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More jobs at risk in new subbing hub plan

A number of sub-editing roles are at risk at Newsquest titles in the South of England as a result of a new centralised subbing hub plan.

Newsquest has already shifted production of its West Midlands titles to a subbing hub in Newport, Gwent, and is in the process of doing the same with its Yorkshire and North East stable.

Now it has unveiled plans to move the production of its Sussex titles to Weymouth, home of the Dorset Echo.

As a result of the plan, six sub-editing roles based at company’s Hampshire production centre in Southampton together with two based at The Argus in Brighton have been placed at risk of redundancy.

In addition, the posts of deputy editor of the Hampshire Chronicle and editor of Hampshire Society magazine – both predominantly production roles – are also under threat.

And HTFP understands that the post of web editor at The Argus, whhich is currently held by two people on a jobshare, is also set to disappear.

However it is likely that a number of new sub-editing roles will be created in Weymouth if the proposal goes ahead, with staff being given the opportunity to transfer.

The plans were announced to Southampton staff in a statement by Southern Daily Echo editor-in-chief Ian Murray on Friday, with a similar announcement made in Brighton.

It read: “In order to improve operational efficiency within the Newsquest Sussex business and to reduce costs, we are notifying you of Brighton’s (Newsquest Sussex Limited) proposal to transfer their sub editing production contract with Southampton to the Weymouth (Newsquest Media (Southern) Limited) sub editing unit in Dorset.

“This proposal follows steps already taken which moved the contract of sub editing production for Newsquest Wiltshire products created for the Salisbury centre, from Southampton to the Weymouth subbing unit earlier this year.

“The joint effect of losing this work from the Southampton Subbing Unit would be the loss of revenue into the Hampshire region, which could not be absorbed in Hampshire. A number of new sub editing posts would, however, be created at the Weymouth centre, should the proposal go ahead.

“The proposal, if agreed, would necessitate a restructure of the editorial production department at Southampton to enable all pages on all Hampshire publications, except sport to be subbed by any subbing unit staff members. Therefore, unfortunately, your role is at risk of redundancy.

“As part of these proposed changes all sub editing roles in the department at Southampton, with the exception of sports production, would move directly under the control of the regional chief sub editor, in a general subbing unit, working on any publication, therefore removing the distinction between news, features and supplements, and including the Hampshire Chronicle, Hampshire Society specialist sub editors.

“The subbing of the Hampshire Chronicle and Hampshire Society will be conducted by the new proposed Southampton subbing unit serving all Hampshire publications.

“The roles of Hampshire Society Editor and Hampshire Chronicle deputy editor would therefore cease with the proposed new structure and regretfully these roles are also at risk of redundancy.

“If the proposal goes ahead, therefore, this would entail the loss of approximately 6FTE consisting of sub-editing and design posts except sport.”

A formal consultation process is due to begin tomorrow and will continue until 16 May.

 

Laura Davison, national organiser for the National Union of Journalists commented:  “These proposals are already discredited.

“We know from experience elsewhere that shifting subbing further away from the communities the papers serve doesn’t work. Readers deserve better than this relentless cost cutting by Newsquest.

“The staff affected cannot simply uproot their families and their lives. Newsquest is putting them in an impossible situation. And, to top it off, draconian pay freezes in five out of the last six years will also hit redundancy payments.”

22 comments

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  • April 1, 2014 at 9:07 am
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    Terrible news for those involved, and my sympathies go out to all of them.
    It wasn’t long since the subbing jobs were moved from Brighton to Southampton, so to be changing it again so soon shows a lack of any kind of long-term planning or thought for the impact on staff.
    For the Brighton Argus in particular, this is another severe blow. Much like the city’s doomed West Pier, bits of the Argus are falling away piece by piece and eventually nothing will remain.
    It clearly should have gone weekly a long time ago to stand any chance of survival, but I fear it is too late for that now given its pitiful circulation.
    Removing the post of web editor (to be replaced by somebody uploading stories from Weymouth, I understand) shows a further lack of understanding about how to structure a modern newsroom.
    Digital should be embedded in the heart of the operation and should be complementary to the print edition. If all you are doing is sticking stories from the paper up online a couple of hundred miles away then all you are going to do is cannibalise your audience.
    What a shower.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 9:23 am
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    Coming to a Newsquest title near you…subs find a new job now I suggest

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  • April 1, 2014 at 9:25 am
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    I’ve got more than 30 years in this business. I’ve seen it all. Now I’m witnessing what was a slow and painful death a few years ago turn into a quick kill.

    My husband thought his job in engineering would be the first to go when we were married almost 20 years back. His industry has had the ability to evolve and grow. Mine, sadly, hasn’t.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 9:51 am
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    Newsquest subs not already been absorbed into the Newport collective should seriously consider their future. This system is coming to you.
    You should get a new job now before there are too many unemployed subs vying for the same position.
    Don’t be an ostrich over this issue – no-one is safe.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 10:16 am
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    No web editor? Intriguing… interesting strategy move in these web-first times.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 10:41 am
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    I’m shocked they’re getting rid of the web editor at The Argus. I’ve known Jo Wadsworth for years and she really put her heart and soul into that place. Really sorry to hear s be on her way out – and I can’t see how it will benefit The Atgus at all.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 10:55 am
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    I was told it was five subs and the online team giving the boot on Friday at 17.50 hrs, also one other person had the guts to walk out the door and giving them the standard salute at The Brighton Argus, laughable really considering they have a full page advert telling the 15,000 readers that they have 48 journalists working at the paper lol

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  • April 1, 2014 at 11:03 am
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    Getting rid of subs is stupid for so many reasons, but getting rid of the web editor is utterly baffling.

    Worse, the web editor there is also very talented and knowledgeable. The Argus will be much poorer without her. What a stupid decision.

    Good luck to her if she does go. She deserves better than that and I’m sure someone will snap her up.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 11:36 am
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    Hard to imagine having a local paper subbed so far away as has been well discussed in the thread above Just as hard to fathom not having a web editor. Even the most integrated newsroom needs at least one person whose primary focus is the website and who truly understands the opportunities of digital journalism and social media. It’s particularly baffling as I have seen the Argus web editor speak at industry events, and followed some of her initiatives, and know she is one the most talented and passionate digital journalists out there. Good luck to all concerned.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 11:38 am
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    Totally agree with BobH. Newsquest must be bonkers if they’re getting rid of their web editor at The Argus.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 11:42 am
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    My main concern is the Argus is now run by extremely young journalists with little experience in newspapers or much else really. The extremely able subs and web-editor are all good operators with a wealth of knowledge behind them who could analyse a story and its implications from a range of viewpoints rather than a knee-jerk ‘turn it round’ response. They also know the area really well. They are the only ones who seem to care about the standard of copy too.
    Its v strange to get rid of the web-editor when that is the area which Newsquest are trying to grow.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 3:17 pm
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    Newsquest’s Dorset titles have never used ‘web editors’ anyway. The stories are thrown up by all and sundry.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 6:07 pm
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    Persistent rumour is that Newsquest will soon be announcing more centralisation with staff reductions including part closure of some offices. (London and its surrounds).

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  • April 1, 2014 at 6:29 pm
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    The web editor is an outstanding, talented journalist who has been a real pioneer in the role.

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  • April 1, 2014 at 6:52 pm
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    How completely ridiculous. I worked with Jo W at The Argus about six or seven years ago. She’s a brilliant journalist who really loves local news and understands how the web can bring fading regional papers out of the crapper. Shame they didn’t listen to her. Good luck moving on. Leaving The Argus was one of the best things that ever happened to me, hopefully will be for you too!

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  • April 1, 2014 at 9:31 pm
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    Sad news for ‘the guy who writes the headlines at ‘the argus’ Facebook page. The Argus bills are legendary and ‘the guy’ who writes them certainly one of those set to go

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  • April 1, 2014 at 10:30 pm
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    Having no web editor seems to fly in the face of strategies adopted by other newspapers, the role surely plays a major part in nurturing and adding to the community who read the paper. Those at the top should be coming up with advertising strategies to capitalise on those efforts, rather than taking the easy way out and short-term financial gain of a handful of journalists’ wages.

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  • April 2, 2014 at 9:51 am
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    Jo took The Argus into the digital age. It is ridiculous to think a newspaper this size can manage without a web editor. The editor will see his millions of monthly page views sink without proper attention, but web just happens automatically doesn’t it.

    The Argus blows its trumpet about its increasing digital audience. Watch it go without Jo. I can imagine the already vitriolic comments section will just plunge into anarchy.

    Also respect to Sarah Booker who job shares with Jo. She’s on maternity leave and dragged JPs Sussex titles into social media long before The Argus was on Twitter and Facebook. She was a shining light among JPs web editors.

    Newsquest won’t know what it’s lost until they’re gone.

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  • April 2, 2014 at 3:43 pm
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    I’m pretty confident the Argus will survive without Jo. Reporters will have to check their own Twitter feed to find out what the weather’s like.
    The real loss is the two remaining subs whose local knowledge and skills built up over their years in journalism will be sorely missed. The Argus is a fairly toxic brand these days and one of its few remaining boasts is that it has some of the best headlines in the country. Regular readers can probably already tell when Julia and Gareth are off by the lack of care their Southampton counterparts put into the pages. Sad that this will now be the norm.

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  • April 2, 2014 at 4:51 pm
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    Everybody from the cleaner to the Editor knows that his or her job is going sooner or later, I do not know why it has come as a surprise to anybody that this has happened, another 50% cut in the wage bill is what the round table at HQ will want!

    Get out and get another job, stop clinging onto the hope its not going to be you next!

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  • April 9, 2014 at 11:02 pm
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    There is life beyond The Argus, and it’s liberating!

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  • April 12, 2014 at 10:33 pm
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    Leaving The Argus might be liberating but it’s painful to see what is happening to the good people I left behind. The fact is that the loss of the latest people will strip the paper of much of the experience still there. I still believe The Argus could be turned around as a brand if it had leadership and appealed to the people of Brighton and Hove for a second chance. Otherwise I can’t even see it surviving as a weekly when it already has a free opponent that does not have its poisonous reputation – a reputation that means it struggles to attract new staff even when the industry is shedding jobs.

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