Media chief Tim Bowdler is claiming that media ownership regulations which attempt to protect editorial freedom and a vibrant local press might actually cause damage to it.

The chief executive of Johnston Press believes that the Government's "heavy-handed" regulatory approach to the industry needed to instead create an environment where local newspapers could flourish.

Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum, he defended the local press in areas where only one publisher was established - claiming the lack of competition did not compromise quality.

He said: "In many local markets, there is only one significant publisher of local newspapers and in the vast majority only one which makes a serious commitment to high quality content.

"The reason for this is simple. Advertising revenues are generally insufficient to sustain two editorially led newspaper publishers.

"Has this resulted in inferior editorial quality? On the contrary, there are numerous examples of solus local publishers producing excellent newspapers."

Tim, (left), said local newspaper publishers usually had formal editorial policies to enshrine the right of their editors to editorial freedom.

This approach was in the best interests of readers, but he said: "It is primarily born out of self-interest, recognising that it is editors who are best placed to make judgements about content.

"The greater a newspaper's appeal, the more copies it sells; the more copies it sells, the more advertising revenue it takes. A virtuous circle which safeguards the future of our business.

"Whilst editorial coverage in local newspapers will not always be to everyone's liking, it is rare indeed to hear complaints which suggest a lack of trust in the overall editorial approach.

"The reasons for this are obvious. Local newspapers exist to serve entire communities. They cannot afford to consistently alienate large sections of their potential readership.

"And why not? Because local newspapers depend on advertising for over three quarters of their total revenues and advertisers expect high levels of local market penetration.

"This overwhelming commercial imperative, accepted by the Competition Commission, results in local newspapers being edited for entire communities."

He said it was "almost grotesque" that Northcliffe Newspapers was unable to acquire the Radstock and Midsomer Norton Journal, a free weekly newspaper distributing 14,000 copies near Bath in Somerset, while the merger of Carlton and Granada went ahead.

He said: "There is considerable evidence to demonstrate that regional newspaper consolidation has been good for readers and good for advertisers.

"Can it be right to expect local newspapers to face growing and unfettered competition whilst themselves remaining in a regulatory straitjacket?

"The great irony of the current regulatory climate … is that far from safeguarding a vibrant and diverse local press, it risks having entirely the opposite effect to that intended."

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