A free newspaper launched nine months ago at the height of the Birmingham ‘newspaper war’ has been suspended from publication.
Regional publisher Trinity Mirror set up Birmingham Post Lite last April, shortly before the launch of entrepreneur Chris Bullivant’s rival Birmingham Press.
Following a bitter six-month battle for control of the lucrative property advertising market in the second city, Mr Bullivant admitted defeat in October and announced he was “withdrawing” his titles from the market.
It later emerged that the Press had gone bust with debts of £343,186, including more than £37,000 owed to freelances.
The Post Lite was distributed to 18,000 homes in areas such as Solihull, Harborne and Sutton Coldfield – the same upmarket suburbs The Press had previously been targeting.
However the paper, which was normally published on Thursdays, has not appeared since before Christmas.
Contacted by HTFP yesterday, a Trinity Mirror spokesman confirmed that the title is currently “suspended.”
The spokesman was unable to say if or when it would resume publication.
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it will not resume publication, unless another rival newspaper tries to ‘muscle’ in on TM’s monoploty. They don’t like competition and will do anything they can to crush it.
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Surprise, surprise. How can a real newspaper – not a spoiling excercise – be ‘suspended’. Another cynical move to stamp out competition. The Brum staff concerned – those who produced it – should be disgusted with themselves. And they will be next in the firing line. What comes around goes around. Remember that when you pick up your pension details and P45.
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That’s capitalism, kids. It’s no more reprehensible than Tesco offering a bunch of two for ones when a new Asda opens. Should TM have just rolled over and lost their business?
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Steve Pain, you must be bonkers. The people who worked on the Post Lite were just doing their jobs. Trinity Mirror, as the fifth yorkshireman said, wasn’t just going to roll over and let someone else take its business. Perhaps the real person who should be ashamed should be Chris Bullivant. He, apparently, is an experienced businessman in our industry and it shouldn’t have been too hard for him to work out that his flimsy newspaper wasn’t going to make money. As it is, it went to the wall owing over £300k including tens of thousands to freelance journalists. They, unlike the Birmingham Post journalists, won’t get paid. The shame belongs only with those who should have known better and who gave others false hope.
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Angry – you said it. Quote The shame belongs only with those who should have known better and who gave others false hope. I am not bonkers – and you clearly have not worked in newspapers long enough to know what you are postulating about. The freelances you mention – most of them – are former Post hacks. Sit in Fort Dunlop and postulate away at your comfort. And please be quiet.
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Old Chinese proverb says: “When a man has a blister on his foot, it is time to change shoes.” It’s worth thinking about, no?
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