refer to qualified graphic designers, not Mac/PC Ops).

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  • February 6, 2013 at 2:35 pm
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    Design is there to serve the news. Stalinist centralised designed have never worked and won’t stop the decline in profitable hard copy sales. If TM really wants to boost circulation – and it might – then it needs to invest in gtood marketing backed up by quality journalists earning professional rates of pay

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  • February 6, 2013 at 3:05 pm
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    For “where they feel it’s necessary” read “God help any editor who shows too much independence of thought”! The TM hierarchy has been wanting to introduce templated designs and writing into boxes for ages so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise. This is all about cost cutting, so farewell designers and subs, it’s been nice knowing you….

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  • February 6, 2013 at 3:08 pm
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    @JP Cost Cut Victim

    I believe the designs have been done by an in-house team.

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  • February 6, 2013 at 4:15 pm
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    Oh marvellous! Does this mean the reporters will also now be writing their stories straight on to the pages? The standard of English, headlines and fact checking has plummetted on JP papers thanks to the lack of sub editors to design and check the copy before it goes to press. Yet another nail in the coffin of local newspapers.

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  • February 7, 2013 at 9:30 am
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    One can only presume they’ve been staggered by the success of the JP venture – which is worrying in itself!

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  • February 7, 2013 at 10:37 am
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    Let clashing headlines across pages commence!
    Just take a look at the Surrey stable of papers for an insight of what’s in store. Designers are no longer recognised as an an asset to a news desk within Trinity Mirror.

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  • February 7, 2013 at 11:29 am
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    Templates were first brought in about three years ago at the time of the last re-structure. Many northern TM papers have been using templates since then. No-one knows how this will be different.

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  • February 7, 2013 at 1:45 pm
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    Templates have been used at TM’s Midlands papers for more than three years. They were the main reason for the mass cull of jobs at the end of 2009 which saw all the sub-editors axed. It wouldn’t be fair to comment on whether the surviving staff think they’ve improved matters – and anyway, I get pilloried when I come on here and criticise TM…..

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  • February 7, 2013 at 2:33 pm
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    Hi, oh sorry for getting you up, I’m from the Bugle, only I’ve heard that your husband has been Slain In Road Rage Carnage incident and just popped round to get some words and a picture. Oh, he was knocked over at the shops by a cyclist. Um, would it be OK if we used the headline we’ve already got as it’s on the page? OK? Now I need 120 words from you and a landscape photo of the traqic pensioner and I’ll be on my way. Oh, he was 63-did he look 65/66? He looks like a pensioner in that picture. You happy with that, pardon, you’re mumbling? Ooops, there’s the content curator on the ‘phone, must dash …

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  • February 8, 2013 at 1:36 pm
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    I am a JP template slave and you’ll have to be, let’s say, “creative” as the boxes are as intransigent as management when it comes to discussing pay rises. The news fits the boxes rather than the other way round. Oh, and it’s “digital first” so don’t even worry about the paper as it probably won’t be around much longer anyway. Just fire up your smartphone and laptop and away you go…!

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  • February 11, 2013 at 10:08 am
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    The relaunch of JP’s Worthing Herald towards the end of last year into using their brilliant new template, combined with the whopping price increase from 55p to 70p, was such a major success that it has now undergone another relaunch to put it back to virtually how it was before!

    This second relaunch has been backed by a wrap-around on their free paper, with 20p off vouchers for the next six weeks and the subscription offer being improved, reducing the price from 48p to 41p if you subscribe.

    According to newsagents I’ve spoken too, the gradual decrease in sales of the Herald accelerated massively after last year’s relaunch & price increase – something anyone with any real knowledge of the area and the readers of the paper could have predicted and avoided the panic we are now seeing as they attempt to undo the damage done.

    Watching JP at work is like watching headless chickens running around.

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