AddThis SmartLayers

Civic leaders voice concern after neighbouring weeklies merge

Union chiefs and civic groups have voiced concerns after two Yorkshire weeklies were merged into a single newspaper.

The Hebden Bridge Times and Todmorden News, both Johnston Press titles, have now been combined into one edition.

It was published for the first time last Thursday under the name Hebden Bridge Times & Todmorden News, although both titles have retained their own stand-alone websites and social media channels.

The offices of both the Times and the News were closed by JP in May 2012, with staff being transferred to the base of sister paper the Halifax Courier.

Hebden Bridge Times

A JP spokeswoman said:  “A decision was made recently, at a local level, to merge the Todmorden Times and the Hebden Bridge Times into one single edition – with a new masthead and incorporating the two names

“For some time now the two titles have been produced by one team and, as a result, there will be very little change to the local news and information that’s featured in the new, single edition. Obviously there will be a saving on production costs but no impact on jobs. ”

However Todmorden Civic Society posted about the merger on Twitter, suggesting that Todmorden news would be downgraded in the newly-merged title.

Its account posted on Thursday: “It was always going to happen. The Hebden Bridge Times with one or two articles about Todmorden.”

Officials of the Calderdale branch of the National Union of Journalists have also released a statement, attributed to its chairman Mark Metcalf and secretary Jenny Shepherd, criticising the move.

The statement reads: “The end of a dedicated local paper for each town breaks a tradition which goes back a century, and is another sign of the way that the local media in Britain is being starved of resources and professional skills.

“Within the memory of members of our branch both the Todmorden and Hebden Bridge papers each had a team of four journalists pro-actively seeking stories, monitoring local authority decisions and reporting from the courts.

“These journalists had pride in the newspaper which they produced each week, and several went on to significant national careers. Sadly the combined local paper now has material put together in an ad-hoc way by Courier staff based in Halifax. The local connection has been broken.”

The NUJ statement continues: “The papers are owned by the Johnston Group, a major regional newspaper group who purchased the titles from local ownership about twenty years ago and who have since run the Halifax Courier and the local papers as cash-cows, starving them of journalistic resources.

“Johnston have been happy to take the profits but have felt no obligation to maintain high standards of reporting in our communities despite the valiant efforts of many local journalists (including many in our own union) who have struggled against the odds to maintain integrity and professional standards.”

Last week JP announced it has closed 11 free newspapers as part of its ongoing cost reduction programme. Eight small free titles closed altogether with a further three titles integrated into paid for titles.

9 comments

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • October 13, 2015 at 11:04 am
    Permalink

    Presumably the JP comment: “The decision was made at a local level” was said with tongue firmly-in-cheek. The tipping point seems to have been three years ago, when staff from Hebden Bridge and Tod were relocated to Halifax. Centralisation and production efficiencies, continue (as with TM) to be the sole benchmark for JP decisions, rather than the scale, scope and quality of future output. Just noticed that they’ve shifted the long-serving and dedicated sports writer covering Burnley FC, and other local sports, 20-odd miles down the road to their Preston office, again in the name of efficiency.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(6)
  • October 13, 2015 at 11:17 am
    Permalink

    I fear this might not be the last of this. Other areas where JP shut offices look ripe for plucking.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • October 13, 2015 at 11:56 am
    Permalink

    “a major regional newspaper group who purchased the titles from local ownership”

    local people need to get their media back.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(7)
  • October 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm
    Permalink

    Hyperlocal is the only way forward – but it requires the whole community to get behind it, from the businesses to the Scout troops.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(3)
  • October 13, 2015 at 5:25 pm
    Permalink

    They’ve just done this last Friday to the Dewsbury Reporter & Mirfield Reporter too. Perhaps their thinking is to lump the individual circulations together and then re-join ABC?

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • October 13, 2015 at 5:34 pm
    Permalink

    Sad, sad, sad. I began my career on the HB Times in 1973. Should have merged them a decade ago when both were self sufficient and that Internet-web business was in its infancy. Too late now to combine these once mighty organs … And far too late to complain about it.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(4)
  • October 13, 2015 at 8:52 pm
    Permalink

    Hardly surprising when you look at its old money (not consolidated) share value, just above being a penny share at one time! Does JP have to make it so obvious to the City that it is scraping the barrel.
    I long for some positive news from JP (no please, NOT another newsroom of the future!)

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 13, 2015 at 9:12 pm
    Permalink

    The Tod News has been a laughing stock in the town for as long as I can remember. The Hebden Bridge stories had begun to dominate more and more (and despite their close proximity the towns are fiercely proud of their individuality), so the title change will make little difference. There’s a lot of hard news to be had in Tod, but the paper never seems to report any of it, probably due to the disappearance of town-dedicated reporters. Sales will continue to collapse. Well done JP.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)