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More than 70 jobs set to go in Trinity Mirror restructure

neilbensonMore than 70 journalists’ roles are set to be axed in a group-wide restructure by Trinity Mirror which will see the introduction of regional print production teams.

The company has announced proposals that will see the loss of 78 existing roles across its regional titles and the creation of 44 new roles – a net reduction of 34.

The restructure, which will affect management positions as well as front-line journalist roles, follows what the company is calling a review of growth opportunities and of its editorial print production practices.

The 44 new roles being created will include 17 specifically focusing on video creation and production.

No titles will close as a result of the restructure, but the company has confirmed that all its regional operations will be affected.

It is unclear as yet how the job losses will be apportioned across the group, although it is understood that five of the redundancies will be at its Gloucetershire titles.

The creation of regional production hubs mirrors changes already introduced at other regional publishers, most notably Newsquest.

Northcliffe Media, which published many of the regional titles now owned by Trinity Mirror, also experimented with subbing hubs between 2009 and 2011 before scrapping the initiative and returning production operations to local centres.

In a statement, the company said the review of growth opportunities had identified “opportunities for greater investment, particularly around digital and content creation, as we look to increase engagement and connect with digital audiences on a larger scale. “

It added: “The review of editorial print production has identified examples of best practice that can become standardised across the regions.  As a result, the company is proposing to introduce regional print production teams, sharing resource and best practice to improve efficiency.”

Trinity Mirror’s editorial director for the regions Neil Benson, pictured, said: “It is essential that we keep reviewing the way we are set up in order to stay relevant to readers, to capitalise on audience growth opportunities and to keep our costs in line with revenues.

“As a result, this means we are proposing that a number of roles will be lost. However, this will be partially offset by a number of new roles being introduced, particularly around video creation and production, which we see as a significant opportunity.

“The restructure is a key part of our strategy to secure a long term, successful and sustainable future for regional press.”

Speculation about possible large scale job losses at the publisher mounted this morning after a series of posts on Twitter by BBC media editor Amol Rajan, who said the company was set to make a “big announcement” this afternoon.

Amol, who was editor of The Independent when its print edition closed last February, posted on Twitter: “Structural challenges faced by newspaper industry are accelerating. Having shut a paper, I don’t report job losses with relish. [Very] tough time for print hacks continues.”

The National Union of Journalists has responded with deep concern and has called for an improvement in redundancy terms for volunteers who wish to leave the company and assurances that workloads will be sustainable for those who will remain.

General secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “News of yet more cuts is a massive blow to journalists working throughout the group who need to be convinced that this new strategy for chasing digital growth is one that will actually yield results and – critically – one that will preserve quality journalism across the group.

“We have posed a number of questions to the company about the restructure and, along with our network of reps, will continue to discuss how we can minimise the number of redundancies and protect our members. A flexible redeployment process will be key to this, to ensure that the skills and experience of journalists whose roles are put at risk are not needlessly lost to the company.

“Another priority for us will be in securing fair treatment for journalists working across the Local World sites – we want fair, commensurate redundancy terms for all. When the public-facing corporate mantra is One Trinity Mirror, the same principles should apply to treatment of staff wherever they happen to work in the group – particularly under a plan that will involve more pooling of resources and merging of operations across the two businesses.”

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  • January 19, 2017 at 2:02 pm
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    Here we go again. I’ve been through a few of these “important company announcements” in my time at TM regionals.

    Thoughts are with those affected, either by job losses, diminished new roles of mere additional workload due to the departure of others.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 2:04 pm
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    Newspaper job losses of any scale are like a Donald Trump speech. Nothing shocks me anymore.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 2:22 pm
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    Love the statement from Trinity HQ – “We want them to hear it first from us.”
    Sadly they’ve heard it from whispers in their offices already and via this site and press gazette.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 2:49 pm
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    The conversion of the uk regional press from a print to digital medium continues apace with yet another 77 journalists cast aside to be replaced by web monkeys and keyboard copy and paste merchants.

    2017 really will be a defining year for the industry and this latest announcement just underlines the route the big players are going.
    Good wishes to the poor souls caught up in this latest axe wielding cost cutting dumbing down excercise

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  • January 19, 2017 at 3:58 pm
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    Ask The Guardian how their freehadist obsession went. Then ask The Times how their ‘suicidal’ pay-for model is going.

    One of those increases circulation and makes a nice and growing profit.

    Guess which one…

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  • January 19, 2017 at 4:01 pm
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    TM are pretty much behind the digital curve, late to the party and very limited digital ad display options, such as a banner, skyscraper, pop up unwelcome surveys and ads so, with this in mind their potential return on digital is again flawed, it simply wont work and in fact it will not happen, also digital reporters have been let go at NCJ already Its a downward spiral Im afraid, Baby and Bathwater once again at TM

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  • January 19, 2017 at 4:43 pm
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    You’re so wrong Mr Daly. So wrong. But there’s little point arguing methinks.TM has its act together far more than any legacy business commercially. I could talk about Visual DNA, geo targetting, Digital Marketing Services – but what’s the point matey?. Nice punctuation by the way.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 4:52 pm
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    ‘ opportunities for greater investment, particularly around digital and content creation’
    Confirmation of no further investment in the newspaper side of the business whilst all their eggs are being put into the above digital side, none of which has so far shown anything other than minimal revenues which no way cover costs.

    And as opposed to ‘….to keep our costs in line with revenues…’
    have they thought of bringing revenue in line with costs? if the sales people aren’t selling surely they need to get their act together or cut costs accordingly in those areas
    But as always it’s the editorial teams who get decimated to be replaced by the cheap n cheerful option of ‘typists’ and ‘ video snappers’
    Sad times for individuals and the industry in general

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  • January 19, 2017 at 5:12 pm
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    Also Trinity Mirror just announced at 3pm that the entire LocalWorld Production department has been put under consultation with jobs moving to Liverpool and India from Nottingham

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  • January 19, 2017 at 6:31 pm
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    Good Luck to those leaving. You won’t regret it, life beyond regional press is great

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  • January 19, 2017 at 6:37 pm
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    Absolutely shocking treatment of a huge number of staff and it’s no wonder those who’ve gone before don’t have a good word to say about them.

    Take consolation from many of my friends in east anglia from both editorial and commercial backgrounds who’ve been through this god awful situation and in the majority of cases come out the other side better, stronger and with better lifestyles and jobs as a result.
    What the axe weilders tend to overlook is the fact they’ve created a vast number of enemies many of whom will soon be working as competitors and happily watching it all come tumbling down.
    Just beware those who remain as sure as eggs is eggs when you’re deemed surplus to requirements you’ll be shown the red card too

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  • January 19, 2017 at 7:28 pm
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    And also Liverpool production to move over to India, not exLocalworld alone

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  • January 19, 2017 at 8:16 pm
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    Trinity Mirror are also in the process of getting rid of the Local World creative teams, that covers advertising and editorial. Over 60 job losses in total.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 8:54 pm
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    Here we go again. People who don’t understand digital journalism writing off investment in the future of the industry as “web monkeys, copy and paste merchants, typists and cheap and cheerful video snappers”.

    My thoughts are with all the box fillers, line drawers and text choppers who are losing their jobs.

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  • January 19, 2017 at 10:38 pm
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    Trainee reporter’s response when asked what their ambitions are in a job interview: “I want to be editor of a regional newspaper one day.”

    The sad reality is that if they achieve their goal, they’ll be running a website and ‘newsroom’ with no other employees.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 12:47 am
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    The fools, the fools! Digital isn’t working, it will never work. It’s just greedy CEOs seeing £££ thinking that they will save on print, production and transport costs. But if there aren’t enough ads then what is the point. They are trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. When that dosent work they break it by cuts and under-resourcing and digital STILL dosent work. They are gonna be left with nothing! Look at digiking, Ashley Highfield..Crystal amber are trying to get him out! People at the coalface have far more sense than the top brass!

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  • January 20, 2017 at 8:11 am
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    Message to ‘adrep':
    (Nice punctuation and spelling btw, to keep that pathetic theme going!!!)

    1 If digital is the answer, why are they still doing print? There would be no point if digital was sustainable.

    2 You seem to know the digital ins and outs. What are your figures for people (like me) who use Adblocker because the sites are unbearable without it? A report from USA suggests that has grown to around 1 in 3 people using AB and it’s on a steep upwards curve. When you send those fantasy world media packs out (I’ve seen them – you seem to have more readers than residents in my city!!!) do you give an indication about adblocker? Actually, I can answer my own question – you don’t.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 8:20 am
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    Unless TM and the other large regional press groups press the reset button and start over with new commercial teams fronted by digitally minded sales managers who undershand the medium and have credibility ( sorry but where I am in Norfolk they’re clueless and talk in sound bites, jargon they’ve picked up but don’t understand ) and employ experienced journalists producing top quality copy that people will want to access , even pay for ,not clickbait or dire top ten lists commonly known as ‘content’ these days, they will always be the poor relation in the digital market place , but having declared loudly and firmly no interest in the print / publishing side of the business and having given up on selling newspapers to an audience who have gone elsewhere they’ll forever be chasing an elusive market that others have made their own.a quest which will bring about further costs losses and damage to an already dismantled industry.
    Commiserations to the 78 affected but believe me you’re the lucky ones.its the poor saps left to pick up the pieces and being promised a brighter tomorrow I feel sorry for.
    RIP regional newspapers

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  • January 20, 2017 at 8:36 am
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    The environment for regional media obviously remains difficult. However, on balance, this looks like a calculated restructure rather than just a knee-jerk cut. Clearly, anyone under threat of redundancy may find it difficult, but getting the business right is the best way to protect jobs in the future.
    I agree with adrep. You’re wrong, I’m afraid, Michael Daly.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 9:20 am
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    Reply to adrep 4.43 yesterday,
    Visual DNA, geotargetting …. etc etc is a fair point but as there is no interest like self interest, TM will spout that however research tells us ( all in media any media not just press ) the bigger picture is International news is requested from Sky, CNN, BBC and National Uk the BBC, regional and local via BBC local, so local press / digital may deliver local football news, horse and pony events and the fact that 8 ncj journos are ooooot, will see more pictures from the library circa shopping center opening oh and local kebab shop ads

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  • January 20, 2017 at 9:24 am
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    When will all newspaper/digital publishers learn that trying to read a story on any of their sites is like wading through treacle. Adverts in the middle of a story are a nightmare – particularly on an iPad or any mobile device. You accidentally click on them and are directed away from the very thing you visited the site first. Yes I know ads are the income for any site but put them at the side and bottom of the page. You’ll get far more visitors that way.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 9:58 am
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    Regional newspaper publishing is in a horrible mess.

    It’s saddled with a twisted business model whereby you give your best product (news) away for free online then ask the punters to buy it the day after.

    There will be a lot of pain inflicted before this is finally sorted out – if it ever is.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 10:16 am
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    In fairness I think investing in video is a really solid idea, they should have done it years ago when we were running around taking video clips with Nokia N96s while stood next to people from Sky News with proper cameras, it was embarrassing.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 10:55 am
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    Why is it that a “review of growth opportunities” always, and I mean always, results in redundancies. How the hell do you grow anything with fewer staff than you had before?
    As for focusing more on the digital side, when will the suits at places like Trinity Mirror learn that there ‘aint no money it it folks!
    Without the print titles the regional newspaper industry would be dead in the water – and it’s about time the people at the top realised this and did something about it before it’s too late.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 11:42 am
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    “It is essential that we keep reviewing the way we are set up in order to stay relevant to readers…” – Neil Benson.

    I would venture to suggest that the regional press lost its relevance to its readers many moons ago. No amount of re-restructuring, re-arranging nor staff slashing is going to restore that relevance anytime soon.

    As evidence I point to the woeful circulation figures being returned. They are hardly the results one would expect from news organisations whose relevance cuts to the heart of the communities they serve.

    The most depressing thing about announcements like these is that you know, in your heart of hearts, that, like the proverbial bus, there will be another one along soon.

    I suggest the TM management leave newspaper management and set up a washing machine factory (in India, of course) – they are very, very good at spinning.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 1:46 pm
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    Okay, we’re closing in on Groundhog Day so here goes…

    1. To the traditionalists who say ‘there’s nothing wrong with print’, there is! Failing circulation figures will continue regardless of any investment as your audiences evolve. It still has some mileage left in terms of profit but only a limited lifespan under current business models.

    2. To the sceptics who say ‘digital doesn’t make money’, it does. It’s just not enough to support existing business models because audiences are more fickle and less engaged.

    3. To the digital converts who say ‘online is the future’, we’re a long, long way from that future yet. Digital journalism needs people who understand how to manage, grow and engage online audiences. They need to know when to use particular social media platforms or when to create a video, not simply to do it because they know how to. The current business model needs to invest in that which, from what I can see, it doesn’t.

    The only common theme here is the business model. It still makes money but it’s clearly broken and cuts with token gestures to restructure only slow the pace of decline.

    Local journalism needs a model free of shareholders which is able to reinvest profits and time into staff, advertisers and the community it serves. For as long as it sits under large corporations, the restructuring merry-go-round will continue, the profits will be moved abroad and titles will eventually close.

    There might be hope for small, lean independents to pick up the pieces in some areas and maybe we’ll see a new business model which works at a local level for both print and digital.

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  • January 20, 2017 at 2:54 pm
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    Radio once local and regional ,,, now National with a smattering of local breakfast shows, no traffic and travel or local news .. Press national ads popping up all over quality local news, surveys etc etc I use a particularly good Ad Blocker system, a purchase driven by TM ads all over the page most of which were poor quality and in no way reflect the potential digital creative can offer more like a cut and paste action transfer image .. Visual DNA, geotargetting you say ..so why is this not reflected in VR creative, film, graphics and clever use of whats available Oh sorry that would mean TM spending wouldn’t it

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  • January 20, 2017 at 3:18 pm
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    The audience performance in TM has been extraordinary. Monetising this has been the challenge, which to date we’ve (that’s dirty sales) have failed to do. And banners etc aren’t the answer. Targeting is. Optimisation. Digital marketing services – web build/seo/ppc/remarketing etc. The commercial team now have- just- a full set of products ad platforms to take to the market, for both traditional clients and digital only. And we can take response reports out. I think we can start to stabilise revenues over the next two years- particularly with the intelligent collaboration of our editorial colleagues on native content, platform development etc. Cue howls of derision. And lots of exclamation marks

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  • January 21, 2017 at 11:15 am
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    The pendulum has swung, beyond the point of no return, away from any traditional model.

    The future of journalism is nothing to do with how to rework or improve its current form, it is now all about how to engage with the needs and demands of the shifting consumer.

    It was once habitual and almost ritualistic to purchase your local paper, as the variety of available news mediums was so limited. However, access points and information are now spread so wide and far that an operation based on traditional news gathering is simply unable to maintain sufficient traction within it to have any future stability or relevance.

    I genuinely believe more of the once-mighty organisations like Trinity Mirror will continue to be gradually eroded down to nothing more than a handful of enthusiasts aggregating and sifting local snippets from dozens of other sources all doing exactly the same thing.

    Darren Parkin
    (Ex Trinity Mirror daily editor)

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