Staff numbers at regional publisher Northcliffe Media have fallen by 530 since last October, according to figures published by its parent company today.
In a trading update covering the 11-month period from October 2010 until the end of August, DMGT said revenues at Northcliffe Media were down 10pc year-on-year.
The figures showed recruitment advertising across the group was down 30pc, circulation revenues down 7pc and other advertising revenues down 6pc.
However costs were also well down on the previous year, with headcount falling 17pc from 3,130 to 2,600 and other savings on distribution costs.
The figures also suggest the downturn may be accelerating with advertising revenues down 11pc in the eleven weeks to 18 September compared to a drop of 10pc in the previous quarter.
Commenting on DMGT’s results as a whole, chief executive Martin Morgan said group operating profit would be lower than last year.
He said: “DMGT has delivered a solid revenue performance over the year to date, driven by continued strength in our B2B operations offset by difficult market conditions for our consumer businesses.
“Despite our continued focus on operational efficiency, the weak consumer advertising environment means that full year group operating profit will be lower than last year.
“We expect some growth in earnings per share compared to last year, given lower finance and tax costs, but at the lower end of market expectations
“Going forward our focus will remain on driving organic growth, operational and financial efficiency and pursuing an active portfolio management approach.”
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“…pursuing an active portfolio management approach.”
What gibberish
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Yet another comment produced from the Northcliffe lexicon of management media speak.
The Oxford English Dictionary explains organic as “produced without the use of artificial fertilizers” Unlike Mr Morgan’s statement I think.
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All this just shows that Northcliffe’s business model – of trying to slash jobs to make any profit – just isn’t working. Down on revenue, circulation and advertising. One of these days, a newspaper group might invest in staff, bring back pride to titles and start shifting a few thousand more on the newstand. Instead Northcliffe continually talk up their websites. What a load of tosh that is.
I feel for all those good journalists who have lost their jobs in this unmitigated disaster for newspapers, not brought on by anything other than short-sighted bosses.
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“operational and financial efficiency” which means more redundancies
But what the hell does this mean?
“pursuing an active portfolio management approach”
Why can’t these people speak in English?
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”Staff numbers at regional publisher Northcliffe Media have fallen by 530 since last October”
Oh well I’m one of them – so, could the remaining 529 also stand up and take a virtual bow here.
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“Active portfolio management approach” Northcliffe’s regionals are up for sale, any reasonable offer considered
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Wonder what the job loss count was between the various departments?
The cynic in me would suggest: Editorial: 529. Others: 1
And the one was the press hall Linotype cleaner.
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I’m another one of the 530! Northcliffe is a decent company managed by bean-counters who can’t speak plain English. Good luck to the hard-pressed and dedicated hacks left at Stoke and other centres. Hope you find a job outside journalism one day…..
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You have ALL got it wrong!!
No honestly you have.
Haven’t they just appointed a “head of talent” etc, etc.
So everything will be OK!
Most of the real talent left over two years ago anyway – home grown with no expensive consultants or additional head office dead weight.
Lets face it if you got head hunted would Northcliffe be on the top of your list? No I didn’t think so.
I think that you will find that the commercial departments have also continued to take massive hits as far as redundancies go!!!!
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Editorial has suffered more than most departments as far as jobs cuts are concerned, but not exclusively.
Beryl, the tea lady in the old Dover office, was given her marching orders earlier in the year. She had been with the company since 1896 and hadn’t cleaned her teapot since 1923.
I bumped into her the other day while cleaning my septic tank. I’m pleased to announce that she is now working as a long distance lorry driver and is also available at weekends for birthdays, funerals and board meetings.
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”Wonder what the job loss count was between the various departments”
Well Bluestringer, as mentioned on a thread earlier last month my moles at Torquay’s Herald Express tell me 16 out of a around 30 editorial jobs were chopped – and none in advertising – the only other remaining department there.
A full cadre of experienced reporters (news and sport) and an entire photographic department in the Herald’s case. Most of the subs were culled off a few years earlier thanks to the great sub-hub debacle.
It looks like our snapping chums are the ones really under the cosh at the moment as each Northcliffe daily that makes the switch to weekly now culls its photographers – Exeter’s Express and Echo has done the deed and no doubt the same fate awaits the Lincolnshire Echo’s lens-wielders.
Obviously it is a cost-cutting exercise – a set up of four/five photographers is not cheap to run per annum. Taking into account wages, NI, tax, cars, holiday cover, equipment then you’re probably looking at a figure of close on £180K a year – and let’s face it reader-generated picture content is free (albeit NVG)
My understanding is that it’s now the remaining I.T. jobs in Northcliffe regional centres that are now under scrutiny – the letters of doom went out earlier this month.
Also kept quiet by Northcliffe is the impending move of the Western Daily Press production back to Bristol from Plymouth. Those letters have been fluttering around again………..
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Northcliffe has announced the return to Bristol quite clearly and that, frankly, cannot be a bad thing – might be the glimmer of sense in the management under Steve Auckland at last!
If they’re threatening to get rid of the IT jobs I’d love to know how they are going to cope when systems go down, as they inevitably will. They’re never a quick fix – if they’re using an agency, how do they avoid losing editions?
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I, for one, would like to know how many copies the Torquay Herald Express is selling now the initial ‘excitement’ at moving from a daily to a weekly has died down.
Would it be overly cynical to assume the lack of any news pon this front means it ain’t as many as might have been hoped?!
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