A regional press publisher whose firm recently went into administration has come out strongly against moves to relax media ownership rules.

The Office of Fair Trading is carrying out a review of the existing regulations and the deadline for submissions passed last night.

A group of publishers operating under the banner “Local Media Alliance” has submitted a report calling for further consolidation in the industry.

But Chris Bullivant, whose Observer Standard group went into administration last month, has warned that a new round of mergers leading to two regional “supergroups” would just mean more job losses and closures.

In his own submission to the OFT, he says: “The large publishers are advocating an exchange of assets between them to create greater local newspaper monopolies.

“Their zeal for mergers is no secret – indeed it has largely prompted this review and discussion document. But they have hidden their true motives behind a spurious argument that the current rules negates their ability to turn the threat of digital media to their print businesses into an opportunity.

“Newspaper publishers had, and indeed in many ways, still have the ability to be the number one choice for the public on the web. They have just not gone about it very well, as evidenced by the Fish4 failure.

“If merger and consolidation is allowed into two big groups, they will have an even great stranglehold on the marketplace to keep budding publishers out of whatever ilk – and the ability to charge advertisers what they like and dish up whatever quality of journalism to readers they feel is adequate.”

The National Union of Journalists has also called for a “small is beautiful” solution to the current crisis facing the industry.

“The union would favour the takeover of individual titles by locally-based companies rather than takeovers of whole groups or titles by existing national groups,” it states in its own submission.

“It is our belief that the future of local news journalism will be safest in the hands of local companies with a committment to the communities concerned.”

The NUJ also argues that the big groups missed an opportunity by launching web brands such as “fish4,” “ic” and “thisis” that were not obviously connected to their newspaper operations.

Comments

hilary (01/04/2009 11:55:04)
He’s right, of course. If the big chains get their way, newspapers will be just another High Street chain like Boots – all brand and no local connection at all.

Shaun Lintern (01/04/2009 14:45:55)
What we need in this industry is good solid local ownership. Peopel prepared to treat the readers properly and not with the contempt most publishers do. Having once helped to start a truly independent paper I saw what that can do for a town. Unfortunately that paper was sold to a regional publisher who have ran the paper into the ground, closed the office and put “local” reporters more than 30 miles away. More mergers can only be a good thing? Yeah right and pigs might fly.

Buster Nineshoes (01/04/2009 14:50:06)
It’s just sour grapes. Because he went up s**t creek he want’s everyone else to follow. Big chains rather than no chains. There will always be ‘some’ local content. It’s not a perfect world, lets make the best of what we can. If all the newspapers shut down not all of the reporters can get a job in PR. There will be no one to peddle the crap too!

Miss Cynical (01/04/2009 17:33:46)
Buster Nineshoes…
You may say it’s ‘crap,’ but the reality is that press releases from PRs are filling newspapers’ pages right now. With such chronic staff shortages in papers, many journalists would be lost without us at the moment. Honestly.
Most PRs I work with, including me, are ex-journalists – we don’t write ‘crap’ because we know it won’t go in.
We’re talking about multi-million-pound business deals, jobs etc.
We know what you need, we give it to you and you print it.
And best of all, our employers treat us with respect and fair pay. Which is more than I can say for any media company I have worked for.
So, let’s all make love, not war!

Ilovenewspapers (01/04/2009 17:40:07)
Chris does make an absolutely valid point -of course mergers would result in job losses, but the alternative without any doubt is that MORE job losses will occur as publishers will be left with no alternative than to close even more titles. I can’t see any eveidence of people queuing up to buy these newspapers, and lets be frank if Chris Bullivant Snr( who I greatly respect and admire) can’t survive the current challenges within the industry with his wealth of experience, contacts, knowledge and most importantly his lack of greed when it came to operating margins, then I am at a loss to understand why anyone believes there is a real alternative option here…Am I missing something?

Fruitbat (01/04/2009 18:05:57)
Very pleased to see Mr Bullivant fighting against the big boys again as he has done so for decades and hopeful he can get Observer Standard or whatever it will be called back in his hands! He is a real pioneer and old-fashioned newspaper man unlike the majority of those at Trinity Mirror et al who are driven to please shareholders at the expense of the localness and quality of their product. Just take the Post and Mail’s move to Fort Dunlop, miles away from civilisation and real people. Miss Cynical, whichever way you view it there will be at some point in the future a backlash against PR-driven fluff and nonsense – it’s only human nature to crave the truth in any story – so don’t feel so smug in your ivory tower, your time will come!

JD (03/04/2009 13:44:05)
I think Bullivant makes a valid point. I worked for him many moons ago and if anyone can take on the big boys, it’s him. I wish him and his wife Pat all the best at this difficult time. I have faith that we won’t have seen the last of that dynamic duo just yet.

Newsjunky (14/04/2009 21:42:11)
Have the Bullivants bought back Observer Standard Newspapers?