An editor whose job is at risk in Trinity Mirror’s ongoing restructure of former Local World titles is to fight plans to close his paper’s office.
Trinity Mirror has confirmed it is planning to cut the number of staff on the Black Country Bugle from five to two, with editorial production of the newspaper set to move from Dudley to Tamworth, 32 miles away.
John Butterworth, editor since 2013 and a journalist for 44 years, is among those whose jobs are at risk as a result of the proposed changes.
But John, left, has revealed he intends to put forward alternative proposals to the company that would keep its office in Dudley open.
He told HTFP: “I am in consultation discussing alternative ideas to the company plan for the sake of the Bugle and its staff.”
John, who was awarded the MBE for services to journalism and charity in 2008, was previously editor at the Bromsgrove Advertiser, Leek Post and Times, and Shrewsbury Chronicle – before he lost his job at the Chronicle in 2009 cuts.
His departure would bring to seven the number of ex-Local World editors to leave the business in the current round of restructures.
The others are Paul Brackley, of the Cambridge News, the Leicester Mercury’s Kevin Booth, Dave Atkin of the Scunthorpe Telegraph, Neil White of the Derby Telegraph, Lynne Fernquest of the Bath Chronicle and the Western Daily Press’s Rob Stokes.
Under TM’s proposals, the Bugle will fall under the portfolio of Gary Phelps, who already runs seven weekly titles across the West Midlands from his base in Tamworth, while the paper’s two remaining staff will work remotely.
Last week it was revealed the Nuneaton News, one of Gary’s newspapers, would switch from daily to weekly in a move which will see approximately four jobs lost.
The Bugle specialises in the industrial heritage and social history of the Black Country’s four boroughs – Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall – and the National Union of Journalists has challenged TM to sell the paper.
Northern & Midlands organiser Chris Morley said: “I believe there is a big opportunity here and would challenge its Trinity Mirror masters to seek a buyer for this loved publication – someone who believes in its intrinsic value and the great editorial team who have about 50 years of experience between them.”
Added Chris: “Having been a reporter in the Black Country, I know how much the million people in the area respects their industrial tradition. The Bugle is a vital part of life, remembering that heritage and stimulating debate about what can be learned from the past.
“It has punched above its weight and even won a regional journalism award despite being badly neglected and starved of the investment necessary to make it the great success it should be.
“I believe these plans are ruinous for the future of the Bugle and potentially commercial suicide if carried out as they have been presented. With no dedicated editor in the area and only two staff, I fail to see how it could work.
“The NUJ will do all it can during the redundancy consultation period to identify what issues are driving this announcement and work to develop a better alternative that can be positive, not only for the staff but also for the company.”
A Trinity Mirror spokesperson said: “Trinity Mirror today announced the closure of its Dudley office in the West Midlands, with plans for remote working for Black Country Bugle staff.
“Three roles on the Black Country Bugle will be made redundant. Those affected are now in consultation.”
It has previously described the series of senior editorial departures at the company as “separate individual decisions. ”
“It is inevitable after any significant business change such as an acquisition or merger that some individuals take the opportunity to leave the business for various reasons, personal and professional,” a spokesperson said.
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Jesus Christ! This ridiculous Trinity Mirror editor cull is now officially a disgrace!
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First, I think it is more accurate to describe what’s happening as a massacre rather than a restructure. Second, the editor taking over the reins already runs seven titles – an impossible workload if any semblance of quality is to be maintained – but perhaps that’s not a factor now. Third, I agree with the NUJ that TM should be willing to sell titles as it is patently uninterested in running them itself. Quite what boss Simon Fox and his board’s ultimate ambition is I cannot begin to guess at. There seems to be no positive aim and proactive investment, just endless cutting of staff with the talent and experience to craft the products that yield what profits are left in the business. It’s almost beyond comprehension.
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Groundhog Day…
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They should change the name of the paper to the Black Country Trombone, because that’s how loud it’ll need to be from that far away.
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What a shambles
Complete embarrassment for anyone associated with this company as day after day the culling and carnage goes on which must mean complete disillusionment and demotivation for those who remain.
Really getting beyond a joke and surely needs the intervention of a local mp or government body to look at the whole sorry mess.
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On a 40 hour week (more than he should be doing) that’s five hours per title per week for Gary. Can only be described as a joke. It’s so stupid that you can’t take the job seriously.
TM – a word of advice, just call it quits and put the paper and its rraders out of their misery by closing it.
As for having olnly two reporters – what happens when one is on holiday and the other goes sick? No paper?
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Calm yourself dears. If you read the breathless tweets from our digital colleagues – including, I kid you not warnings that pictures of cathedrals visited are being posted – then all is well in TM Land.
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Don’t these negative people know – having someone with local knowledge, people skills, a vast book of contacts, training & mentoring skills, knowledge of the law and a finely tuned news sense for the area is all so…..well, ANALOGUE these days.
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Methinks Mr Phelps is spreading himself a little too thinly to have any meaningful contribution to any of the publications on his rather wide watch.
Still, quality is not an issue on most local papers any more. Just get it out! That’s all that counts (except to advertisers!)
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My old JP weekly served about 140,000 people with one full-time and two part-time reporters. Holidays and illness were a nightmare.
Then they shut the office and wrote it from about 20 miles away at a sort of news hub.
The difference was and still is demoralising to all who had put so much work into it.
I hope this paper survives the change but local papers without local editors don’t work.
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“….is inevitable after any significant business change such as an acquisition or merger that some individuals take the opportunity to leave the business for various reasons, personal and professional,” a spokesperson said
How many took the opportunity to leave? And how many had the opportunity thrust upon them
Shambles and shameful and needs an independent investigation
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So Duncan, someone sends a picture of something they have seen while travelling for work, from their own Twitter account, and that’s worthy of mention on here? Get a life.
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I am more saddened by this than anyone else could be, except, of course, my old Bugle colleagues, who must be well and truly gutted. They have put countless hours of hard work and creative thought into this paper, under four or five different owners (and that’s just in the last ten or so years). The readers are as loyal as any, even though the cover price has sky-rocketed under recent regimes (up thirty percent in just two years). The Bugle, ever since it was founded over forty years ago, has always been a unique product, which can only be successful if it remains close to its roots. But if it ends up with just two members of over-worked staff, no Black Country office, and a production base over 30 miles away, I, like many others, fear for its future. Step back from the brink and don’t do it !!!
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Are there any editors left here? They must be an endangered species looking at the daily postings about ‘X editors to go in latest restructure’ stories appearing almost daily on HTFP
It’s a worrying time if you’ve the word ‘editor’ in your job title,specially so if you’ve been doing the job for years or if you’re suddenly given ‘editorship’ of a paper which must be the first step on the road to being the next in the firing line when further restructures are announced.
Seems to me it’s also the easiest and quickest route out of the building when they’re looking to downsize and reduce the head count.
2016 is shaping up to to be an infamous year for the uk regional press with so many jobs gone, copies lost and papers and offices closed and we’re not even half way through yet.
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So the cuts continue, a terrible blow for these hard working individuals. Spare a thought for Gary also, sounds like he’s been dumped on from a great height by the bean counters. Lets face it, if you don’t generate revenue you’re fair game……..
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Until the Bugle is owned once again by someone who loves it and understands the Black Country and its people this much loved paper will struggle to survive. Do Trinity Mirror not understand they are taking the very life blood away from it by making it nigh on impossible for readers to submit their photos? I can’t see many people doing a 60 mile round trip to Tamworth to submit a photo and believe it or not, not everyone relies on computers!! I wish the remaining 2 staff all the luck in the world, they have an impossible task.
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A senior TM circulation bod once told me that sales were tanking in South Wales because they’d closed offices and put the price up, I asked if this had not occurred to them before hand, and he said ‘they don’t care, their attitude is ‘we’ve got your money now, we don’t care what happens in five years’.
Japanese firms make 50 year business plans, ours live week to week on the whim of shareholders, this is a bigger issue than TM, it’s just a barmpot way to run anything – let alone a huge corporation.
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When I worked for Northcliffe in the 1980s, despite the business doing pretty well, London management were constantly comparing us to to Johnston Press, deemed to be ‘outperforming’ us on margin. Apart from my extreme anger and sadness at what Trinity Mirror is doing to the industry of late, another worry is that assorted managements (and shareholders) at the other big players will look at the current TM ‘model’ and say “what do they know that we don’t?”. Lemming-like they will then follow the same short term strategy. Apart from the independents and latterly it seems, some positive signs that someone at the top in Archant values editors, you wouldn’t bet against the other limited types who run the major players following this simplistic route, would you?
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Jeff Jones: s’funny that because copy sales are tanking down here too after ‘developments’ applied to the business in the past two years. Now then, any common denominator between the South Wales and the South West businesses, I wonder?
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Belligerent fools set TM’s new rules;
Spineless swines, demented minds.
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John was my first editor and one I’ll never forget – he took no prisoners but was passionate about local new. I wish him all the best – I’m sure he is best off out of TM.
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What would those two vociferous guardians of workers’ rights – Brian Reade and Kevin Maguire – have to say about such goings-on?
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You’re all wrong. There is no need for editors and little point in journalists. See the story about the Newcastle Chronicle’s front page. Let the public decide on content. Yes, the same on-line public who don’t buy the paper.
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I’m really at a loss to see what JP, Localworld, TM’s end game is. Here in Bedford they might as well go around to the advertisers and give them a fiver, it must be more cost effective that raising an invoice and printing the advert for what they are selling the ad space for. Makes no sense whatsoever. Or is it that they are so indebted that they are close to the edge. Check out JP’s share price
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So you pay £220M for something one can only assume you want. You then set about it with a wrecking ball, sacking experienced, talented people who are the lifeblood of your business. The things you used to do reasonably well you turn into meaningless, expensive tat that people stop buying and the value of your business drops like a stone.
How does that work then?
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Good luck with the fight to keep the office open, John, but you’ll probably have to withdraw from the corporate car crash that is TM to do it. A brave and principled (look it up TM executives) stand indeed, sir.
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Mike, Stroud: Here’s an extract from a photocopied page of The Guardian from June 2015.
Hd: “Local World Profits Rise to £43.6m”: “LW reported a 12% rise in adjusted profits last year to £43.6m, netting shareholders the Daily Mail and Trinity Mirror more than £25m to share.”
“The profit increase, which came despite circulation revenue declining, has been through a drive to boost digital income and cost-cutting to improve margin.” “On a pre-tax profits basis, LW made £15.8m, up from £12.7m in 2013.”
In short, here we have an effective and efficient company, free of debt, operating well in a challenging environment, cutting staff, yes, but more trimming fat than butchering living meat. Not even a year on and look where we are.
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Isn’t this what used to be called asset stripping…….
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Trinity Mirror have lost the plot. How can you run a true Black Country newspaper from and an office some 20 odd miles away.
We have seen so many local newspapers lost over the years it would be a real shame to lose the Bugle and I believe that this is the first step.
Black Country folk need to fight this one.
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Good luck John, standing up for something you believe in, local editors in charge of local reporters in local offices for local papers.
I’m looking at a report in a JP weekly paper produced 20 miles from the patch it is laughingly supposed to “cover” (they closed the other office). As a small example of many errors, a street name in one report is pure fiction. It is probably wrong user generated copy that the news hub did not spot because it has no local reporters and no local knowledge. It’s a small point but actually important, because if local readers see you don’t know what you are talking about it reduces credibility. News hubs do not work. End of.
Fight it John!
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@Jeff Jones – I don’t think what you’re accusing ‘a senior circulation executive’ of saying really happened. But it’s a good yarn.
@Harry Blackwood so you’re saying editors shouldn’t listen with readers? No wonder people began to turn away from newspapers when you were an editor, mate.
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Curious: I am ‘curious’ as to what kind of money Trinity Mirror are throwing at you for you to think it’s a good idea to defend them when anyone with an ounce of integrity and professional insight is pointing out exactly what they are up to?
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@Curious – I don’t think you’re interpreting the comments correctly. I think Jeff Jones, Harry Blackwood and Duncan were speaking with tongues firmly in cheeks.
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With such a unique title as this, if TM want to clear off miles away, could the culled staff not launch their own title to fill the void? If the readers knew which one was the “real Bugle” that emphasised its local credentials, it would have every chance.
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